Lunch Break

It was a quiet day in the cemetery screened from noises by the trees and shrubs. She often came here away from the office with its ringing phones, clacking keyboards, whispers and giggles. She sometimes felt isolated at work.

It had started to rain, a fine drizzle, some birthday! She put her sandwich box in her bag, smoothed her coat and started back to work. She looked up at the church clock, still half an hour left before her break was over, she could pop into the chapel to look at the memorial book. All that calligraphy writing and colouring was lovely, a real work of art. There was a woman in the memorial chapel putting flowers in a tin jug.

She crossed over to the glass display cases and looked at the names. After a while she turned to leave then suddenly turned back to look at that last page again, someone with the same name as hers! Shivering and frightened she hurried out of the chapel into the autumn rain.
Once back in the warm office she began feeling better, she hung up her coat and checked her face in the little mirror by the coat stand. She saw Sharon coming back from the copier laden with files and smiled at her, but Sharon looked straight through her… as if she wasn't there…