A ripple in time

Missing her boyfriend who is off fighting in the war, Anna spends endless hours in the bookshop where she works

Anna liked being in the bookshop after hours. She loved curling up in the warmth and comfort of a novel, leaving the fear of war and the terror of the bombing raids behind. She breathed deeply and inhaled the fusty smell. Low light created odd-shaped shadows in the corners. She patted the head of a small stuffed black bear that stood by the till and ran a feather duster over the rows of hardbacks.

“Tsk.”

Frowning she bent to the bottom shelf. What were medical books doing in fiction? Anna shook her head and carried them to the correct shelf. When she was satisfied she went into the tiny back room and put the kettle on to boil. She’d have a cup of tea before she left.

The shop was more homely than her room in the boarding house where the smell of cabbage lingered and her landlady, Mrs Evans, just wanted to talk about the war.

Anna longed for life to return to normal and for Johnny to come home so they could be married. She sighed as she twisted the slim silver band on her finger.

“I’ll get you a proper ring,” Johnny had promised. “But this’ll do for now. No courting while I’m away.” He’d waggled his finger at her and Anna smiled.

Even if she had wanted to flirt, Anna reflected, there was no one left. All the men had gone to fight.

How Mr Pevensey ran the shop with so few customers, Anna had no idea. She looked around sadly. Much as she loved the bookshop she felt pressured to do something for the war effort.

“Work with me,” her sister said. She was a land girl in Devon and her letters were full of milking cows, churning butter and collecting eggs.

A fresh egg! Anna nearly swooned at the thought. Several friends worked in munitions factories and Anna had planned to join them before Mr Pevensey became ill and had no one to manage the shop.

It was quiet. She tipped water over the tealeaves and stirred. When the tea had brewed, she poured herself a

She turned around, but they’d gone...

cup and settled down to read.

But after a few minutes of struggling with the poor light, Anna let the book drop and daydreamed. The blackout curtains muffled sounds from outside and – “A-a-a-nna!”

Anna jumped and struggled upright in the chair as she heard her name and glimpsed something from the corner of her eye. She turned but whatever it was had gone.

The door was locked. No one had come in. It must have been a shadow created by a swinging light. But her chest tightened and her hands were clammy.

“It’s just your imagination,” she chided herself. “I’ll go home and listen to the Home Service before bedtime.”

Next morning Anna unlocked the shop door and threw open the blackout curtains. Light streamed in, shining through the dancing dust motes. She went inside and removed her coat…

“A-a-a-nna.”

Anna held her breath as a distant whispery voice called her name. She looked round. She was alone. “A-a-a-a-nna!”

The only person who stretched her name out like was Mr Pevensey’s grandson, but he hadn’t been in the shop since Mr Pevensey had taken ill. She smiled at the memory of young William playing hide and seek round the bookshelves. Once he had crept behind some large encyclopaedias and Anna had been unable to find him.

She’d hurried up and down the stacks before his giggles had given him away. She’d pulled him out, replaced the books and made him some cocoa, while he crowed about his hiding spot.

The day passed slowly. Anna popped to Mrs Beamish’s corner shop. She’d lost her only son in the fighting in the Western Desert. “How’s Johnny, Anna?” she called. Anna shook her head. The last letter had been a couple of months ago.

“I don’t know, Mrs Beamish. I hope he’ll have some leave soon. He must be due by now.”

“That’s nice. Good for you both.” Anna wandered back to the shop feeling lonely. She wished Johnny would come home. Time dragged until closing. She dusted, made tea, and closed the curtains. She checked the fiction shelves and found some walking-related books where Mr Dickens’ novels should be. Anna tried to suppress the shiver that went down her spine. Who moved the books around? She stood by the stove, massaging her hands. She was chilled to the bone.

“A-a-a-anna!” The voice was like the sound of branches rubbing together and carried on the wind, curling round the stacks and creeping into the small spaces.

Anna rushed through the shop, checking the shelves until… there he was. A translucent male figure standing by the door, the blackout curtain pushed aside. She blinked and steadied herself by grabbing a shelf.

“W-who? W-w-what are you?” “A-a-a-anna? C-c-can you hear me?” The shadowy figure cupped a hand to his mouth and Anna glimpsed the door through his clothing.

The hair stood up on back of her neck, as she looked about frantically. The man blocked the doorway. She couldn’t get out. She swallowed.

“Anna. Time to go. You’ve been in the bookshop too long.”

Anna clutched at her throat. What was he talking about?

“Anna. It’s William. A stray incendiary meant for the docks burned down the old bookshop. You were killed in the fire that night. You don’t need to stay…”

At that moment Anna heard the whine of a plane, irritating and insistent like an insect. It was coming closer and getting louder.

“Quick, Anna. Come out. After the war I rebuilt the shop. I’ve run it all my life. I love it as much as you, but my customers are upset by the books moving all the time.”

The plane whooshed low overhead and the building shook. Anna heard a high-pitched whine. That could only mean one thing.

She leapt forward as the shadowy figure opened the door. A blast of cold air hit her and there was Johnny – his tunic blood-soaked, his face chalky white, but he was smiling gently. He stepped forward and took Anna’s hand for the final time as the shop behind her exploded in a blast of yellow and crimson heat.

‘Anna sighed as she twisted the slim silver band on her finger’