Back on the inside

Those ten minutes felt interminable.

At one and the same time, I wanted to get moving and get into the building - and also wanted to run away. Poised between fear and impetuosity, I felt time drag, as I checked and re-checked the clock on the mobile phone.

Finally it was time.

I took a deep breath, thought about Jen as hard as I could, and was about to blink away when - just for the briefest moment - I found I couldn't remember her face.

The idea of Jen, the place she had in my life, and my feeling of missing her ware all as strong as ever. And yet somehow they were abstract, without that familiar face in my mind.

It didn't last long - almost instantly I could imagine her clearly again. But for a second or two, the panic almost overwhelmed me.

I closed my eyes, trying to relax, and reassured myself I could see Jenny's face. And then I blinked away from the park bench...

...to find myself in a supply cupboard. It certainly wasn't a grand entrance, but a quick peep out into the corridor told me I was in the right place.

I was in.



Story begins here.