custodian of so many secrets, and Sarah had become lost in her thoughts when she heard music in the distance, which brought her back to the here and now. It was the organ being played inside the cathedral. It sounded beautiful. The organist was practising for the Christingle, and Sarah felt that she could have sat there all day listening and watching the world go by. That was, until she was


inter-


rupted. “Hello,” came the voice of a stranger, which


startled her. “Are you Sarah?” said the stranger, extending his gloved hand to shake her hand. He too was well wrapped up in a full-length woollen coat and a hat covering all of his hair. “Does he have hair?” she thought. As he sat


next to her, Sarah, realising that she had not replied, offered her hand and answered, “Yes, I’m Sarah.” “It’s beautiful here.” Sarah nodded. “I love this area,” he said, looking up at the


tall towers of the cathedral. “It’s the flatness. You can see for miles and, when it snows, everywhere looks so magical.” Sarah was studying his middle-aged face,


which looked kind. She noticed his lovely green eyes beneath the rim of his hat. “Yes,” she replied. She suddenly realised that she hadn’t been


listening. Had she missed something? she thought. He was still talking. “Would you like to go and have a coffee in the cathedral? It is quite parky out here.” He had already stood up, stamping his feet


on the path, trying to get the feeling back in them. Sarah felt her heart beating. “Yes.” I must stop saying yes, she thought to


herself. Whatever must he be thinking? Sarah could not believe that this was


happening. She felt sixteen again. She followed the man into the café; such a tranquil place within the peaceful walls of the cathedral. They ordered coffee and sat down at a table.


He was chatting about his life, his wife, who


had died, how he now spent so much time alone and that it was his son who had put his profile on the dating website because he could no longer see his father live his life alone. Sarah started to feel at ease in his company.


She felt that she had known him for years and found herself answering yes to everything he said. Especially when he asked if she would like to meet again, to which she immediately uttered “Yes!” They left an hour or so later. Shoppers were


busy rushing around in their own world, all wrapped up against the cold. The sky had turned white, and snowflakes had started to fall. The Christmas lights had been turned on and everywhere looked very pretty. Or maybe it was just that she was so very happy and seemed to be floating on air.


..... Many years later, an elderly couple was


sitting on the same bench, looking up at the impressive structure of the Cathedral and its towers seeming to reach to the clouds. The sky was overcast, not like it had been on that bitterly cold day when Sarah had first met her online date. The elderly man spoke. “Do you remember,


Sarah, we first met here and all you kept saying was yes?” Sarah smiled. “Shall we go into the cathedral for a coffee?” As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Sarah


thought how lucky she had been to have met him, and how wonderfully happy they had both become over the ensuing years. All thanks to modern technology.


..... As for Sarah’s friend Sonia, she did


eventually find love, but not through an internet dating site. She ended up marrying someone she had known at school when they met again at a reunion.


This story is purley ficticious. Any connection with similar events or any person or persons alive or dead is purley coincidental. If you have a short story (1400 words maximum) you would like to submit for the editor’s consideration, and to share with our readers, please email it to: info@countylifemagazines.co.uk or post to: County Life / Select Publishing (Short Stories) P.O. Box 32 Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 8TE


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