Blowzabella's bus had been late. In the end, she'd got the driver to drop her off in the middle of nowhere, in the hope of cadging a lift. Eventually she'd got one - off a bloke driving a combine and who'd clearly drunk several pints of locally brewed cider. Never mind. She was in one piece with her honour intact. All credit to him, he'd tried to warn her away from going there. To go home with him and meet his ma instead. But she'd persuaded him to drop her off anyway. And gone in.

BB pushed open the door. For months now she'd dreamed of visiting a place like this. But it was empty - or was it. Disembodied voices of people who'd passed through seemed to echo around. Shadows of former inhabitants seemed to mark places by the bar and she didn't dare sit anywhere because she was sure a voice would call out - "Don't sit there - that's jOhn's seat!"   

BB ran a finger throught the dust on the bar and decided to make the best of it. Disapponting that no-one was here - now that she'd got here. She found a corner and sat down - pulled her knees up to her chest an rummaged for the corkscrew and bottle she'd brought. She'd hoped to share it with some likeminded folk, but where were they -

she shrugged - if nothing else turned up she'd drink the bottle herself and get the bus back in the morning - or perhaps she'd go and meet the combine driver's mother!