Immersed

Doris was an avid story listener.

She regularly plugged herself in to her latest book.

It was a great pastime and she would often become thoroughly engrossed in the stories being told. For this reason, she would listen every chance she got, from the time she left home to the time she arrived at the shop. Then, after the day, she would listen all the way home. She worked behind the counter of a top-draw jewellery shop in the city.

There were times when it would be quiet for long periods and she could discreetly use just one earplug to keep the story going. She made sure this didn’t impinge on her duties. She had been there for several years and was careful to keep the job that she enjoyed.

She was very fond of thrillers, stories that would keep her guessing, stories with lots of twists and turns.

On this particular occasion she was well into a chase sequence between two men running a money lending syndicate, trying to track down a potential victim in the form of an innocent young woman who had accidently witnessed something that has put her in danger. Although Doris had heard such scenarios many times before, it didn’t lessen either her enjoyment of it, or her becoming fully immersed in the plot.

As soon as she was out on the street the earplugs when in.

The woman in the story, Betty, was now running. If she could only make it to the underground station without being spotted, she could catch a train and be well clear of the criminals with little chance of them being able to track her down further.

As Betty entered the crowded entrance to the station she looked over her shoulder to see whether the two men were there when she collided with a man coming out. His briefcase caught her on the knee and sent a shot of burning pain up her leg. She hurried on, limping now, but she had to get out of sight as quickly as possible.

Once Betty was down on the platform, she hobbled to the quiet end of the platform and found a seat, where she could watch the passengers coming down the escalator. She was exhausted. Had she given them the slip? She didn’t know. Her leg hurt. She sat waiting nervously for the train. It seemed to be taking a long time to arrive. She waited and waited…

Doris’s head bounced. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. She was sitting at the end of the platform in an underground railway station, out of breath… and rubbing her sore knee!