The blue coat
Every Thursday, a woman in a blue coat waited under the station clock. Theo was certain she had been his schoolteacher. Thirty years had passed, but the posture and newspaper seemed unmistakable. He composed an introduction, then realised he could not remember her first name.
Two familiar faces
Rather than following her, he asked about an exhibition photograph at the station. It showed two sisters: his teacher and the designer of the railway display. Theo had combined two faces into one confident memory. He now had a question, not an identification.
A note passed on
The next Thursday, he asked the woman whether she had designed the display. She had. He explained the connection and asked if she would pass a note to her sister. Weeks later, his teacher replied with a class photograph and a correction: her coat had always been green. Memory had supplied the blue.
About this story
This is an original work of fiction. Characters, places and events are invented. It does not describe a real missing person or investigation.