Page 73 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

‘They’re saying the wind is going to really get up tonight,’ said Flora, checking her phone. ‘We’re now under a severe weather warning.’

‘Oh no,’ murmured Katy. ‘Then everyone will just head home after the fireworks and not want to hang around.’

As the afternoon went on and turned into early evening, she and Ryan had to resign themselves to the fact that nobody else was going to come in apart from their close friends and family.

‘Wind’s getting up,’ said Eddie, heading over to close the front door as it kept banging against the wall.

‘Well, the lights are still on and the signs are just about hanging up on the platform to let them know that we’re open,’ said Ryan.

He and Katy exchanged a disappointed look, both knowing that it was going to be a quiet evening after all their hard work.

‘Such a shame,’ said Harriet, looking downcast.

‘At least some folks got to see it,’ said Bob with a sad smile.

Katy went over and gave him a hug, not knowing what to say. He patted her on the back and they were both comforted by drawing strength from the other.

At that moment, Joe peered out of the platform window. ‘That’s odd,’ he said. ‘I think everyone’s coming back early. I thought the fireworks weren’t until seven o’clock.’

Katy went to stand next to him and could see a long line of people, their torches lit up in the darkness heading back along the narrow track that lay between Cranfield and Cranbridge.

‘I reckon it’s been cancelled,’ said Eddie, standing next to them. ‘Not safe to have a bonfire or fireworks in these conditions.’

As people began to walk across the railway bridge, Katy opened up the door once more that led onto the platform. But the wind nearly whipped the door handle out of her hand, such was its strength.

‘Storm’s coming in now,’ said Eddie, with a worried face as he came to stand alongside her.

Katy could see the wind whipping up all around the station, causing the leaves to be ripped off the trees and whirl around them as if in a maelstrom. The trees were nodding and bending in the strength of the wind.

‘We’d better pack up and head home, I reckon,’ said Eddie, raising his voice to be heard above the wind.

‘I guess so,’ replied Katy, feeling bitterly disappointed.

‘Oh no!’ cried out Libby, causing everyone to turn around.

‘What?’ asked Flora.

Libby was looking down at her phone. ‘That old oak tree at the end of Railway Lane has come down. It says on the local WhatsApp group that the car park is blocked!’

‘Folks will need somewhere to go whilst it gets sorted,’ announced Grams. ‘It’s dry and warm in here, so let’s get them inside, shall we?’

Everyone coming over the bridge was looking cold and miserable, so Katy flung open the door once more and invited everyone inside.

‘The car park’s blocked,’ she called out. ‘Come inside and stay warm. We’ve got hot chocolate!’

So a group of around twenty people shuffled inside, where they could shelter out of the heavy rain and wind.

People seemed grateful to be out of the worst of the storm and Katy was just about to show them the memorabilia from the station when all the lights went out.

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Shocked for a moment by the sudden darkness, Katy brought out her phone and turned on the torch.

‘Come on in, everyone,’ she said to the group of people who were still huddled in the ticket office having only just come in. They were all wearing their bulky coats, hats and scarves, as well as wellington boots.

She pointed the torch around so people could see where they were going and a few people joined in by putting on their torches as well. Once everyone was settled in the waiting room, she began to light the fairy lights that they had strung up only a week ago for Bob’s birthday, grateful that they were battery operated.

With a little more ambient light, Ryan was able to bring out the couple of storm lamps that he had found in the ticket office and lit those as well. Katy drew the curtains across the windows in the waiting room to try to keep the warmth inside.