Creative Writing Competition 2025 Winners: Nicola Walpole

Adult Runner-Up: Nicola Walpole

The runner-up in this year's Adults category is Nicola Walpole with, Found In Time.

Nicola Walpole

Found In Time     

by Nicola Walpole         

Dearest P.

 Everything is arranged. Meet me here at 7 o'clock, Saturday week. Don't be late. 

Your ever-loving F.

Reading the brief message, Emily felt her stomach flutter. It wasn't an unusual find, the charity shop regularly discovered shopping lists, old receipts and the occasional letter acting as bookmarks, but Emily felt there was something different about this romantic tryst caught in the pages of a battered Jane Eyre Everyman Classic. She slipped the postcard into her pocket and made a quick sweep of the other donated books, which were disappointingly empty.

The sepia print was entitled, The Market Cross, Winton, and clearly stamped, Tuesday 4^th April 1911, addressed to Miss Pearl Musgrove, Thompson House, Winton. Emily knew Thompson House. She passed it on her way to work every morning; a grand building, halfway down the High Street, now occupied by an accountancy firm as their flagship office. The Market Cross is still standing, a bit battered but the site of the Thursday market. 

According to Google calendar, in 1911, Saturday week would have been 15^th April. Only two days time. Emily was a great believer in fate. It was too much of a coincidence to come across the postcard so close to the original date, she had to find out more.

Monday lunchtime was spent in Winton Museum scrolling through the newspapers of the era. The East Anglian Daily Times reported a 'Miss Musgrove from Thompson House, had died suddenly on the evening of 15^th April 1911.' Emily found it hard to keep her hand steady on the microfiche wheel as she zoomed in to read the details.

Inquest held into the sudden death of

Miss Pearl Musgrove aged 32.

A Lady’s Companion, residing at Thompson House, High Street, Winton.

Police Constable William Honeyborne discovered the deceased in Frithy Wood on Easter Sunday, at ten o’clock in the morning, after being alerted to her disappearance by her employer.

Mr J. A. Pearce, District Coroner, instructed a verdict of “Accidental Death” on account of the wet and slippery conditions prevailing at the time.

The coroner commended

PC Honeyborne on his diligent work in locating the deceased.

Emily was familiar with Frithy Wood, she loved to sit under the massive oak tree that looked out over the valley. It was hard to comprehend this was the location where Pearl was found.

Had Pearl met with her ever-loving F? Did F play any part in her demise? Emily couldn't stop her mind darting in multiple directions, she had a curious feeling that she had been waiting all her life to find the postcard. The romantic dreams of a lonely forty-nine-year-old charity shop worker who ran a crochet club on a Wednesday afternoon, were fast becoming reality. 

Christine popped her head around the door. 'Find anything interesting?' she asked.

When Emily told her friend about the inquest, Christine mentioned the oral archives. 'I think we've got an early recording by a Berdie Thompson who used to own the house. If you're interested, I'll find it for you,' she said.

The recording talked mainly about how Berdie had donated the railings to be melted down for the war effort and, curiously, about her research into creating an antiseptic from seaweed. Emily felt deflated that there was no reference to Pearl and tried to convince herself that if sleuthing was easy, there wouldn't be any crimes left to solve.

On Tuesday evening at a quarter to seven, Emily stood sheltering from the drizzle under the Market Cross. The nearest street lamp cast a suitably eerie pattern across the wet tarmac, leaving the interior of the structure in deep shadow. Emily pushed her hands deep into her pockets in an effort to stop shivering. She was centre stage in a cosy-crime novel. Or should it be a cold-case-cosy-crime novel, she wondered? 

Everything is arranged. The thought kept surfacing, were they running away together? Don't be late, were they catching a train? Emily had checked the census for 1911 but there was no mention of a Pearl Musgrove at Thompson House or anywhere else on the system. Perhaps Pearl Musgrove was an alias.

As the town clock struck the last of seven long, soulful notes, Emily felt a change in the air, a presence behind her. Could it be F come to claim Pearl again, to take her away, to lead her to her death? Emily turned slowly, her heart echoing the bells.

'It's only me.'

Emily's legs gave way.

'Steady on, are you okay?' Christine caught Emily's arm and guided her to a bench. 'I wondered if you'd be here after what you told me yesterday. Sorry to give you a fright, you look as though you've seen the proverbial ghost. Let's go to The Queen's Head for a warm up, you're frozen.'

_________________________________________

Judges remarks:

“This intriguing story was a worthy runner up. With its fresh and contemporary tone, the writer explored the ways that 'found' stories get pieced together.  A scrap, found inside a book in a charity shop, leads a keen story-teller astray. This story playfully demonstrates the joys - and dangers - of research for writers, with economy, humour and a light touch.”

Nicola’s statement:

 “I'm delighted to be chosen as runner up in The Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival 2025 short story competition. Having Jill Dawson validate my writing has been a huge boost to my confidence, thank you.”