The True Story of Emily Lockwood / g. karim

𝔼𝕡𝕚𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

--The tape recorder shut off with a click, ending the vocal retelling, the accent fading into silence. 

"And then?" she asked eagerly. The young woman sitting across from her chuckled lightly, the sound intermingling with the distant chatter and music of the coffee house. 

"There's not much else to tell." 

Her interviewer sat forward, bracing her forearms on the table. "You can't be serious! All of that drama and then, it's just over?" Emily smiled kindly, setting her latte down on the table. Steam rolled off it gently, whispering around in the sunshine.

"I've had enough drama to last a lifetime," her mouth curled up wryly. "although you might have to improvise for your book." 

The aspiring author tapped her fountain pen on her chin thoughtfully. "I think I can do that. But - tell me something, Miss Lockwood, what happened to the boy?" 

"Which one?" 

"The one the main character fell in love with!" Emily knew by her voice she was American, and dimly wondered how she was enjoying London and its ghosts.

"I'm just here to give you inspiration. Not write the book for you." she teased, and the interviewer flushed. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Lockwood," she apologized quickly, her green eyes glancing down at the table. "I really did enjoy your story, and I think lots of people will too!" 

Emily smiled warmly, letting the woman's joy fill her. "It does make for interesting conversation." Her companion chuckled, and things fell silent for a moment. "You know, I was surprised when you called. Often people ask for my brother, when they want to hear of Lockwood and Co."

She flushed again, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug. "Well, that's what I thought of first, because everyone seems to know him. But, then he told me that you were the better Lockwood to talk to. So, I wanted to give that a try."

"Charming. Most people forget about me, when they know him." 

"Really? That's hard to believe," she sipped her coffee. "He made it seem like you were the heart of the agency, so I thought I would talk to you."

"And? How is that working for you?"

She grinned. "Better than I ever thought. I just have one question." Emily raised her eyebrows over the rim of her mug. 

"Sure. Shame to spend all day inside, though. Sunshine is a rare treat for London." 

"Okay, I'll make it quick," she said, turning on the tape recorder again. The black device sat on the table between them, casting angular shadows along the wooden surface. 

"Miss Lockwood, is any of it true?" 

Emily gave her an amused grin, and fished out a few pound notes from her wallet to place on the table, paying for their coffee.

"More than you could ever know," she said airily, standing up. "Good luck on your book, be sure to send me a copy!"

"Wait, I was hoping to-" she tried to catch her attention one last time, but the girl's figure was already retreating down the street, face angled up to catch the sunshine. 

❀

The True Story of Emily Lockwood, completed March 20th, 2023. 

If you've made it this far, thank you so much. 

Love you all.