SHORT STORY: My Wonders

        “When did we stop doing things like this?” said Alison. I looked at her.

         “I… don’t know,” I said. “Maybe it was when we stopped believing in ourselves.” 

         “It just seems like one day, amazing things were being built and then, all of a sudden, you look around and nothing seems the same.” 

I nodded, and we looked at each other sadly, the sun moving across the Minster but still shining down into the café. The light moves across, touching Alison’s hands, which were resting gently on the table.

         “Will we ever get back to where we were?” she said. I shook my head.

         “I… don’t think so,” I said. “I think we have come to this place, and it will just get worse if we carry on the way we are.” 

         She nodded, sadly.

         “I am not sure there is anything we can do about it,” she said. “We just have to live with where we are.” 

         She smiled. It was a lovely smile, and I knew then that there was hope. 

         “We stopped doing things when we stopped looking to the skies for hope, and we started looking at each other,” she said. “Or, maybe it was the other way around. We looked at the skies, and didn’t look at each other.” 

         “We were amazing,” I said. Alison looked at me and raised her eyebrows. 

         “Yes, well, we didn’t exactly make the Minster ourselves, did we?” she said. 

         “No, that’s true,” I said. “But you know that you are an even more wonderful creation than the Minster.” 

         My wife raised a hand and blushed.

         “No, I’m not, but thank you,” she said. 

         I took her hand and kissed it.

         “Yes, you are,” I said. “You are utterly wonderful.” 

         My wife blushed, which just made her all the more beautiful. Neither of us could understand why people did not build things like the Minster any more, and we both regretted it. 

         Walking around York was a joy of ours. It was busy, particularly in the summer months, but it had so much to say, it had so many beautiful buildings, so many amazing creations, and so many memories.

         Our first date was at a café in York – a long time ago now – and that is still my favourite place to go, despite the other wonderful sights and places there are in York. 

         It’s even better when my wife joins me. 

By Robin Lewis-Light

Robin Lewis-Light lives in York, and loves his wife even more than he loves the Minster and York’s wonderful historical buildings!