Graham’s Lost Key

Graham and Valerie clear the school café after lunch. Graham needs the small silver key to put the clean cups back in their cupboard.

He feels in his trouser pocket. The orange key ring is not there, although he is sure he used it earlier.

Valerie checks the counter beside the sink. There are dry cloths and a tray, but no key among them.

Graham stops to think about the last time he had it. “I sat down by the window before we started clearing,” he remembers.

They look around his chair and under the table. Near the wall, Valerie spots a bright orange circle beside one chair leg.

Graham picks it up and shows it to the café supervisor. The key must have slipped from his pocket when he sat down.

After they put away the cups, he hangs the key on its hook. Valerie checks that the orange ring is easy to see there.

They leave the café tidy for the next group. Graham looks once more at the hook, glad the key has a place of its own.