Life had a way of unfolding strangelyso it was that Jack was raised by his grandmother, even though his mother was still alive. His mum was a lovely woman, kind-hearted and beautiful, but she worked as a singer at the Royal Albert Hall and was rarely home. Her constant travels eventually led to the breakdown of her marriage to Jacks father. And so, it fell to Nan to take care of him.
For as long as he could remember, whenever Jack walked back to their block of flats, hed tilt his head up and spot Nans silhouette in the fourth-floor window, waiting eagerly for his return. And whenever she waved goodbye from that same window, he always waved back.
But when Jack turned twenty-five, Nan passed away. Now, coming home to an empty window left him with a hollow ache, a sadness too deep to name. Even when his mother was around, the loneliness clung to him. They hadnt spoken properly in yearsno shared interests, no real conversations, not even about mundane things. They were strangers under the same roof.
A few months after Nans funeral, Jack suddenly decided to leave London. His skills as an IT specialist were in demand, and hed found a job in Manchester with a good salary and a relocation package. His mother was relieved, reallyhe was a grown man now, and it was time he made his own way, far from home.
He packed lightjust a change of clothes and Nans favourite teacup, the one he kept as a keepsake. With a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he took one last glance at the kitchen window. No one waved. His mother hadnt even bothered to see him off. A cab whisked him to Euston Station, and soon he was lying on the top bunk of a sleeper train.
The next morning, he arrived right on schedule. He checked in at the office, then went to view a flat hed found online. As he navigated the unfamiliar streets, his phone guiding him, something caught his eyea block of flats that looked eerily like his own. All those postwar buildings tended to blend together, but this one had something uncanny about it. Maybe it was the odd shade of sage green on the window frames.
Without thinking, Jack strayed from his route and wandered closer. He just wanted to stand there a moment, to remember Nan. He tilted his head up, eyes landing on the kitchen windowand froze. His breath hitched. On the fourth floor, behind that same window, was Nans silhouette. He knew it was her in an instant, his heart nearly leaping from his chest.
Jack was a rational man. He knew this couldnt be real. He squeezed his eyes shut, turned away, and started walkingbut something in his chest whispered, *Wait. Its her.* Against his better judgment, he stopped, turned back, and looked up again.
She was still there.
Before he could stop himself, he dashed into the building, his duffel bag bouncing against his back. The lock on the stairwell door was broken, just like back home. He flew up to the fourth floor and rang the bell. The door opened to a bleary-eyed young woman in a dressing gown, blinking at him in confusion.
“What do you want?”
“Me?” Jack stammered. “II need to see my Nan.”
“Your Nan?” The woman frowned, then suddenly laughed and called over her shoulder, *”Mum! Someones here for you!”*
While her mother came to the door, the girl studied Jack with amused curiosity. His head was spinning now, his pulse hammering so hard he thought his heart might stop.
“Who was asking for me?” A woman in her fifties appeared, just as sleep-rumpled as her daughter.
“Mum, listen,” the girl grinned. “He just called you Nan.”
“Wait,” Jack murmured. “I wasnt calling *you*I meant the woman in your window. The kitchen. I saw my Nan there. Shesshes gone, but I *saw* her.”
“Are you on something?” the girl sneered. “Theres no Nan here! Its just me and Mum, got it?”
“Right, sorry I mustve got it wrong” Jack swayed, his vision swimming. He leaned against the wall for support. “Ill just stand here a minute, then go.”
The girl started to shut the door, but her mother stopped her.
“Hold on, lad,” she said, studying him. “You dont look well.”
“Im fine,” he lied weakly.
“Fine? Your face is red as a beetroot. Vera, fetch the blood pressure monitornow!”
Veras eyes widened, but she obeyed, darting off as her mother guided Jack inside.
Sitting him on the hallway bench, the woman took his pulse, then muttered something about calling an ambulance.
“No, please,” Jack begged. “Ive got work tomorrowfirst day on the job”
“Quiet,” she snapped, already preparing an injection. “Youre not going anywhere like this.”
“Are you ill?” Vera asked, hovering nervously.
“No, never,” Jack insisted. “Im healthy.”
“Healthy?” The woman scoffed. “Your blood pressures through the roof. What brought this on?”
“I I saw my Nan in your window,” he admitted. “She was just standing there, looking at me.”
“Your Nan?” Vera repeated.
“Yeah. But she passed two months ago. Are you sure theres no elderly woman in this flat?”
“Youre a strange one,” Vera laughed. “I *told* youits just me and Mum.” But then, as if to humour him, she added, “Fine, Ill check the kitchen.”
She disappeared, then let out a startled shriek.
“Mum! What *is* this?”
She reappeared, holding a teacupa familiar one.
“Where did this come from?” Vera demanded. “Weve never owned anything like this!”
Jacks breath caught. “Thats thats my Nans cup. Butit was in my bag.”
“Your bag?” The mother frowned. “Where is it?”
Jack nodded toward his duffel by the door. They emptied it, searchingbut the cup wasnt there.
To this day, neither Vera nor her mother can explain what happened. Especially since, two months later, Veras mother became Jacks mother-in-law.
Some things are just a bit of magic.
