🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester, England – Autumn, 1965

The scent of rain-soaked cobbles merged with the damp, earthy smell of leaves plastered to the pavements by the relentless downpour.

A low rumble of thunder rolled in the distance as rivulets of water coursed through the gaps in the uneven stones.

Marina Leach walked briskly, her long olive green mac pulled tight against the chill, the wool grown heavy with the damp.

She tutted under her breath, adjusting her orange beret in a futile attempt to shield the low pigtails at her neck. A few stubborn strands of dark brown hair had escaped, clinging to her freckled cheeks.

“Manchester and its bloody rain… I really must remember my brolly one of these days.”

Her green tights were soaked through and her brown heeled boots tapped a sharp, hurried rhythm on the glistening pavement.

At last, she pushed open the door to The Golden Leaf & Fox, the comforting warmth inside wrapping around her like a blanket.

The air was thick with the rich aroma of strong black coffee and the hazy scent of cigarette smoke, all underscored by the crackle of an old Beatles single spinning on the record player.

Shrugging off her damp coat, she revealed a brown plaid pinafore dress worn over a mustard yellow polo neck. She took her usual seat by the window, watching the rain drum steadily against the fogged pane.

Her fingers idly turned the pages of a newspaper left behind on the table. A headline caught her eye:

“A Secret Network Behind Manchester’s New Musical Wave ?”

A wry smile touched her lips. Now, that looked like a story worth digging into.

A sudden crack of thunder outside coincided perfectly with the chime of the bell above the door. Marina glanced up. A figure stepped inside, shaking the rain from their coat.

It was you.

A stranger or so it seemed.

She set her pen down carefully on her notebook, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

“Perhaps this morning is about to get rather more interesting after all.” she thought.