Tom sat alone at a corner table in the White Horse, a pint of ale in his hand, his mind elsewhere.

The town hadn't changed much over the years, he thought. The people seemed to have done, though. A lot of them must have moved away and others had moved in. So far he had not met anyone he knew. He had not visited the cottage yet. He wondered whether or not he should go there.

Tom was still deep in thought when a short, plump, bespectacled man, with a neatly-trimmed beard, approached his table.

"Hello," said the stranger. "Do you mind if I sit here?" Tom shook his head indifferently and the other sat down opposite him.

The stranger spoke again. "I don't think I've seen you round here before. You're not local, are you?"

"No," replied Tom. "Not any more. I used to live in this town years ago. I'm just paying a flying visit. Revisiting some of my old haunts."

"You've still got friends living here, I expect?"

"A few, but not many. There's no one in particular I want to see, no one living anyway. I just wanted to have a look around. See what's changed."

"I expect there have been a few changes since you left. I only moved here a couple of years ago myself, so I wouldn't know."

"Whereabouts do you live?"

"Warborne Lane, on the outskirts."

Tom froze. "Warborne Lane? Oh yes, I know it."

"Well I expect you'll have heard of Yalbury Cottage, then. That's where I live."

Tom took a large swig from his glass. "Yes," he said hesitantly. "I know Yalbury Cottage."

"The place was on the market for ages. The estate agents had tremendous difficulty selling it. The cottage suited me, though. Ideal place for me to work in. I'm a writer, you see. They offered me a very reasonable price too."

"Why - why did the estate agents have trouble selling the cottage?"

"Because of its history. Some years ago, a family was murdered in that cottage. A husband, wife and daughter - all shot dead. Perhaps you knew the family - the Martins?"

"Well," said Tom uneasily. "I don't know everyone in this town. Did the police find the murderer?"

"No. According to the neighbours, Mr and Mrs Martin disapproved of a boy their daughter was seeing. Nobody seemed to know much about him though. Look, I'm researching for a book I'm writing about the murder. Since you used to live round here you might be able to help me with some background detail, tell me about some of the local people. You might even provide some clues that would help find the killer."

Tom finished his beer. "No, I don't think so. I'm only passing through. I wouldn't go probing into that murder either, if I were you. You could cause a lot of trouble by raking up the past. Well, I'm off. I don't expect I'll be seeing you again."

Tom departed rapidly.

POLLY CLARK WRITES: This story, by local writer James Williams of Woolston in Southampton, is an example of a well-crafted plot which keeps you reading and tidies up the story in a very small number of words.

There's not a word wasted here, which is an important part of short story writing. Do you think you've got what it takes to write a short story or poem?

You still have time to enter the Daily Echo Christmas competition - and win publication in the Daily Echo and a cash prize. The theme is A Christmas Gift and you can enter short stories or poems. The competition will be judged by writer Don Paterson.

The maximum length for stories is 1,500 words, and 30 lines for poems (which may be in any form). The closing date is next Friday November 8.