Lonely up-and-coming entrepreneur Stuart Fieldson was stood in Hatchards, the famous London bookshop. His briefcase was nudged between his legs as he huddled in the corner where they stocked the travel books. They always seemed to put them in the smallest of places.

     His mobile phone went off. It was a text message. A bit of fumbling ensued as he tried to find where it was. A few people stared at him as he clicked away at the buttons, which made popping sounds to assure him he was pressing the right ones. It was Mr Waltonstone. He had an offer. An insulting one. No wonder he wanted to get away from patronising businessmen who were too miserly to see what great ideas lay before them. His revolutionary Reverse Microwave would have to sit tight until… who knew when? He made a hasty reply to Mr Waltonstone, then retreated to the bookshelves once more.

A young man about to join him – Amery Lace – was an unassuming gentleman. He carried a small rucksack and an A to Z clutched tightly in his pale hands. He looked rather like a tourist, but he hailed from a flat just half a mile down the road.

     His dull eyes flickered around the shop as he stepped in. It was all so unfamiliar. He had passed by the place every day on the bus but had never bothered to visit. At last he had a reason to – travel books. But, like his near future company, he, too was unsure of where he wanted to go.

Providing excellent service at the counter was cashier Imogen Ninety. She smiles the whole day long as if she has been injected with Botox – as every customer deserved the greatest satisfaction. It said so on the plaque behind her. She earned no break, (except for lunch), as they were short staffed, and her auburn hair was, now and again, disturbed by the pathetic fan that sat beside her. The manager would not allow whacking it up to full power, (even on the hottest of days), as he said it “wasn’t good for the environment”. What he really meant to say was that it cost much more. He would not have it turned off either as he claimed that it would “upset the regulars.”