Note from Dave: I took a week off of writing Dunnock Bay to catch up on a few things. I thought this was a good chance to re-share the very first story from Dunnock Bay, published on January 4, 2026. Enjoy.
“I really am sorry for being late,” said the driver. His eyes were locked on the snow-covered road before him. The cab’s headlights illuminated big flakes falling in the dark of the early evening.
Mindy smiled from the back seat. It was the fifth time he had apologized in their half-hour ride from the ferry. The car smelled vaguely of pine air freshener, but not obnoxiously so.
“Please don’t be,” she said. “I’m really not in a rush, and it’s been pretty seeing the island at this time of the evening. That sunset was incredible.”
Mindy wasn’t lying. Yes, she’d waited at the ferry terminal for her arranged taxi an hour and a half before she decided to call. It was another half-hour before the car finally arrived from Dunnock Bay. But the drive along the coast had been spectacular. By the time they’d left the ferry, the sun was already starting to hang low over the ridge of rocky hills that stretches the entire length of St. Anne’s coast. The sky had faded from blue, to pink, to a deep rosy red, giving the ridge a warm glow.
The sky was dark now. Mindy watched the street lights whiz past as they entered town.
“Mrow,” meowed a voice from the plastic pet carrier beside her.
“It’s OK, Darryl,” she said, stroking the top of the carrier lightly as if the cat inside could feel it. “We’re almost there, buddy.”
She peeked in the carrier door. A fat black and white cat sat with his feet tucked under him like a little butterball.
“Still, I can’t help feeling terrible,” said the driver. “I had it in my calendar that you were coming on tomorrow’s ferry.”
Mindy laughed. “Seriously, it’s OK! This has been lovely. I start work tomorrow, so I don’t have any plans tonight. Darryl and I will have a little supper and unpack a bit. ”
“The town is going to love having a librarian again,” said the driver, glancing in his mirror at his passenger. “I’m afraid we’ve been a bit lost since… since we lost Edna.”
Mindy had been so excited for the future of her new job in her new home, she’d not stopped to consider how the position became vacant. She knew the town had been looking for a librarian for quite a while.
“I’m so sorry,” said Mindy. “How long ago did she die?”
“Oh ha,” said the driver. “Sorry. She didn’t. She moved to Mexico. Retired.”
Mindy looked out the window at the snow-covered parked cars and sidewalks. She sighed.
“Retired to a tropical paradise,” she said. “Must be nice.”
“Must be nice,” echoed her driver.
Mindy sat in silence as they drove along George Street, Dunnock Bay’s main street. They passed a little butcher shop. A bike shop. A flower shop.
Mindy gasped.
“I didn’t know you had a record shop!” she said.
The driver smiled a sad smile, remembering.
“We used to,” he said. “It’s closed up now.”
“What a shame,” said Mindy.
The driver sighed. “You would have loved it.”
Two blocks later, the cab turned left up Hill Street. They drove another couple blocks and made a right onto Princess.
Mindy held her breath in anticipation. She’d seen photos of her new home online, but she was so excited to see it in person. She could see it ahead on the left, looking down on the town laid out below. The house was two and half storeys, clad in cedar shingles. The front porch wrapped around two sides of the house. Mindy spotted a faint light from the dormer windows on the top floor.
“Here we are,” said the driver, easing carefully into the steep driveway. In the dark car, Mindy could hear the soft rapid clicks as he pulled the handle of the parking break.
“Welcome home,” he said.
“Home,” she said, her eyes still glued on the light in the windows of the upper apartment.
“Mrow,” meowed the cat.
“We’re here, Darryl,” she said. “You’ve been such a good boy. As soon as we’re upstairs, I’ll let you out and you can hide under the couch.”
The driver laughed and opened his door. Mindy could hear the crunch of snow under his feet as he walked to the back of the car. It was cold. She pulled on her hat and mittens.
Mindy exited the car and gently removed the pet carrier from the back seat.
The driver had already grabbed her bag from the trunk. “Top floor, right? I think the stairs are at the back. I’ve helped Edna carry groceries before.”
“Top floor, yes,” she replied. “Thank you so much. You don’t have to take my bag. I’d like to do it myself.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” he said eagerly.
“Still,” she said. “It’s my first time in my new home. I promise I’ll let you carry my groceries in next time.”
The driver smiled.
“All right then,” he said. “Next time.”
He set her bag down at the bottom of the stairs. He tapped the top of the pet carrier.
“Take care, Darryl,” he said. He turned back to the car.
“Thank you for the ride,” she called after him. “I feel weird not paying you.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “The town has it covered.”
“Thank you. Hey, I’m so sorry, I never asked your name.”
He opened the driver’s side door and smiled.
“It’s Darryl,” he said, stepping into the car.
Mindy laughed as he started the car. The exhaust puffed from the tailpipe in the cold night air.
Behind the wheel, Darryl let out another sigh.
I should have asked her out, he thought.
Mindy watched the car pull out of the driveway. She was quiet for a minute as the night became quiet. She watched her breath drift from her nose in a gentle cloud.
God, I’m glad he didn’t ask me out, she thought.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the pet carrier.
“Come on, Darryl,” she said. “Let’s see our new home.”
The keys were under the mat, just as the landlord had said. She opened the door and stepped into the apartment, straight into a simple but well laid-out kitchen. A piece of yellow notepaper sat on the 1950s-style, pink formica tabletop. Mindy picked it up.
Dear Mindy,
Welcome home! Your boxes arrived earlier this week. I hope you don’t mind I placed them in the rooms they’re labelled for. I also put a few groceries in the fridge to tide you over until you can get to the market.
I think you are going to be very happy here. Give Darryl a scritch for me. There’s a little box at the end of the hall.
Donna
Mindy smiled. She tried to imagine her last landlord writing this kind of note, let alone stocking her fridge.
She set the pet carrier on the ground and opened the door.
“OK, big boy,” she said. “You’re free.”
The black and white cat, who had been begging to escape all day, huddled in the back of his cage with big eyes.
“Come explore your new home!”
The cat stared at her.
“Suit yourself,” she said, leaving the door wide open. “Come find me when you’re feeling better.”
Mindy did a walk-through of the apartment. It was small, for sure, but it was cute. Every room was freshly painted white and looked clean and homey. The floors were well maintained hardwood except for the checkered linoleum in the kitchen, which matched the vibe of the table and counter tops.
The bedroom was small, but it more than made up for it in storage space. The closet was a decent size, and someone had built recessed shelves into the walls around the room.
Yes, thought Mindy. This will do nicely.
Mindy spent the next hour absently walking around, emptying boxes. She wasn’t unpacking in any methodical way. She opened a box in the living room and placed a few books on the shelf before heading to the kitchen to stock the shelves with spices. She spent ten minutes opening random boxes looking for linens so she could make her bed. She found her old shower curtain with the mermaid on it and brought it to the bathroom to hang around the old claw-foot tub. Taped to the rim of the tub was another note from Donna.
You’re going to love this tub. It’s so deep! Take a soak after your long trip!
<3 D
Mindy smiled. Once she’d unpacked a few more boxes she’d take Donna up on her suggestion.
“Mrow,” sang Darryl from the living room. “Mrow!” he added with some urgency.
“Look who finally decided to come out of his cage,” said Mindy, finding the fat cat sitting in the window seat. She sat beside him on the blue velour cushion that had clearly been made to fit this exact spot. She stroked a finger along his chin, which elicited an immediate purr.
“What’cha looking at?” she said. “Hm?”
Mindy followed his gaze out the window.
The full moon hung low over the bay, casting a cold white light on Dunnock Bay. She could see snow-capped houses, businesses, and churches. A few cars weaved slowly through the grid of streets. A snowplow was just turning off George Street onto one of the residential streets that ran toward the water. Smoke from dozens of chimneys drifted straight up to the sky on this windless night. It was such a pretty little town.
“Let’s make a fresh start here,” she said, placing a gentle hand on Darryl’s back.
The cat looked straight into her eyes and gave a slow blink.
Thanks for hanging out in Dunnock Bay with me this week. I’ll be back with a brand new story next week. Is there anyone’s story you’re particularly interested in following? Drop me a line!
Be sure to also check out my weekly newsletter The Quack where I have a lot of fun writing about not much at all.
Have a great week. <3 Davy