Last Orders

What it looks like, and what it does

A low-beamed pub at the end of a street. Windows steamed and warm. A brass bell on the bar caught mid-swing. Every clock showing 10:55. Regulars with half pints they do not finish. The front door open on rain.

Always five minutes to closing. Lights low. Glasses refilled without being asked. The bell swings at intervals.

What is known

The Fox & Anchor rang last orders on a night in 1993, and the bell has not stopped. The landlord, behind the bar, says time is nearly up.

Patrons describe a warmth and a fear of leaving. A few have gone out and come back in the same minute. The pub's door opens on the same street and the same rain.

What it can do

• Holds a room at five minutes to closing for as long as the bell is rung
• Admits anyone who comes in from the rain

Where it stops

• Cannot hold anyone who finishes their drink
• Fails if the bell is silenced

An encounter

Pugh went in for one. He sat for what felt like a quarter of an hour and a woman at the next table asked whether he would stay for another. He looked at his glass. It was still half full, though he had been drinking it for some time. He finished it in one go and stood up. The door was open. The bell stopped.

Alun Pugh, customer, The Fox & Anchor, Mill End, A wet night in March

What is established, and what is only said

• established: The takings book is complete and balanced for 11,300 nights.
• incomplete: The pub is listed as closed in the licensing register since 1993.
• rumor: That the regulars would like you to finish your drink, and cannot say so.

Still unresolved

The takings book shows entries for every night since 1993, each for a single round. The totals are exact to the penny.

Where it has been recorded

• Mill End (confirmed) — Recorded by Alun Pugh, customer.

Connected entities

• The Regulars — Both are rooms that keep an hour for the people who do not want to leave it. Neither pushes anyone out.