Alison felt like one of those girls. They didn't know what life had in store and prayed for the assurance only a divine mother could give. They sought it in a dream. If they were lucky, their future lover would appear. But, if fate was unkind, there would be no man in their dreams.
A powerful force propelled her to her feet and she set off down the slope. Bats flew overhead and she heard the neighing of a horse. The sun sank and two small mounds appeared, scarcely visible before. They now poked up like breasts. Allison unbuttoned her blouse and sank between them.
Tom felt certain that something profound would happen. He sat cross-legged beside the pond, helmet on head, eyes directed at the computer balanced on his knees. As the sun edged towards the horizon, the familiar pattern of lines appeared and the noise of traffic was replaced by the neighing of a horse.
Everything was going according to plan. The sounds of his old realm were giving way to the new. He felt sure he was making contact with a different level of existence. The important thing now was to harmonise. He guessed it was like surfing. The trick would be to catch a wave ... and surf to another realm.
He sensed the wave coming and prepared to make the journey of a lifetime. Then the sound of the horse drifted away and he heard the cars again. It was totally mortifying. Everything appeared to be going so well but nothing came of it.
He waited for a while then a passing Airbus convinced him he was wasting his time. He'd failed to catch the wave. The sun was now set. The crucial time between day and night had passed and there wouldn't be a second wave that day. The window of opportunity had gone.
He got up and gathered his equipment together. Despite his disappointment, there was still magic in the air. Moths fluttered about him and settled on his clothes. He felt their furry bodies and heard the shrill cries of bats. The moths exuded an odour to attract lovers. As a child, he had been attuned to these calls of nature. Now, he was aware of them again.
A movement caught his eye. A creature, half-man-half-goat, was crouching in the bushes. It had to be a trick of the light. His military training had prepared him for such aberrations. But his thoughts were not on men with guns. He stopped thinking about the love life of moths and started to worry about Alison. He pulled a torch from his belt and flicked it over the ground.