Annaldra

The following morning Ann’s and Norlu’s moods were poles apart. Ann was dreading helping Elaine, not because she would be spending time with Finley’s wife in his home, though that in itself was bad enough, but because today was the day Finley was leaving and she feared he might not have left. She could not bear another cold encounter with him. His hatred of her was as great as her love was for him. She had no doubt after their meeting yesterday.

Norlu on the other hand bubbled with excitement about spending time with Donald. The previous evening she had not stopped talking about him when they got back to the hotel. He was tall, blonde and so good-looking, yet was not vain. The way he looked at her when listening and said so little gave him a mysterious quality; something Norlu found extremely attractive. This made her all-the-more intrigued to know what he was thinking. She claimed he had a wicked twinkle in his eyes; something she found ever so sexy. Not only that, his chosen lifestyle was not that different to the way she lived with her grandmother. However, she would not admit to him it was not exactly her chosen lifestyle. She wished they had a television, and a shop close by would be a nice convenience, but in spite of this, there was still a lot to be said for a simple life. Yet, no matter how much Norlu enthused, Ann still felt flat.

On arrival at Finley and Elaine’s house, Elaine greeted Ann with her usual warmth. She was relieved to find Finley was not there, but did not dare ask if he had left yet, ignorance being hope in this situation, and she wanted to cling to the possibility he had left as long as possible.

Ann spent some time with Gracie giving her milk, the infant’s eyes locked onto hers as she gulped it down. She looked like her daddy with her black wavy hair and dark eyes that had a depth of wisdom beyond their years. A perfect baby, she thought, so cute and always smiling. She could not help wondering what her own child would have been like had it lived. Deep down, she knew she would have wanted a baby like Gracie.

‘You’re a natural mother,’ said Elaine noticing the contented smile on Ann’s face as she gazed at her child.

Ann held her little hand and Gracie smiled and gurgled at her. ‘She’s so beautiful, and so good. She’s always happy.’

‘Yip, we are lucky. She has such a pleasant nature. They are not all like that you know. My brother’s son, Jimmy, cries constantly.’ Elaine shook her head sympathetically. ‘Aye, poor Douglas and Kirsty, they have their work cut out with that one. I don’t think either of them have had a proper night’s sleep since his birth… and he’s nearly one now,’ said Elaine ending with a chuckle.

Ann watched Gracie as her eyes opened and closed, opened and closed, opened and closed, each time getting heavier. ‘That’s her dozing off now.’

‘Here, give her to me and I will put her down. We will, hopefully, get a couple of hours before she wakens. Do you mind putting the kettle on and making a cup of tea before we start?’

Ann could not help but like Elaine. She did not want to, but there was nothing to dislike. She was charming, friendly and was often funny. Could she not have been a bitch? It was getting more, and more, difficult to stay detached.

Ann was sitting at the kitchen table, the two cups of tea obligingly made when Elaine emerged from upstairs.

‘That’s her sound asleep. Now we can get on with some serious party planning. What do you think about this idea…?’ Elaine had a huge grin on her face.

Ann had no idea what she was about to say, but she was obviously excited. ‘Go on, hit me with it.’

‘How about a Hallowe’en party?’ announced Elaine, using theatrical hand gestures.

‘A Hallowe’en party? Dressing up… as in witches and ghosts?’

‘Aye, why not? It will only be two days until Hallowe’en. Don’t you think it will be great fun… everyone in costume and we could do spooky themed food and decorate the hall?’

‘It’s your party, and if that’s what you want, I think it’s a great idea,’ agreed Ann. ‘There is plenty of stuff for Hallowe’en in the shops.’

‘Great, everyone I’ve mentioned it to is up for it, except Scott.’

Ann gave a slight shake of her head and rolled her eyes. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’

Elaine chuckled. ‘Oh, I hear your friend from Greenland is back. Norlu, isn’t it? You must bring her.’

Ann nodded. ‘Thank you I will. Norlu loves a party. We didn’t go to many parties in Greenland.’ In fact, in all the time Ann had lived there, she had only been to one. It was Norlu’s cousin’s party when they were young, his tenth birthday. Her dad had taken them on his boat. They had ice cream and jelly, and lots of other of delicious things to eat as well as party games and a piñata that only Ann could burst. They had such fun, and with it being the main social event of their entire childhood, they talked about it for years afterwards.

‘Where is she today?’

‘She’s having lunch with Donald. I think they like each other. At least I hope so.’

‘Oh, I thought you and Donald were… well, you know…’

Damn Elaine had heard the rumours too. ‘No, no,’ Ann laughed trying to make light of it. ‘We are just friends.’

Elaine’s eyes narrowed.

‘No, really we are.’

Elaine nodded and gave a knowing smile, making Ann wonder what exactly she had heard.

Opening a large brown folder, Elaine brought out numerous sheets of paper. ‘I’ve designed some invitations. You can tell me which one you prefer.’

Before they got a chance to look at them, they heard the front door opening, then closing with a bang. Ann’s heart leapt to her throat. It could only be Finley.

‘Hi, we’re in the kitchen,’ called Elaine.

‘I’ll be down in a minute,’ they heard him shout over the noise of his footsteps thumping up the stairs.

The women carried on looking at the invitations while listening to the footsteps on the ceiling above them, but Ann was not paying attention to the designs, or to what Elaine was saying about them. There was an uncomfortable churning in her stomach making her queasy.

‘So this one is my favourite,’ said Elaine stopping at a bat shaped invitation. ‘What do you think?’

Ann stared at it blankly, holding her breath as she focused on keeping the contents of her stomach down.

‘Annaldra, are you alright?’ Elaine rubbed her forearm.

Gulping she managed to swallow the watery saliva that had built in her mouth. ‘I’m sorry. Can I have a glass of water?’

‘Of course, you look pale. Are you feeling okay?’

She sipped the water, the coolness running down her throat giving a modicum of relief. ‘That’s better, thanks, Elaine.’

‘Is it your arm? Let me see it. It may be infected?’

‘No, it’s definitely not,’ she replied adamantly, before softening. ‘You did such a wonderful job. It’s fine, really. I felt a bit queasy there. It’s probably something I ate, but it’s passed now.’ It had not, but the immediacy was over so she pretended it had.

The noise of Finley’s heavy footsteps on the stairs refocused both women’s attention as they waited for him to enter the kitchen.

‘Oh, Annaldra, I wasn’t expecting you to be here,’ he said his face stern as he spoke.

Ann forced a smile.

‘I told you Annaldra was going to help me arrange the party now that you won’t be here.’

‘You said you would ask, but you never said she’d agreed.’

Damn he expected me to refuse. I was supposed to say no. This is awkward.

Elaine smiled smugly at her husband. ‘Well, she did I am happy to say.’

Finley nodded and gave a tight lipped, smile. ‘Anyway that’s me off now. I will see you next week,’ and with that he gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.

Ann looked away. She still wanted him so much and it tortured her seeing them together. How she longed to be Elaine at that moment. She did not blame him at all for his hatred towards her, he did not know who they were, but her fictitious betrayal had obviously hurt him.

‘Remember to ring me.’

‘Sure,’ came the stony-faced reply.

Ann smiled at Finley, trying to act normal in front of Elaine.

‘Goodbye, Annaldra,’ he said coldly and walked out. Elaine followed him to the door. Ann could hear the harsh tones of their voices as they drifted through to the kitchen. They were arguing, but she could not make out what about, but she knew it was not how a couple parting for a week should bid one another farewell.

A few times each year, when she was married to Swain, he would go to the market in the town without her. It was a three day round trip. She hated being parted from him, and would dread the day he would leave. When they parted, he always gave her a flower, usually a forget-me-not, unless they were out of season, but always a blue or a white flower and always he would say ‘Forget me not.’ ‘Never,’ she would reply. Then he would smother her in kisses and hold her so tightly as if it were the last time they would be together. In those days, there was a greater chance it would be, because of wild animals and bandits. She would try so hard not to cry, but inevitably would. Swain would wipe away her tears and then she would laugh. Ann smiled thinking about it. It was as though he were leaving to go half way around the world, but to them, he was.

When Elaine returned to the kitchen, the bubbly air she had about her earlier had vanished, instead she returned downhearted and dejected looking.

‘Is everything okay?’ Ann asked.

Elaine slumped down on the seat beside Ann and held her face in her hands. After a few deep breaths, she sat upright. ‘I don’t understand what’s wrong with him. He hasn’t been himself for a few days now. Something is bothering him and he will not talk about it. I think it may be something I’ve done. I…I just don’t know what to do.’

Ann could see Elaine was holding back her tears. Moving her chair closer, she put her arm around her shoulder. ‘There now, I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve done.’ God, she felt dreadful. She knew exactly what it was and here was poor Elaine blaming herself.

‘When he’s not working, he’s at the hotel drinking and he’s been so cold towards me. We hardly talk and he doesn’t touch me anymore, not even a kiss goodnight. I wish I knew what was bothering him.’ Elaine held her head in her hands again. ‘When he was a teenager he was so wild and unruly, hardly anyone liked him. He was so full of rage and anger. I don’t know, maybe he was depressed. Well, the last few days I’ve seen a bit of his bad old self return. It’s not making any sense.’

‘Perhaps he is depressed,’ said Ann going along with the innocent explanation. ‘Has he seen a doctor?’

‘No, it’s not that bad yet. But if he doesn’t snap out of it soon, I think he will need to.’

‘Another cuppa?’ asked Ann, hoping it would offer Elaine some comfort.

Elaine looked up and managed a smile, albeit a grateful one. ‘Thanks that would be nice.’

Making the tea, Ann felt guilt for the first time about what happened with Finley. She should never have slept with him. He was not her Swain anymore, he was Elaine’s husband. It was over a thousand years ago they were together even though it seemed like only yesterday to her. She knew she should forget him, be strong and let go. Who am I kidding? She loved him too much for that. Deep down she knew if she could, she would steal him away in a heartbeat.

Putting her feelings of guilt to the side Ann focused on the job in hand. The rest of the afternoon, the two women spent their time making lists for the party: what to buy, what to make and who to invite. The guest list was down to Elaine, but Ann managed to secure Donald an invitation. They would prepare the food themselves and make the majority of decorations for the hall so it would be a busy week. Both women managed to forget their worries for a couple of hours and enjoyed making plans for what they hoped would be a great party.

As Ann left, she hugged Elaine, and for the first time since arriving, she felt a bond with her, almost sisterly. Although she knew that forcing her mind to disassociate Elaine from Finley had a lot to do with it. She never let the two of them enter her thoughts at the same time if she could help it, and it seemed to work, weakening the barrier she had created to stop Elaine getting close. Even though it still stood, she knew it was getting harder and harder to prevent her defence crumbling.

Tuneful ra-ta-ta-tapping alerted Donald to Norlu’s arrival. However, the sight that greeted him when he opened the door was in stark contrast to the sight the confident knocking had suggested. She looked nervous, standing there with a timid smile and large doe eyes, clutching a brown paper bag to her chest with both hands. She looked unsure whether she should stay or bolt.

‘Welcome to my castle,’ he said with a bow hoping it would ease her nerves.

Norlu’s smile relaxed as she stepped inside and gazed around the small, enclosed space Donald called home. Even though it was scantily furnished, it was clean and tastefully decorated, with the beige and turquoise couch matching the curtains and rug. ‘And what a fine castle it is.’

‘May I take your coat, my lady?’

‘Why thank you, kind sir,’ replied Norlu, before the two of them burst out laughing.

‘Something smells delicious,’ said Norlu as Donald disappeared into the bedroom with her coat. ‘Can I help?’

‘Everything is under control thanks. Would you care for a glass of elderflower wine—homemade of course?’

‘Mm, yes please, that sounds nice. Here I’m afraid this one came from the village shop,’ Norlu handed Donald the brown paper bag with the wine she had brought.

‘Slàinte!’ Donald raised his glass to chink Norlu’s, staring deep into her eyes as he did.

‘Cheers!’ she replied blushing.

‘Well, do you like it?’

‘Mm, mm, mm that is delicious,’ said Norlu once she tasted the wine. ‘It’s so refreshing—and you make this yourself? I’m impressed.’

‘It’s damn potent too,’ he winked at her, making her blush deepen. ‘Make yourself at home.’ He gestured her to take a seat.

‘Thanks,’ she said and took a seat on the couch. The two of them chatted while Donald worked in the kitchen area, preparing lunch. He enjoyed her company; she was easy to talk to, and friendly.

‘Well, that’s the broth ready, shall we?’ Donald gestured Norlu to sit at the small table beside the kitchen. Covering it was a pretty, white tablecloth, embroidered with a meadow of brightly coloured flowers around the edges. He had laid it with a mismatch of cutlery and dishes. In the centre was a small circular vase with a posy of fresh wild flowers he had picked earlier. It had not been easy, he had walked miles, but had managed to find some red and white Clovers still growing along the hedgerows as well as Red Campion, and along the shore there was still some Yarrow and Harebell. When Norlu saw it, the breath taking smile it brought to her face made him glad he had made the effort.

Donald had prepared lunch from his own produce: vegetable Scotch broth, a Spanish tortilla with salad, followed by baked pears with rose hip syrup all washed down with his ever so refreshing elderflower wine. During lunch, their chat was light-hearted, with the two of them joking a lot. Norlu talked about her life in Greenland. Telling him how when she was younger she longed to escape, she had thought where they lived was a desolate, boring place on the farthest edge of the world. She left when she was nineteen to work in the café. It was exciting at first living in the town with so much to do, but soon the appeal faded as it became mundane. The people were not friendly and many of the townsfolk seemed unhappy. It was as though they had lost the ability to embrace life; something she did not understand. There was an exceptionally high suicide rate there, which her grandmother said loss of spirit caused. Folk nowadays lived what she described as an existence, just like most westerners. Life was too easy for them. She looked forward to getting back to her grandmother every winter. There was nowhere on earth that felt so perfectly peaceful to her; nowhere that made her feel so close to nature and all its grandeur. Ann on the other hand, had never wanted to leave and had been heartbroken when she left Greenland. She always said it was the place she was happiest. She despised London when she lived there; she called it the beast that drank souls. Ann had only returned to Greenland once since she left, and only for a short visit, and Norlu knew how much she longed to go back.

‘So Ann, she’s kind of unique, don’t you think?’ asked Donald.

Norlu looked disappointed. Gone was the bubbly fun girl so full of life that had been there moments before. ‘Unique, what do you mean?’ she asked, her tone tinged with irritation.

‘You know, there’s something different about her. She is not like other people and I cannot quite put my finger on it. She doesn’t give away much about herself either. A bit of a dark horse, wouldn’t you say?’

‘Ah, that kind of different,’ she smiled again, looking much happier. ‘Yep, there’s nobody quite like Ann, that’s for sure. She is exceedingly gifted… exceedingly! Did she ever tell you how we met?’

‘No,’ he looked at her quizzically. ‘Weren’t you the only neighbours for miles?’

‘Yes we were, but if you’ve not heard this story you’re in for a real treat…’

Donald made himself comfortable: lying back on the couch he placed his hands behind his head, his upper body stretched out almost horizontal, except his head, which remained vertical, his chin resting on his chest, but his legs overhung; with one crossed over the other they stretched out to the floor.

Norlu sat up straight and patted her knees. ‘Well,’ she said with a proud looking smile as she readied herself for the tale she was about to divulge.

I was eight years old when I met Ann and she was seven. Shortly after they arrived, Ann’s dad called on us hoping we could be friends, but my grandmother refused. She disliked and distrusted foreigners, or westerners as she liked to call them. She hated their modern ways; she thought they were evil and would destroy our old ways. She said they had no respect for nature and could not feel the spirit in things. I was sad at this because it would have been nice to have a friend my own age to play with, but I also respected my grandmother’s wishes.

Well, behind our house was a plain that stretched for over a mile and beyond that was the pine forest. One late spring day my grandmother and I were out gathering herbs on the plain when we heard a noise. I looked across to the forest and saw a small silver haired girl running out the forest towards us, but a moment later a grey wolf appeared from the forest and pounced on her, knocking her to the ground. The wolf was in a frenzy on top of her. My grandmother dropped her basket of herbs and ran towards them frantically waving her stick.

Get off you brute, get off, she screamed at the wolf.

I do not mind telling you I have never been so scared in my life, for the little girl and us. I stood there frozen in terror, but what happened next was a miracle. The wolf heard the noise my grandmother was making and stopped attacking the girl lifting its head to look at my grandmother. Time stopped as they stared at one another. I was sure my grandmother was next, but then the little girl who I assumed was dead, moved. She sat up, turned around and looked at us. Then she stood up, the wolf sitting beside her like a pet dog and she laid her hand on its head. I ran to catch my grandmother’s hand. I could hear her praying under her breath. Pushing me behind her, we slowly approached.

When we were close enough, my grandmother said softly in Aleut, ‘Come away, child. That is a wild creature.’

To the surprise of my grandmother, the little girl replied in Aleut. ‘I know, but he is my friend. His name is Toolik. We were only playing.’

‘Come away he is dangerous. You cannot trust him.’ I could hear the fear in my grandmother’s voice. I can tell you, that is a rare thing indeed.

The little girl giggled and put her hand to her mouth.

‘Why do you laugh child?’ asked my grandmother.

‘He’s not dangerous. He’s my friend,’ she repeated. ‘He will not hurt you.’

‘Don’t be silly, child. Come here. Wolves cannot be trusted.’

‘Yes, they can. He does whatever I ask of him.’

‘Come here,’ my grandmother was getting angry. ‘You cannot control a wolf.’

‘I can. Watch. I will make him run round me, then give me his paw and roll over.’

I was expecting her to gesture with her hands and give a couple of commands, but that wasn’t what happened.

’So what did she do?’ Donald asked impatiently.

Well it was the most peculiar thing. We stood flabbergasted as we watched her eyes roll upwards revealing only the whites for a moment before they shut. Then there was movement from under the lids; her eyes twitched as though she were dreaming. Then she opened her eyes, and the wolf stood up, trotted round her, gave her a paw then rolled on its back. You had to be there. It was awesome. My grandmother could not speak for ages. She just stood there her mouth agape. When she did manage to speak, all she said was ‘How?’

The little girl looked at my grandmother through small eye slits with her head cocked as though gauging whether to tell her or not. ‘With pictures in my head and feelings,’ she eventually said matter-of-factly, and then giggled. ‘You thought I was going to ask him with words, didn’t you?’ The girl giggled louder.

‘You can communicate with the creature?’ My grandmother was confused. On her vision quests, she could talk to animal spirits, but not actual wild animals. This was something new, and my grandmother was impressed… especially after she told us how she made friends with Toolik. What she had done at the end of winter, when food was scarce and the wolves were thin, was help the pack hunt. She could make their prey easy pickings by asking the prey to stand still.

My grandmother had found a kindred spirit in Ann and since that day, we have all been friends: me, Ann, my grandmother and even Toolik the wolf, and some of the pack.

‘You expect me to believe that,’ said Donald once she finished. ‘Toolik is a dog, and you can train dogs.’

‘No he’s not, why would you think that?’

He huffed and rolled his eyes, ‘Ann told me herself. He was her pet.’

‘No, Toolik is a grey wolf.’ Norlu’s tone was firm as she shook her head decidedly. ‘He is the leader of the pack no less. She obviously doesn’t want you to know the truth. I mean, you can see how fantastical it is.’

He could, but he was not falling for it. ‘Well, assuming he is a wolf, she must have had it trained.’

‘No, definitely not, I’ve seen it so many times now.’

‘Well she is a wolf whisperer, if there is such a thing?’ suggested Donald with a half-hearted chuckle.

‘Well she must be an animal whisperer, because she can communicate with most creatures. I mean she can even charm the birds from the trees, literally. They will fly down and perch on her shoulders if she asks. I suppose she didn’t want you to know because you are too…’ She paused as though gauging whether what she was about to say was too offensive. ‘Well, western,’ she eventually said with a tone of uncertainty, people nowadays, modern people, do not understand the real world. It is all science to them and if science can’t explain it, it is not real, but I was raised to believe in a spiritual world where spirits are as real as the moon and rain. We look at the world differently and things like that don’t seem impossible to us. I mean my grandmother is a powerful healer. She can exorcise evil spirits and cure ailments and diseases that doctors claim are incurable, and she sometimes sees things before they happen. However, my grandmother was taught these ways since she was a child. She had to learn them, but Ann, well she just has a natural gift.’

‘Hmm, so you’re telling me Ann can literally communicate with animals?’

Norlu nodded. ‘Yep, she most definitively can.’

Donald thought about the seal on the beach Ann had patted the night they met, and then there was the Country Fair. Could Ann have made the bird fly back or did it fly back itself? He gave himself a shake for having allowed himself to entertain the notion.

‘Communicating with animals is something Ann believes everyone used to be capable of doing. She said it is just telepathy, but sometime in the past, most people lost the ability. She said animals have never lost it, they all use telepathy to some degree. I know she tries to hide it… You see her mum was Catholic and was always a bit scared of Ann. I used to think she thought Ann was some kind of witch. Anyway, she learned when she was quite young to keep her abilities hidden, that not everyone understood them, but at our house she could be herself. Her mum wasn’t happy about our friendship, but her dad didn’t mind. He adored Ann. I’m sure he always knew there was something different about her.’

‘And what is a vision quest?’

‘A vision quest is when you go somewhere isolated, usually for four days, but sometimes less and you fast and pray and you’re not supposed to sleep. Then spirits come to you and show you things or tell you something, sometimes they take you somewhere or give you something. It depends what it is you prayed for and the purpose of the vision quest. My grandmother does them, but not often. It’s a shaman thing.’

‘Have you ever done one?’

‘No,’ laughed Norlu. ‘Me go without food and sleep for four days? There’s more chance of Greenland having a tropical summer than that.’

‘So does Ann do them?’

‘No, Ann hasn’t done one either,’ said Norlu as she shook her head. ‘She always wanted to, she often asked my grandmother to teach her, but she always refused.’

‘Why wouldn’t she let her?’

‘Because she didn’t need to be taught, her soul could travel on its own, without suffering all the usual deprivations. It is extremely hard to do. Most people wouldn’t be capable. You must stay ever so focused.’

‘So why would she ask to be taught it if she can already do it?’

‘Because she doesn’t know. My grandmother told me she met her soul one time when she was on a vision quest, but the following day Ann did not seem to know anything about it. It was very odd so my grandmother kept it to herself.’

Donald pulled his hair back into a ponytail and held it in both hands. ‘Has she told you about her recurring dream? The one where she thinks she has gone to heaven to meet her birth parents, could that be where her soul was going?’

Norlu gave a knowing nod. ‘Ah that one,’ she said with a smile. ‘Possibly, but I don’t think so. My grandmother has never gone to heaven on a vision quest. I am sure she would have told me if she had.’

Donald had not been sure where he expected his line of enquiry to take him, but if nothing else he was enjoying the stories.

‘That’s not the only weird thing. She has a photographic memory as well.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, she never forgets anything, ever. Did she tell you we were home taught?’ Donald nodded giving Norlu the go-ahead to continue. ‘Well, Ann would complete an entire year’s course work in a month. She would read the manuals, understand and remember them… first time. I’m not kidding you. I can’t ever recall her getting a question wrong.’

Donald was intrigued now. He never imagined Ann was hiding so many talents and this particular one was something he could believe. He recalled her knowledge of Thomas the Rhymer; how she spurted facts about him like an encyclopaedia, and her knowledge of the constellations was also mind-blowing. In fact, any subject she knew about, she was an expert on it.

‘And she can speak ten or eleven languages fluently, probably even more now. There was this one time when she was about nine, a colleague of her dad’s was coming to stay for a month. He was Russian. He spoke a little Danish and even less English. Well, Ann spent a few weeks with some Russian language books so she could talk to him in his native tongue when he came. She could speak it almost as fluently as he could. It is not normal. Now have you ever heard of anyone with a mind like that?’

‘No,’ admitted Donald shaking his head. ‘She seems so normal as well.’

‘I know, well she’s never cared much for her intelligence. Ann could be anything in the world she wants, without trying hard, but she has no ambition. She only ever seemed interested in the things my grandmother taught her, and nature and stuff. Oh, she did have one ambition, one thing she obsessed about…’ Norlu paused to sip her wine.

‘Well, what is it?’ asked Donald impatiently.

‘Coming back here, she was desperate to trace her roots.’

Donald did not respond, looking lost in thought.

‘Oh and another thing,’ continued Norlu, who was on a roll. ‘She has never been ill, ever. Not a day in her life has she been unwell, not a single sniffle. There was this one time when she was little she fell through the ice. When they got her out, she was frozen and shivering, her teeth were chattering… a sure case for hypothermia and possibly frostbite. They took her to the hospital in a helicopter, but when it got her there, she had already heated up and was back to normal. Everyone was amazed. They kept her in overnight as a precaution, but there was no need cos she was fine.’

‘How long was she in the water?’

Norlu shrugged. ‘Only a few minutes I suppose, but long enough to have serious consequences.’

‘So if what you are saying is true, then Ann is superhuman.’

Norlu let out a deep breath. ‘Yes, she’s one of a kind that’s for sure. Hic!’

The hiccup seemed to shift something in Norlu’s mood as her expression turned serious. ‘Listen Donald, Hic! It wasn’t my place to tell you all that stuff about Ann. Please do not mention I told you. If she wanted you to know, she would have told you herself. I mean some stuff she probably doesn’t even know herself or even realise. I don’t think she knows her soul can travel and I doubt she realises how much I’ve noticed. Hic! Some of this stuff we never talk about it. Hic!’

Donald surveyed Norlu with a critical eye as she hiccupped, trying to gauge everything she had told him. Yes, some of it was probably true to a degree, like her memory and intelligence and maybe she did not get ill often. Most of it though, made no sense, but then neither did the bird flying back on its own at the Fair. Then again, why would Norlu make up such stories? No, he shook his head; it was all too crazy so why was he even considering it?

Norlu seemed to read his thoughts as her face began to crease, starting with her mouth. She was trying not to laugh. Eventually she could hold back no longer and erupted into uncontrollable laughter. Watching her, Donald tried to stay composed sucking in his lips to stifle his smile, but it was contagious. Moments later, he too lost control, and allowed the hilarity to overwhelm him. Tears streamed down both their faces as they laughed together all the while desperately trying to compose themselves. However, in those rare moments when they stopped laughing, Norlu would hiccup again and their composure would be lost, each time seeming funnier than the last.

‘Well done, Norlu. That was bloody brilliant you almost had me believing there,’ Donald mustered through his laughter.

Crumpling back on the couch the pair continued to laugh until they were only laughing at each other laughing. Only sheer exhaustion and aching bellies forced them to stop, as they both lay breathless and exhausted on the couch, high as kites on wine and hilarity.