Avalon

Avalon
Things are strange.
She is now on that hill.
She looks down towards a forest that stretches out for as far as the eye can see.
She can hear water.
She can hear waves.
She longs to be there again where the sand is soft.
She must get to the boat before it leaves.
‘Nina stop day dreaming’
‘But the boat will leave without me’
‘Nina come back.’
‘Fine’!
‘I didn’t think you were in that much of a rush to leave here Nina’?
‘Sorry’ said Nina ‘I keep forgetting myself. I think I was day dreaming it must be the heat.’
Nina leant on the wall next to the Village hall and fiddled with her hair. Even in the shade of the wall it was hot. The thunderstorm that night had made it humid, even in the morning. Nina longed to go home but knew that going home now wasn’t an option.
‘Will we have to wait long’? Nina looked up but her companion had gone.
‘I wish she didn’t do that’ spat Nina standing up and walking out of the shade and turning around to look at the notice board. The whole board was taken up by just one sign.

Fletching village will be closed to all traffic at 1pm-2pm on the 10th of July. Sorry for the inconvenience.
‘Now that should have said fletching village will be closed to all traffic thus creating an utter nightmare because disgruntled drivers suffering from moments of road rage’. She thought.
‘You don’t have to go Nina’.
‘Will you stop doing that’ shouted Nina, nearly jumping out of her wits and glaring at her companion who seemed to appear when you least expected it.
‘Sorry said Morgan I keep forgetting myself’
‘well do not forget and warn me, I nearly died from fright’. Nina sat down on the bench and looked up again and ‘yes I want to go’.
‘Right then said Morgan; I will be back at 1pm. Just sit there for a while. Look here come the police to shut the road that should keep you occupied’.
Morgan walked around the side of the Village hall again leaving Nina sitting on the bench. She knew Morgan would get cross with her if she wandered around, so with that she leaned back, lifted up her legs and stretched out on the bench.
She glanced over the police men who were busy putting out cones and trying to find the driver of a rather badly parked BMW.
A heat haze was appearing on the road giving an impression that the police men were walking on air. Her eyes became heavy and she again was walking along a beach, the sand between her toes.
Something made Nina come back to her senses and sat up trying to wake herself even more. She stood up and walked up and down the small street weaving in and out of the traffic cones.
Boredom had got her so she thought for a laugh she would move a traffic cone and put it on her head. She went to grab one and it wasn’t till she tried to pick it up she realised how heavy it was and dropped it so it landed side ways.
‘Whoops, I am in trouble now’ she smiled at the police man who was walking up to her .Totally ignoring her; he picked up the cone and sauntered off to a road closure sign.
‘Sod you then’ whispered Nina and made her way back to the Village hall. Her pace quickened when she noticed Morgan sitting on the bench and looking towards her in an ‘I told you not to bloody move way’.
Nina put up her hand ‘don’t start ok’?....

It didn’t take long for the village to start to fill up; people were coming out of their houses and walking slowly down the road in a sombre silence.
Mostly people wore black. Nina hated black at funerals. She wanted colour. She wanted something to take her mind off what would I am sure be a really crappy day.
She was wearing a tie dye dress and suddenly felt very aware of the brightness of it. She wondered if people would notice and point and say oh would you look at that one.
Morgan and Nina slowly followed the crowd down the street and up through the church gates. The pathway was already lined with flowers or every description, there were bunches, wreaths and simple flowers tied up with one bow. It annoyed Nina, she liked flowers but people spent too much money on them, When her father had died they asked for no flowers, it didn’t stop people though. They did ask for donations for a cancer charity. If people had given the same amount they had spent on flowers, they may have found the cure by now.
Morgan and Nina found a pew right at the back. Away from old faces full of tears.
‘A church?’ thought Nina. She thought people really haven’t got a clue.
Its only a building said Morgan reading her thoughts. ‘It’s made of good heathen stuff this church building’.
The Service was long and winded. They played songs that Nina hated. Spoke about god and how wonderful he was, which Nina hated more. People cried and laughed and laughed even more. Nina was trying to block the noise out.
Then a song came on and for the first time Nina cried. The song was Chevaliers De Sangreal by Hans Zimmer it reminded her of seeing the sea for the first time, the excitement of the feeling of the waves, the time for a new adventure.
Time to go said Morgan taking Nina by the hand.
Morgan and Nina walked out of the church leaving the loss behind them. They walked out into the sun and through a natural yew arch covered in honeysuckle.


Over a green hill they walked, down through a wood. The birds sang, there was a warm breeze on her face, she could smell sweet pine sap in her hair. And then she was on that beach again. A boat was waiting for her; It was beautiful.
‘Time to sleep and come home’ said Morgan leading Nina to the boat.

No one in the church saw Nina and her companion leave. They left soon after to wander the same path Nina did. Through a yew arch they walked in sombre silence to fresh dug earth.
A fresh grave was now in the church yard, covered in flowers; on a small carved wooden Celtic cross were the words.

Here lies Nina Jackson.
Dreaming in Avalon.