"How are you going Tarzan?" said Shamir, kindly.
"Ha, you've heard of him," coughed Charlie, trying to sit up.
"Of course, he's a big hero around here. But I think he's just been pushed aside," laughed Shamir.
"Is the young elf okay?" asked Charlie, shivering.
"He is, thanks to you," said Kanook, appearing beside Shamir.
"I need a hot bath, I'm freezing," said Charlie, still shaking.
"We were just about to carry you back to the cottage so we could do just that when you woke up," said Shamir, gently rubbing his back.
"Come on, it looks like you could do with a lift anyway," said Kanook, kindly. With that, four elves appeared beside him, carrying a hammock chair. It was supported between two poles that they had resting on their shoulders.
"Your carriage awaits," said Shamir smiling, offering him his arm for support.
Charlie struggled to his feet and flopped into the chair. The four elves turned around and started off down the path to Shamir's cottage, with Charlie swinging gently back and forth between them. By this time the whole village had heard about the accident and of Charlie's miraculous deed. The young elf, who was called Enri, had slipped off an unstable rock into the river while playing with some friends — even though he was a good swimmer, the river was fast where he fell in and, as he went under the water, he hit his head hard on a rock. The timing of Charlie's arrival had been freakish and now, as he was carried through the village on the way home, the elves clapped and cheered their approval from every vantage point available. As the procession neared the houses at the centre of the village, something quite remarkable happened. An elf emerged from the crowd that lined the street and stopped directly in front of Charlie's swinging chair. The singing and clapping stopped abruptly and the whole crowd went totally silent.
"I am Emrou, and you have just saved my child's life," he said, before bowing down. Charlie lent forward to get out of the chair to comfort him, but the suspended nature of his position and his slightly weakened state made getting out much harder than he had imagined. He lurched out of the chair, with the four elves hanging stoically onto their poles as he did so.
"GERTHUMP," he landed on top of the prostrate elf and tumbled onto the ground beside his sprawling figure. There was a moment's silence from sheer disbelief, but as a couple of elves approached to help, Charlie rolled over and started laughing uncontrollably. He clambered to his hands and knees and reached for Emrou, who was still lying beside him. Emrou began to laugh as well when he realised what had happened. Charlie struggled to his feet and then offered Emrou his hand.
"I'm too weak to pull you up. You'll have to do the work," said Charlie.
Emrou hopped up with a flick of his legs like a nimble gymnast. They said no more, but hugged each other tightly to the delight of the crowd around them, who clapped with happiness.
"Hello there," said a voice from beside them. They released each other and turned round to find Ayou standing there holding Enri's hand.
"Oh, hello," said Charlie in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Enri wanted me to come with him to say thank you," she said, quietly, her voice loaded with feeling.
"Well, there's really no need," said Charlie, stepping towards them. Enri walked shakily forward, but before he could say anything, the tears welled up in his eyes and started streaming down his cheeks. Charlie stepped up to him and gave him a close hug, but his eyes were directed at Ayou.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
Ayou just nodded slowly and all the elves around them stood silently. As Charlie released Enri, the young elf ran into his father's arms. Charlie reached for Ayou's hand and raised it to his lips to kiss.
"Let's warm ourselves by the fire," he said.
The crowd of elves around them gradually parted and they made their way to the big wooden benches that were scattered around in front of a blazing fire. As they walked, each elf touched him lightly on the shoulder as he passed, in a show of emotion and respect. By the time he reached his seat, he was feeling decidedly like royalty.
"You just tell me when you've had enough," whispered a voice from behind him and he turned around to find Shamir kneeling beside the bench.
"Thank you, I will," said Charlie nodding.
"But first, I'd better give you a light show to remember us by," said Shamir, disappearing before Charlie had time to really react. The dancing began in earnest then, with a twenty-piece band sending the crowd into a joyous frenzy, racing around the giant fire. Charlie loved watching them, but tonight he was far too tired to join in because his legs still felt like jelly beneath him and every muscle in his body ached. Ayou danced with the others for a while, but her eyes always sought out his amongst the crowd, in a way that warmed him more than the fire did.
"You have captured our hearts and rekindled our trust in your kind," said Kanook, sitting down next to him and taking his hand in his own.
"That's quite an opening line," said Charlie, smiling.
"Yes, I'm sorry, I've been preparing it for a while and it sounded false I'm afraid. It's just I didn't know how to express my love for you and all you've done and coped with here."
"I think you just have," said Charlie, squeezing his hand tightly and spontaneously kissing him on the cheek.
"Thank you for opening your hearts to me," he whispered.
"Thank you my boy, thank you," said the old elf, bowing his head.
"B-O-O-O-M-M-M," went a wild noise way above their heads, pulling them out of the moment.
"Woah, what was that?" gasped Charlie.
"One of Shamir's smaller rockets, if I'm not mistaken," laughed Kanook, wiping his eyes clear of tears. "You just wait until the big ones come," he continued, patting him on the shoulder.
"Thank you again," he whispered, before bowing and walking off into the crowd. Charlie just nodded and sat back in his seat to watch the display above him. Suddenly, Ayou's face appeared in front of his and only a couple of inches away.
"Hello, beautiful," she said, before kissing him on the lips.
"You taste salty. It's all that dancing," he said, pulling away.
"Mm, sorry. I. "
"No, no I like it. But, I need to tell you something," he said as she sat down beside him. "I can't promise you anything, you know that, don't you?" he blurted out, before gathering himself slightly to carry on. "I've been trying to think of a way to make everything all right. To be able to promise that we'll be together, or even promise that I want to be together, but I can't. I know I want to come back and I care for you so much. You've touched me and changed me in the most beautiful way, but I have to think about Marie as well, and I don't know how I fee.." Ayou stopped him from saying anymore by kissing him. When she stopped, she took a pace back, while still holding his hands lightly in hers.
"I know all of that, and I know how difficult it is for you. I love you, but I don't want that to be a love that destroys you, or me. I love what I feel with you and now that I have let you go in my head, the memory of what we shared is sweet again. If life brings us together, I will rejoice in my heart and you will always be welcome there, but no more guilt about how I feel, okay? I'll be more than alright after being with you," she said, in a most tender way.
"Thank you," said Charlie, before suddenly releasing one of his hands from hers and pulling her away from where they were standing and into the shadows behind one of the houses nearby. Once there, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately, while letting his hand wander down to caress her beautiful curvaceous bum. In truth, he had never dared such a move before, but in the heat of such a strange and wonderful moment, he had the courage to do so, and it felt great.
"BOOM, BOOOFF, BAANNGG," went the great explosions of colour in the sky above them. All the while they kissed, not in the same way as before, but still with a freshness and passion that sent Charlie's heart to heaven. Reluctantly, they stopped for breath and Charlie was just starting to feel strong enough to take it furth
er, when they heard a scuffling noise behind them.
"I think we're being spied on," he whispered.
"Mm, and I know by whom," said Ayou, pulling away from his embrace as she realised that her plans of making love were dashed.
"Okay, Lantor, you toad, you can come out and bring your little gang with you," she shouted into the darkness. There were some more scrabbling noises, followed by the emergence of three young elves from the blackness.
"I knew it was you," said Ayou, approaching her brother and giving him a sharp punch on the arm.
"OWW, that hurt," whimpered Lantor laughing.
"I'll give you hurt, I was just about to." said Ayou, launching another attack on him, which only made him laugh more.
"Yes, we know what you were about to do," he screeched, as she landed on top of him and started tickling him viciously.
"Help, Charlie, help," he shouted, trying vainly to resist her onslaught.
"You're on your own," laughed Charlie as he and the other elves watched gleefully. Eventually, she stopped and rolled off him puffing from her exertions.
"Do you think I said the wrong thing?" wheezed Lantor, lying on the ground, trying to get his breath back.
"Uhu, I think so," said one of his friends, offering him a hand to get up.
"Come on, let's get back to the party. I think I've got enough energy to dance for a while," said Charlie, grabbing Ayou by the hand and planting a kiss firmly on her mouth. So, they wandered back into the light and Lantor grabbed Ayou's other hand.
"I'm sorry if I spoiled things for you," he said, tenderly, to them both.
"That's okay, it's probably good that we were distracted when we were," said Ayou smiling at Charlie. They were just entering the Village Square, when Charlie stopped and pulled Ayou to one side.
"There's one more thing I need to tell you," he said, once the others had moved out of earshot. Ayou didn't say anything, but looked directly into his eyes, which made him stumble with his words again.
"I'm going to leave very soon, but I don't think I could bear to say goodbye to you then, it would just be too much. So, I guess I'm saying it now, because when I leave I want to slip away quietly," he stammered.
"Goodbye Charlie, I'll never forget you," she whispered.
"Nor I you," said Charlie, shaking his head.
"Come on, let's dance," said Ayou grabbing his hand. Charlie ran along beside her and, although his legs still ached, he was light in his heart. The elves were whirling around the fire in a big circle, and as Charlie and Ayou joined in, they all whooped their approval. Charlie was in between Ayou and Kanook, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"YEAHAARR," screamed Charlie, flying around with them all.
"WAHOO," called Shamir who was standing next to Ayou.
As they danced, the sparks flew up into the dark sky, carrying the joy they felt within them to the stars above. The dance finished with a flourish, just before Charlie thought his legs would collapse. Having hugged pretty much everyone there, he staggered over to one of the benches and slumped onto it. Shamir appeared beside him and dropped onto the seat next door to him
"Wow," said Shamir after a while.
"I'm ready to go home," said Charlie quietly.
"Yeah, me too, but will you be okay to walk back?" he asked, gently.
"No, I mean really home," said Charlie, turning to face Shamir.
"Oh, I see," said Shamir.
"Yes, I just know it's time," continued Charlie, watching the reaction take hold on Shamir's face.
"You're right, it is. It's just a shock that it's suddenly here. You do mean pretty soon don't you?" said Shamir, looking intently at his friend.
"Tomorrow morning I'd like to slip away before anyone gets up. I don't think I'd have the strength to go through with it if there was a big goodbye involved," said Charlie, with the words suddenly becoming difficult to get out.
"You beautiful man, you must do it in whichever way you feel is right," said Shamir, putting his arm around Charlie's shoulder.
"Can we go home now?" asked Charlie, trying to hold back more tears.
"Yes, of course we can," said Shamir, quietly.
So, without saying any more, they slipped away from the party into the darkness and onto the path back to Shamir's house. No one noticed them going, other than Ayou, who waved and smiled at them as they disappeared. Gulliver kept them company and, by the time they reached the cottage, Charlie felt like he would sleep for a hundred years.
"I don't know how I'm going to wake up tomorrow," he said, struggling to take off his shoes while sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Oh, don't worry about that. If you're supposed to go, the timing will just happen. You know, Charlie, I haven't been able to tell you how much you mea." said Shamir, before stopping abruptly.
"No point trying to tell you that I love you like you were my own son, is there?" said Shamir, as he walked over to Charlie's bed and levered his legs on. Charlie had finished taking off his shoes and laid back onto his doona and had fallen asleep as he went.
"Goodnight," whispered Shamir, pulling the covers over him.
Chapter 14
"CHARLIE," gasped Marie, sitting bolt upright in bed. The dream had been so real. A circle of trees with hundreds of elves surrounding it and Charlie standing in the middle. He was coming home and he needed her to be there.
She checked the clock beside the bed and it said 8.00 am, so she jumped up, slipped on her silk dressing gown and scurried out of the room, leaving Michelle still sound asleep in her bed. She ran across the hall to Gemma's bedroom, but her bed was empty, so she skipped downstairs to the back door and hurried down the path to the pool. Gemma was there, doing her laps as she always did, although this morning they did look somewhat slower than usual after only three hours sleep.
"Hello there," said Gemma, reaching the end of a lap.
"I've just had this amazing dream and I know we've got to get straight back to Charlie as soon as possible. I know it sounds crazy, but I know he's coming back and he needs me there when it happens," shouted Marie. Gemma just laughed. "Why are you laughing?" said Marie, somewhat angrily.
"Come in for a swim and I'll tell you. It's great, it'll clear your head," she said, ducking back under the water for a second. Marie threw off her dressing gown and dove straight in, without bothering about a swimsuit.
"Now tell me, what's so funny?" she said, swimming up to Gemma.
"Well, in your dream, was there a huge crowd of elves and a circle of trees.?"
"Yes, yes, that's it," interrupted Marie excitedly.
"We got the same dream to make sure that we acted. I was trying to decide what to do when you arrived. After last night, I didn't want to drag you off quickly on some whim of mine, but this all makes the decision much easier, doesn't it?" said Gemma as she sat on the edge of the pool and watched the delight rise in Marie's face.
"Yes, it does. We need to get back on the earliest possible flight. But why does he need me there if he's decided to come back?"
"Because the transition is incredibly dangerous and no one has done what he's done. He needs as much support from this side as possible."
"Oh," said Marie, losing some of the lustre out of her cheeks.
"But don't you worry, this isn't like before, is it? He'll get back, I'm sure of it," said Gemma, quite sternly.
"Yes, you're right, I can feel him, but what..?"
"Shoosh, stop your mind going off at a million miles an hour and we'll talk some more once we've got going. I'll phone the airline and you make breakfast and wake Michelle. She'll want to know what's going on."
"Okay, you're right, I'll have a quick shower and then wake Michelle," repeated Marie, pulling herself out of the pool and grabbing a towel and heading for the door still naked and dripping.
"Come on then, are you coming or what, grandma?" she giggled, reaching the door.
"You just go and have your shower, you cheeky swine, and make sure you don't over-cook my eggs,"
shouted Gemma, as Marie turned on her heels and headed up the garden, laughing.
Their breakfast was simple boiled eggs and toast, none of which was overdone, much to Gemma's delight. They had a flight in little less than six hours, so they had no time to waste. The trip to the airport was a good five hours, going at full tilt, so they were pushing it to make it in time. Michelle had taken the news of their departure in her stride. Celine and Pascal had turned up for breakfast, which made it into a party of sorts. Marie relished the possibility of reliving the previous night's adventures in detail with them all. They laughed and hooted with delight as they recounted it, which burst the bubble of sadness in them about leaving. However, they were soon reined in when a knock at the front door put them on notice that they needed to leave immediately. Fortunately they were packed, or nearly anyway, so with some frantic effort, they were out of the front door in less than fifteen minutes. One of the local young gardeners had offered to drive them to the airport in his sporty new Peugeot, which he had standing outside. One could tell by a certain gleam in his eye that he had been dying for a chance to show off his driving skills in his new baby.
"I don't know what to say other than thank you," said Marie, approaching Celine and Pascal.
"I am honoured that you are my friend and that we can share our lives with you," said Pascal, stepping forward to embrace her.
"That goes for me too," added Celine, joining their hug.
"And me," shouted Michelle, as she joined too.
"And me," said Gemma, completing the sandwich, which then rocked back and forth around the balcony for a while, in an ungainly, but happy sort of a way. Gemma and Marie scooted down the steps into the new car that was waiting impatiently with its back doors open in anticipation. Both of them waved madly out of their windows as they sped down the drive. Within minutes, they were cruising along the mountain road on the way to Aix-en-Provence and then onto the motorway. Although young Pierre drove fast, Marie felt quite safe, because he was focused and confident in his actions. Gemma was asleep in minutes, so she settled back and watched the rugged countryside whiz past through the window and let her thoughts wander in a pleasant, dreamlike fashion. When she finally came out of her reverie a good deal later, it was pouring with rain and they were leaving the motorway at full speed. Marie realised that she must have dozed off, because her neck was stiff from leaning against the window. She could see the huge airport ahead of them, looking like a football stadium with all the nighttime lights on. There was a definite urgency to young Pierre's manner and, as she looked at the clock on the dashboard, she could see why. Their flight was due to leave in thirty minutes and it would be at least ten or fifteen minutes before they could be inside the terminal, more if the traffic got heavier.
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