Midsummer Magic

by Julia Williams

  ‘Er,’ Josie was going to mention that she was looking for her friends, but didn’t get a chance as Tatiana bowled past her, grabbed her arm and said forcefully, ‘Now, I believe it’s this way, isn’t it?’

  Ant was lost in the woods. He’d walked round and round in circles, and was no nearer to finding anyone, least of all Diana. Which in a way was a relief. Although he still had the strongest feeling that he needed to find her, a part of him was hoping he didn’t. From her reaction last night, when he tried to talk about what had happened between them, she didn’t seem too keen to go over old ground. Maybe he should let sleeping dogs lie.

  He was just about to throw the towel in and take any path down the hill, just so he could get out of this wretched wood, when he heard voices. Female voices. It must be Josie and Diana, he decided. Well, it was now or never.

  He walked towards them and then realised Josie was with someone else entirely.

  ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Where’s everyone else?’

  ‘I haven’t seen Di,’ said Josie, ‘and Harry’s still on the cliff somewhere. Tatiana was a bit lost, so I said I’d show her the way to the theatre.’

  ‘Thank you so much,’ said Tatiana graciously, ‘I couldn’t have found my way on my own.’

  She was wearing highly inappropriate clothing; a light gossamer dress, which was far too revealing for a woman her age, and high strappy sandals, which looked like they’d break your ankles if you fell over.

  ‘I must say, the countryside is rather tiring,’ she continued. ‘I don’t sleep a wink in that yurt. All I can hear is strange snuffling noises all night long. It is most concerning.’

  Ant suppressed a laugh. What did the woman expect from camping?

  ‘At least you’ve got the glamorous version,’ said Josie tactfully. ‘Now, if you just follow the path that way for five minutes, you should be able to find the theatre. You can’t miss it.’

  ‘Thank you, my dear,’ said Tatiana, ‘it was very kind of you.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to take you all the way?’

  ‘No, thank you,’ said Tatiana, ‘I think I can manage.’

  And with that she walked off dramatically in the wrong direction, till Josie pointed her the right way again.

  ‘God, what a drama queen,’ said Josie. ‘I’m glad to see the back of her. What’s been happening with you?’

  ‘Not a lot,’ said Ant. ‘I’m glad I’ve met you, as I’ve been getting hopelessly lost.’

  ‘Where were you trying to get to?’

  ‘Back to the Standing Stones to find Di,’ said Ant.

  ‘Really?’ Josie looked confused. ‘So the hypnotism thing actually worked, then?’

  ‘No!’ said Ant, ‘I just want to talk to her.’

  ‘About what?’ said Josie. ‘Only after last night, I wouldn’t have thought bringing up the past is a good idea, do you? Diana hasn’t even told me what really happened, what makes you think she’ll discuss it with you?’

  Ant shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘She probably won’t, but it’s worth a try,’ he said. Ant looked around him. ‘Where did you say Harry was again?’

  Josie shrugged.

  ‘I left him on the cliff,’ she stubbed her toe in the ground. ‘We had – we had a row.’

  ‘About?’

  Josie looked miserable. ‘He wants to delay the wedding and go travelling. I said I didn’t. And then we fought.’

  ‘Come on,’ said Ant, suddenly feeling he wanted to make her smile again. ‘I’m sure you two can sort this out. Let’s go back and find him.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Josie.

  They turned back up the path together, Josie leading the way. She seemed so sad, which upset Ant for some reason. He felt an overwhelming urge to make sure she was happy again, and as he followed her up the path, he couldn’t for the life of him think why.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Harry was struggling to find the right path to the theatre. The one and only time he’d been there, on his first date with Josie, they’d come from a different direction altogether. And now with the light of the moon fading, and the beginnings of a sea mist slowly curling its way across the cliffs, he was getting quite disorientated. All he knew was that he must find Josie. Surely she’d understand how he felt if he explained it to her better? He’d been clumsy and spoken without thinking. Maybe he could persuade her that instead of a honeymoon and buying a house, they should take a year off and travel instead. That would be a good compromise, he felt.

  As he came out of the woods, he ran into Diana, who was looking pale and ghostly; ethereal almost.

  ‘Harry,’ she said, flushing slightly, and he thought with a jolt that she was very pretty. He hadn’t really noticed it before.

  ‘Di,’ he said, ‘have you seen Josie?’

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘I assumed you were together.’

  ‘We were,’ said Harry with a sigh, ‘but we had a row, and I’ve lost her.’

  ‘Never mind,’ said Diana. ‘I expect she’ll turn up.’

  ‘I hope so,’ said Harry, feeling morose and out of sorts. ‘I can’t bear the thought that I’ve made her upset.’

  ‘I hope she realises how lucky she is,’ said Diana. She sounded rather sad, and Harry looked at her in surprise.

  ‘Is everything okay, Diana? Only you seem a little different.’

  ‘Do I?’ said Diana. She gave him a shy and tender smile, which was rather disconcerting, to say the least. If she hadn’t been Josie’s best friend, he might have thought …

  Suddenly she grabbed hold of him, and said, ‘Have you ever danced under the light of the moon?’

  And then he did think, very rapidly and in an increasingly panicky manner. What on earth was happening? Di was Josie’s mate; could she? – was it possible? – was she coming on to him?

  ‘Er, no,’ said Harry.

  ‘Everyone should try it at least once,’ said Diana, starting to croon Frank Sinatra lyrics at him, which was a tad alarming. She’d just got to the bit about there being trouble ahead, when he managed to extricate himself from her embrace.

  ‘I think we really ought to be looking for the others,’ he said, but she pulled him back to her. ‘Oh, Harry, you’re so staid,’ she said. ‘Live a little.’

  ‘Are you drunk?’ said Harry. It was the only way he could account for her behaviour.

  ‘Yes, I’m drunk on love, and high on you,’ said Diana, grabbing him and spinning him around.

  Harry was stunned.

  ‘Diana –’ he began, just at the moment Josie burst down the path.

  ‘Harry,’ she said. ‘What’s going on?’

  Josie stopped dead in her tracks. Diana and Harry? Diana and Harry? She’d been prepared to be conciliatory when she was talking to Ant, but here was Harry, her Harry, dancing with Diana, looking for all the world as if he had forgotten all about their argument.

  ‘So now we know the real reason you want to put off the wedding,’ she said; ‘you’re more into the bridesmaid than the bride. Great. Absolutely great.’

  Josie’s legs felt like jelly and her heart was pounding so loudly she thought it might explode.

  ‘I thought there was something going on on Friday, but I told myself I was being stupid. But now, this …’

  She turned to run back down the path, and Harry ran after her.

  ‘Josie, it’s not like that.’ Harry looked aghast, urgently grabbing hold of her hands to try and remonstrate with her. ‘Diana, well Diana’s in a bit of a funny mood.’

  ‘And was Diana in a funny mood when you were dawdling together down the garden the other night?’ said Josie. ‘I can’t believe you two. I trusted you both.’

  Her voice cracked, and she wiped furious tears from her eyes. Why was Harry doing this to her? This weekend was supposed to be perfect. And now it was all ruined.

  ‘Josie,’ Harry looked gobsmacked, as if the truth of what had happened had only just dawned on him. ‘Josie, you’re wrong. Nothing is goin
g on. I love you.’

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ said Josie, flinging his hands away.

  Just then, Ant came panting up the path. ‘What’s wrong?’ he said.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Josie, ‘and everything.’ And with that she was gone again, unable to stand it one moment longer. The world had gone mad and she wasn’t sure what to do next.

  ‘What? You did what?’ Ant felt like smacking his head against a brick wall. What on earth did Harry think he was doing? Why was he mucking around with Diana, when he had Josie? He couldn’t have made a bigger fool of himself if he’d tried.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Harry, ‘I did nothing. Diana launched herself at me, and we were dancing when Josie came up. She got the wrong idea, that’s all.’

  He was standing as far away from Diana as he possibly could, so perhaps he was telling the truth, though it would be difficult to persuade Josie of that.

  Diana was leaning against a tree, looking slightly defiant.

  ‘What about me?’ said Diana in a small voice.

  ‘What about you?’ said Harry. ‘I’m sorry, Di, I’m not sure why you did that. But thanks to you, Josie thinks I’m cheating on her. I need to find her, now.’

  ‘What do I do?’ wailed Diana. ‘I love you.’

  She started to walk towards him, but Harry pushed her away, and took off in the direction that Josie had taken. She looked so undignified, Ant snorted to himself, and then felt bad. Poor Di was going to end the night disappointed, he felt sure of it. Poor Di? When had Diana become poor Di? Good God, he was losing the plot too. It was bad enough that he felt the need to become friends again with Diana, it was a bit much to have to feel sorry for her too, especially as he felt miffed that she’d chosen his friend above him. It was about time he found Freddie bloody Puck and got him to sort this mess out once and for all.

  ‘Excellent, excellent,’ he heard a voice in the bushes. ‘Did you get all that?’

  ‘Who’s there?’ Ant said suspiciously.

  ‘It’s only us,’ said Freddie, emerging from the bushes with a debonair smile, followed swiftly by Bron and Will, whose camera seemed surgically attached to his body. ‘We’ve been catching up with what’s happening. Oh, dear. It’s all gone a bit pear-shaped, hasn’t it?’

  ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ accused Ant. ‘Did you do this on purpose?’

  ‘No, of course I didn’t,’ said Freddie, ‘but the course of true love never did run smooth. I’m sure it will all work out.’

  ‘It better had,’ said Ant. ‘Otherwise you’ll have me to answer to.’

  Again, that feeling of responsibility. Where had that come from? It was becoming rather annoying.

  Di was well and truly lost this time. The moon had vanished, hidden by swirling clouds which made the place resemble something from a Daphne du Maurier novel. Bushes rustled in the wind as she walked past, and she had never seen anywhere so dark. She lit her way with the torch, but its light didn’t spread very far. Diane shivered; it was a bit creepy out here on the cliffs. Suddenly she felt foolish for having come.

  Oh, dear God, what was she doing here? There was no point in chasing after Harry. Whatever moment of insanity had led her to dance with him had passed. She could see how pathetic she looked now. Harry was in love with Josie. Josie was in love with Harry – she had no right to interfere. But Diana felt very strange. She was in the grip of a really strong emotion which possessed her whole being. She loved Harry with all her heart, and the pain of knowing that he could never be hers was sharp and intense. As usual, Diana’s timing was off, and she’d made the mistake of falling for the one person she couldn’t have. How she could have been so dense as to not see it before, she didn’t know.

  ‘There’s nowt so stupid as folk in love,’ she muttered to herself.

  ‘You can say that again,’ a voice startled her in the darkness.

  ‘Jesus!’ Diana nearly leapt out of her skin. ‘Who’s there?’

  ‘We met in the pub, I think,’ a woman got up from where she was crouching on the ground, and Diana saw it was Tatiana Okeby. ‘Your friend, Josie, was showing me the way to the theatre, but then the mist came down and I got a little lost. I sat down here and I think I might have dozed off. ‘I feel sure I’m meant to be meeting someone, only I can’t remember who.’

  ‘Is it the guy we saw you with at the café? Mike, isn’t it?’ said Diana. ‘Something about a play?’

  ‘Ah, yes, that’s it. He wanted to meet me at midnight in the open air theatre, so I can audition to play Titania. How immensely thrilling. ‘I’d best be off,’ Tati said and, surprising Diana with her sprightliness, walked very fast towards the theatre.

  Diana couldn’t think where else to go, so she got up and followed her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ‘What on earth have you done?’ said Ant. ‘Harry and Josie have fallen out, Di thinks she’s in love with Harry and I have this overwhelming urge to look after everyone.’

  ‘Aah … I think that might have been a small thing I did,’ said Freddie.

  ‘Which was?’

  ‘When you were under, I might have made a few suggestions to liven things up. Josie is supposed to find her deepest desire, Harry was supposed to reveal his true thoughts, and Diana was to find her true love.’

  ‘And me?’

  ‘Ah, yes,’ said Freddie, ‘I did suggest that you might have to take responsibility for everyone, as this was all your idea.’

  ‘When? When did you say that?’ Ant couldn’t remember Freddie saying anything like that. Mind you, the hypnosis itself felt blurry now anyway.

  ‘Earlier on, when you were at the Standing Stones,’ said Freddie.

  ‘Oh,’ said Ant, vague memories of the words, ‘You will take responsibility,’ seeping through his memory banks.

  ‘I’m sorry, I was just trying make things more interesting,’ said Freddie.

  ‘You certainly did that,’ said Ant.

  ‘It was part of the experiment,’ said Freddie. ‘I had no idea that all this would happen.’

  ‘But you can fix it, right?’

  ‘I should be able to,’ said Freddie, but he didn’t sound too convinced. ‘Where are they all now?’

  ‘Harry followed Josie to the theatre, I think,’ said Ant. ‘God knows where Di’s got to.’

  ‘Well, best foot forward,’ said Freddie.

  ‘No,’ said Ant firmly, ‘I want you to rid me of this responsible behaviour thing. It’s cramping my style.’

  ‘First things first,’ said Freddie, ‘I think we need to find Josie and Harry, don’t we?’

  ‘All right,’ said Ant, ‘but I’m next. I don’t want to be the one in charge.’

  He turned to Will who was following behind with his camera clamped to his shoulder. ‘And will you please stop filming my every move?’ he said. ‘It’s making me paranoid.’

  After it turned out that the open-air theatre was further away than they thought, Tatiana decided to take a breather. ‘Need to rest my legs,’ she gasped. ‘You go on.’

  Diana had never been to the open-air theatre before and, intrigued, she walked on till she found the entrance, which was covered in weeds. Apparently it wasn’t in use as much as it had been. She wasn’t even sure if the gate was locked. But then she pushed it and it swung open with a creak.

  Diana stepped through the entrance and was immediately entranced. A stone gateway lead through to a grass stage, surrounded by seats in a half circle looking out to sea. The mist rolling from the sea, was swirling around the theatre, reflecting the silvery shimmer of a moon just trying to peep through the clouds. Shafts of moonlight caught the stone seats, and cast long shadows on the grass. It felt magical and mysterious.. Diana felt herself shiver in anticipation. Of what, she wasn’t quite sure.

  ‘Josie? Harry?’ she called. ‘Are you there?’

  But there was no answer, just the crashing of the sea on the rocks below and the cries of the seagulls. She shivered. What was she doing here really?
She had a sudden feeling that coming at all had been a mistake. Josie and Harry were meant to be together. She was Josie’s friend. She should never have entangled herself in their love life, should have seen her feelings for what they were. Now, she risked losing the best friend she’d had since … Sian. She’d never allowed anyone to get that close again. And now Diane had pretty much done to Josie what Sian had done to her. She’d never felt so bad about anything in her life before.

  ‘Is that you, my love?’

  Diana nearly jumped out of her skin.

  ‘Um – no, I don’t think so,’ she said cautiously. Oh God. She was on a cliffside at midnight with a weirdo. To her relief, the weirdo turned out to be Mike Slowbotham.

  ‘I thought you might be Miss Okeby. We have an assignation.’

  ‘She’s heading this way, but just stopped for a rest,’ said Diana. ‘Are you quite sure she’s expecting the same thing you are?’

  ‘I know it,’ said Mike, dramatically. ‘I saw it the first time we met. We’re kindred spirits, you see. Fellow thespians. Mere mortals couldn’t begin to understand. But through her, I’m going to revive the fortunes of this place. This theatre will live and breathe again. She will be a glorious Titania, and magic our way back on to the map. It is going to be wonderful.’

  ‘If you say so,’ said Diana, edging away nervously. The guy was barking. ‘I think I really must just go and find my friends.’

  ‘And if you see Tatiana, tell her I’m waiting, won’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Diana escaping thankfully, and striking out on a path back to the forest. The mist had come down really heavily now, and it wasn’t long before she was hopelessly lost …

  Harry ran and ran, frantically calling Josie’s name. But if she was there and listening, she certainly wasn’t answering. And who could blame her, after what he’d done? She had every right to be angry with him. Every right.