Wish You Were Here

by Victoria Connelly

  Milo nodded towards a strange sort of outbuilding that looked like a cross between a garage and a church. It soared up from the ground and its great arched wooden doors stood open. They approached it slowly, almost reverentially, their footsteps hushed as they entered. They allowed their eyes to adjust slowly and, when they did, they saw the most amazing sight. They were completely surrounded by statues. They were everywhere, making a semicircle of stone around them.

  ‘Why do you think they’re lined up like this?’ Alice asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Milo said. ‘Maybe Mr Karalis likes to stand in the middle and look at them for inspiration. It’s a bit like a museum, isn’t it?’

  ‘It’s more like a strange sort of charnel house,’ Alice said with a shudder. ‘You know – where they keep skeletons that have been dug up from graves?’

  Milo nodded.

  ‘Look – not one is complete,’ Alice said.

  They gazed with a mixture of wonder and horror at the statues. There were the usual missing arms and noses but some didn’t even have heads and some were just bare torsos on plinths.

  ‘Poor things,’ Alice said, as if the statues were alive and might actually be missing their various misplaced body parts.

  ‘Hey!’ Milo said, nodding towards the far side of the room. Alice followed his gaze and that’s when she saw her – Aphrodite, her beautiful broken body lying on the floor of the workshop.

  ‘She looks so sad,’ Alice said, walking over to her and placing a reverential hand upon her.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Milo asked.

  ‘I don’t know. How do you undo a wish?’

  Milo shrugged. ‘I have no idea,’ he said.

  Alice knelt down on the floor beside the statue and took a deep breath. ‘I’m not quite sure what to say,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll give you some space,’ Milo said, walking out of the building. Alice watched him go, his figure silhouetted in the arched doorway by the bright sunshine, and then she turned back to Aphrodite.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, and then smiled to herself. It felt funny talking to an inanimate object, especially a broken one, but wasn’t that exactly what she’d come so far to do? A part of her couldn’t help thinking that the whole thing was ridiculous. What if this didn’t work? What if Milo was right and Alice was completely mad? But she hadn’t imagined it all, had she? How else was she to explain all of the male attention she’d received? No, this statue had a lot to answer for and Alice was jolly well going to put a stop to it now.

  She placed her hand on Aphrodite’s right shoulder and closed her eyes.

  ‘I don’t know what to say to you but I’m hoping you can help me,’ she began. ‘I made this wish to be noticed by men and I realise now that I didn’t want that at all. It was a silly thing to do and it was nothing but a nightmare so can you undo the wish? I wish to be just me again – just the Alice Archer who arrived here on Kethos before making the wish. Is that all right? Can you do that for me, please?’

  She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Had it worked? Had things returned to normal? She wasn’t sure and guessed she wouldn’t be until she ran into a few men but, kneeling there on the floor next to Aphrodite, Alice felt the urge to keep talking.

  ‘Do you grant other wishes, Aphrodite?’ she asked in a voice little above a whisper. ‘I think it would be greedy of me to make another wish and I know I really shouldn’t but I can’t help wishing that I could stay here on Kethos. I’m not going to wish that Milo falls madly in love with me – that would be wrong – but I wish I knew how he felt about me. As soon as I saw the island again, I felt so happy. I love it so much – the colours and the smells and the light and the air. I don’t think I want to be anywhere else and I’ve been thinking – really thinking – that I could make a go of things here. I mean, I’m not sure what I’d do yet but I’ve got some money now and I’ve got some time to work things out, haven’t I? I’ve never done anything adventurous in my life and I can’t help wanting to change that. I keep thinking of my father and how happy he was to spend all his life in the same place but I no longer think that’s right for me and – no, I’m not going to keep wishing. I—’ she paused. ‘I’m going to go now.’

  She lifted her hand from Aphrodite and stood up. For a moment, she looked down at the beautiful face and couldn’t help wondering if her words had been heard. ‘I do hope so,’ she said to herself before leaving the workshop.

  Blinking in the bright sunshine as she stepped outside, she looked around for Milo and saw him standing next to a low wall that looked out across an orchard. He turned round at her approach.

  ‘Hey!’ he said. ‘How did it go?’

  Alice shrugged. ‘I really don’t know.’

  ‘Do you think it’s worked?’ he asked.

  ‘I hope so,’ she said and part of her was desperate to ask him if he still found her attractive but it would be too awful to ask him such a question. Besides, she seemed to have her answer when his gaze moved from her to the orchard.

  ‘Look at the size of this place,’ he said. ‘Just imagine the garden you could make here.’

  Alice looked around her. Beyond the orchard, the land rolled away into a boulder-strewn hillside which tumbled towards an azure sea. It was stunningly beautiful and she tried to picture it through Milo’s eyes with borders filled with flowers and herbs and pretty pathways leading to secret fountains.

  ‘Well,’ he said a moment later, ‘I suppose we’d better get out of here before we’re caught trespassing.’

  Alice nodded. She’d forgotten that they were on private property and that they’d climbed over a wall to get in.

  Sneaking back around the villa, they retraced their footsteps and Milo gave Alice a leg up the wall before managing to clamber up it himself, hooking his fingers into the crumbling brickwork. They eased themselves down the olive tree and ran back towards the car, instantly waking the dog who gave a volley of vicious barks.

  ‘I can’t thank you enough,’ Alice said once they were safely inside the car. ‘I’m sorry I put you through all that.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,’ he said with a little smile and then a strange silence fell between them. Finally, Milo cleared his throat. ‘I guess you want me to take you to the ferry now?’

  There was a pause before Alice answered. ‘I guess,’ she said in a voice that was barely audible.

  ‘Okay,’ he said and he started the engine.

  Chapter 41

  Milo was at war with himself. Alice wanted to go home. She was leaving Kethos for the second time and he didn’t know how to stop her. He thought about the week they’d shared together a few months ago back in the spring and then he thought about how – just last night – they’d talked and talked like old friends. There’d been such an ease in their togetherness – a closeness that usually comes over time. It had been so natural and he didn’t want to give that up because he truly believed that he’d never find it again.

  So, what if he told her all these things now? What if he asked her to stay?

  But she doesn’t want to hear what you have to say, a little voice told him. You lied to her. You deceived her. She only came back because of the statue – it had nothing to do with you.

  Milo sighed. None of that seemed to matter, though. What mattered was that he had a burning sensation in his gut and he just had to tell her how he felt about her otherwise he was quite sure he would spontaneously combust.

  They reached a crossroads where a pair of hairy goats were grazing and he stopped the car.

  ‘What is it?’ Alice asked, looking at him. ‘Are we lost?’

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘We’re not lost.’ He cleared his throat. He had to do this, he told himself. ‘There’s an amphitheatre near here,’ he said. ‘I’ve just remembered it. I’ve not been there for years. Do you want to see it?’

  Alice looked surprised. ‘What about the ferry?’

  ‘You can get a later one.’

  They
locked eyes for a moment and Milo silently willed her to stay. Say yes, he silently pleaded. Say yes!

  ‘Okay, then,’ she said.

  He smiled. ‘You won’t regret it,’ he said.

  He turned right and followed the road up into the mountains, watching out of the corner of his eye as Alice wound her window down. The warm air pushed its way into the car and the breeze caught her hair and tangled it around her face and she smiled.

  How could she leave all this, Milo thought to himself? How could she choose to return to the country of grey skies and stormy seas – a country so far away from him?

  She hasn’t gone yet, a little voice told him. Don’t give up now.

  The road suddenly dropped down into a little valley and Alice gasped as she saw the amphitheatre for the first time. The semicircle of stone was set perfectly into a great scoop in the landscape and looked as if it had been there forever.

  ‘It’s not the grandest in Greece,’ Milo said as he parked the car. ‘It’s probably one of the smallest.’

  ‘It’s wonderful,’ she said. ‘I can’t think how I overlooked it before.’

  ‘Because you rushed back to England before you gave this place a chance to work its magic on you.’

  ‘What do you mean? It did work its magic on me!’

  Milo shook his head. ‘I don’t mean the wish – I mean – this place! It’s a place you feel in your very soul.’

  They got out of the car and walked across the stony ground, entering the amphitheatre at the top and gazing down the steep rows of seats to what would have been the performance area below.

  ‘Isn’t it amazing?’ Milo said, his dark eyes shining with pride. ‘I often wonder if my ancestors came here to watch plays and be entertained.’

  ‘Is it used now?’

  ‘Not often. Just the occasional play in the summer for the tourists and firework displays at New Year.’ Milo walked along one of the rows of seats and Alice followed him. You’re going to do this, he told himself. Just keep calm and work out exactly what you want to say.

  He stopped abruptly and Alice crashed into him.

  ‘Oh!’ he said, turning round and facing her, a blush colouring his face. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Milo, what is it?’

  ‘Nothing,’ he said.

  ‘You’re all angsty and jittery.’

  ‘Am I?’

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Alice said, and her hands were on her hips. ‘Milo – why did you bring me here?’

  He looked into her soft blue eyes and noticed the little wrinkles in her forehead as she tried to work out his motive. ‘Why did I bring you here?’ he said, repeating her question.

  ‘Yes,’ Alice said, staring at him hard.

  ‘That is a direct question and it deserves a direct answer.’

  ‘Right,’ Alice said.

  Milo took a deep breath. ‘I brought you here because I want to tell you something.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said encouragingly.

  He paused before beginning, kicking one of his shoes against the other like a nervous schoolboy. ‘Alice,’ he said, ‘I don’t want you to leave.’

  She frowned. ‘You don’t?’

  ‘Of course I don’t! You’ve already left once and it almost broke me. I can’t bear the thought of you going again and I will hold you fully responsible for my actions if you do go.’

  ‘But I thought—’ she stopped.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I thought you hated me because of the conclusion I’d jumped to about you being married.’

  ‘I don’t hate you!’ he said aghast.

  ‘But you didn’t talk to me this morning. At breakfast, you just stared at me and froze me out completely and I didn’t know what to think.’

  ‘Alice – I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘I was trying to work out what to do. You said you were leaving and I knew I had to stop you but I didn’t know how you felt about me any more. I know you only came back to Kethos to see the statue and—’

  ‘Well, I—’ she paused, tears in her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, Milo. I’ve had so much on my mind lately.’

  ‘I know you have,’ he said gently.

  ‘My father, and the wish and – well – I didn’t really know if you were interested in me. I mean, really interested in me or if it was because of the wish I’d made.’

  ‘Oh, Alice! And then I go and make a huge mess of everything between us,’ he said. ‘Look, I have no right to expect you to forgive me after I lied to you. I should have told you the truth about Tiana and I’m sorry I didn’t.’

  ‘But Milo – it should be you forgiving me,’ she said.

  ‘There’s nothing to forgive,’ he said, taking a step closer to her. ‘I just wish—’ he paused and laughed. ‘Maybe it would be better not to wish but I can’t help wishing that I’d done things differently.’

  ‘But you did what you thought was right for Tiana,’ Alice said. ‘You were right to protect her. You had no idea how things would be between us and it would be unfair to bring all of your girlfriends home and confuse her.’

  ‘But you’re the only one I’ve ever brought home,’ he said and their eyes locked for a moment. ‘You won’t leave, will you? I mean, I know you’ll have to go home and do whatever you have to do but you will come back, won’t you?’

  Alice smiled and her whole face suddenly lit up with joy. ‘I want to tell you something,’ she said.

  ‘Okay,’ Milo said, his face filled with anxiety.

  ‘I’m not planning on leaving,’ she said with a little laugh.

  ‘What?’ Milo’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

  ‘I’ve been trying to think this all through,’ she said. ‘I know it’s a little bit crazy but I really want to have some crazy in my life now. I’ve always done the sensible thing, you see – I got a job, I rented a house, I’ve tried to save up for a place of my own and yet none of it’s brought me any happiness. But, when I came here, it was as if the world suddenly switched from black and white to colour and I was just dazzled by it all. I know I got a bit distracted by the wish and everything and – well – all the chaos it brought when I went home, but I couldn’t get this place out of my mind. I’d sit staring at my computer at work and yet it wasn’t the computer I was seeing but the Villa Argenti or that little beach you took me to. I’d see a pigeon sitting on my garden wall and I’d think of Pelagios the pelican.’

  Milo laughed.

  ‘Oh, dear, I’m rambling now, aren’t I?’ Alice said.

  ‘You’re not rambling.’

  ‘But I thought I might have to find myself another island if you didn’t want me on this one.’

  ‘But I do want you on this one! You should have told me what you were thinking! Why didn’t you tell me?’

  ‘Because you seemed so distant today. I didn’t know what you were thinking.’

  ‘What I was thinking? I was thinking of you! I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you since I first met you. Since I first saw you.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, really!’ He laughed. ‘You still don’t believe me, do you? Stay right there,’ he said and, suddenly, he was racing down the steep stone steps towards the centre of the amphitheatre.

  ‘Milo – what are you doing?’ Alice called after him.

  ‘Wait there!’ he said excitedly. His feet almost tripped over themselves as he ran but then he reached the bottom and he stood perfectly still right in the middle of the performance area. He gazed up at Alice high above him. She was shielding her eyes from the sun with her hands.

  ‘Alice?’ he said, testing out his voice in the immense space.

  ‘Yes?’ she called back.

  ‘I love you,’ he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  ‘What?’ she said.

  ‘You heard me!’ Milo said. ‘The acoustics in here are the best in the world.’

  ‘Yes, but I want to hear it again just in case I imagined it.’

  ‘All right then – I LOVE YOU!’ This time, he
shouted his declaration and his voice filled the whole amphitheatre and seemed to spread far beyond to the very heavens. ‘I’ve loved you from the first moment you walked into the gardens at the villa and it had nothing to do with your blue eyes or your hair or what you were wearing. I loved you because you were you!’ he said. ‘Because you were Alice!’

  ‘But you didn’t know me then,’ she said, slowly walking down the steps towards him.

  Milo shook his head. ‘But I did! I knew you straightaway. I could see you, Alice. I could see you for the person you really were.’

  ‘But how do I know it’s not because of the wish?’ She was halfway down the steps now.

  ‘Because I saw you getting off the boat that day – the very moment you arrived on Kethos – long before you made that wish. You were with your sister but it was you I was looking at. I couldn’t take my eyes off you, Alice. You looked so happy to be here – on my little island – and I so wanted to get to know you and then you came to the gardens and we talked. Do you remember that? You told me all those things about your life and I loved listening to you. And that – all that – was before you made that silly wish.’

  Alice had reached the centre of the amphitheatre and he could see that her eyes were shining with tears.

  ‘I love you,’ he said again. ‘And I know we’ve only just met and I know it seems crazy to say such a thing but I just can’t help it.’ He gave her a smile, relief and joy surging through him at having told Alice how he felt.

  ‘Oh, Milo,’ she said. ‘I love you too.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘I think so,’ she said and they both laughed.

  ‘And I know it has nothing to do with Aphrodite,’ he said.

  Alice nodded. ‘You’re right. It doesn’t. But I do have something to confess.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘I might have made another wish on her.’

  Milo looked surprised. ‘What was it? What did you wish for?’

  Alice looked up at him and her eyes were soft with adoration. ‘I wished that I could stay here on Kethos.’