Copyright © 2008 Ansley Vaughan
All rights reserved, Freya's Bower.
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An almighty crash of thunder exploded right above him, followed by a bright flash of lightning. Something ran in front of him. Something huge and ugly and tusked. He braked hard, and the car swerved violently on the icy surface. He battled to get the vehicle back under control, and finally wrenched the wheel hard, managing to straighten the tyres. The lightning flashed again as he brought the Jaguar to a standstill.
In front of him, clearly illuminated in the middle of the road, a woman stood.
She presented an extraordinary sight. Positioned there, late at night, in the midst of a terrible storm, one might have expected her to be distressed. On the contrary, she radiated an atmosphere of serenity and calm. A statuesque blonde, long hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her flowing blue gown touched the tarmac, and what appeared to be a cloak of feathers enveloped her. She looked like someone dressed for a night at the opera.
The harsh beam of the car's headlights picked her out, but he noticed other illumination provided a subtle light, almost like a multi-coloured flame playing about her head.
"Fuck!" Alex said and sprang out of the car, furious. "Madam, may I ask you what the hell you think you're doing, standing in the middle of the road? You could have been killed! And was that your...? That thing that ran across the road, does that belong to you?"
In a calm voice, low and musical, the woman replied, "Hildesvini? Yes, he is mine. Well, sometimes he is. I'm afraid he became disturbed by our...descent. He'll take a while to calm down, particularly if there are any female boars out there."
He moved closer. Around her head gleamed a gold chaplet, and a stunning gold and amber necklace adorned her neck. Obviously, this must be the wife of a local landowner on her way back from an evening at the Royal Opera House. This reflection didn't improve Alex's mood.
"Well, you nearly got me killed. You and that thing. You could have wrecked my car."
She moved forward, and the flickering lights moved with her. "Ah, yes, your chariot. It's very fine. What is it called?"
This response threw him so off guard, he answered straight away. "It's a Jaguar."
"Ah, of course." Her voice descended to a deep purr. "A big cat." She ran her hand over the bonnet of the car. "Mine is...temporarily out of order."
She gestured towards the ditch on the far side of the road, where the gleam of golden metal shone through the murk. "So we will have to accompany you."
"Me?"
"Of course." Somehow she had moved round him and insinuated herself into the passenger seat, although he couldn't remember her opening the door.
"Excuse me...." He hurried round to the driver's side, wondering how to get her out.
"Now where are those boys?" She raised her voice, only a little, but the sound whistled around the interior of the car and out into the forest. "Aalstein! Valgerour!"
To his complete horror, two large grey cats appeared and ensconced themselves on the Jaguar's back seat.
"No," he cried out in agony. "Not on the leather...not cats...."
She gave a rich, musical laugh. "Don't fuss, Alex. Just drive us home."
For a moment, she reminded him so much of his mother that he didn't puzzle about how she knew his name until he had climbed into the car and put on his seatbelt.
"You know my name?"
"I know everything about you, Alex."
He shook his head. "But...."
"Home," she said firmly.