The Moon, who from the hilltop streams
On each white face and throat her beams,
The song-enchanted fellows send
Their chords of gold
Rippling beyond time’s end.

- Robert Graves, Music at Night.

 

It was a door.

But a door like no other. Moments before, it had appeared miraculously at the sound of her voice and now Claudia continued to stand looking at it, mutely, as though awaiting further instructions or some further miracle. She stood for several minutes and nothing happened then she took a tentative step towards the door, then another and another. Its geometry shifted slightly before her eyes and for a moment she wondered if it was some sort of optical illusion. She then tentatively extended her arm, putting her hand past the threshold and withdrawing it. She did this several times and each time met with no resistance. Indeed nothing at all happened so, steeling herself, she stepped over the threshold.

The area beyond was unexpectedly spacious. She found herself in a vaguely round room whose ceiling seemed to recede to a point far above her, giving the impression that she stood in the heart of some vast cathedral. The walls presented a further mystery. They seemed to flow and eddy as though they were composed of liquids or gases that had somehow been brought together but could never mix. On their surface she saw every conceivable hue of blue, gray and silver, alternating with violet and almost pure black. Then, veins of shimmering iridescence would fleetingly appear and the whole would slowly swirl towards the distant ceiling. It was like watching time-lapse film of the surface of Jupiter but rendered in an altogether unfamiliar palette. She stood transfixed, watching this display and wondering whether it was purely aesthetic or whether it was some living thing.

Her attention was then caught by something near the center of the room. To all intents and purposes is seemed to be a solid, rectangular bench rising from the floor. It was smooth, white and polished, like a monolithic block of Cararra marble. Upon this bench an easel had been placed and there seemed to be a large square canvas resting on it. But the canvas was covered by a black cloth whose opacity was such that no glimpse of what lay beneath was possible. Resting on the bench were a variety of brushes along with other painter’s tools; sticks of drawing charcoal, knives and several obviously modern tubes of oil paint which carried a French brand name. She picked one up.

“Hmmm, so this is not the afterlife.”

Beyond the bench, she now noticed a tall framework constructed from what seemed to be polished sticks of wood. The structure emerged from a dark circular space in the floor. A lush, dark green vine grew upon the framework. As she approached it she realized that it was the elusive passion-vine. The vine was covered in flowers but they were all firmly closed. This at least, she thought, is one mystery partly solved.

She returned to the easel and felt a momentary impulse to reach out and lift the cloth but her attention was diverted by a faint sound behind her.

About twenty paces away, there had appeared what seemed to be a semi-circular partition. It was of the same composition as the walls and stood to a height well above her head. She furrowed her brow as she approached it then took a step back as its surface rippled and shimmered. The outline of a figure appeared on the liquid plain and Claudia caught her breath, expecting to be confronted by the featureless, metallic face of the entity. What stood before her instead was a dark haired woman whose beautiful, mature features were more than a distinct echo of her own. She was dressed in a flowing white robe embroidered with swirling bands of passion flowers. The woman looked up, made eye contact and smiled.

“Nona?”

As she replied, the woman’s expression changed, becoming more serious,

“Welcome Claudia. All this must seem very strange to you and for that I must apologize.”

“Nona Eleanora?”

“Alas, I am not your grandmother, think of me rather as an image of her as she once was. True, I hold all of her memories, all of her knowledge and much of her character as a person, but I am no more Eleanora than is that painting of her that you admire so much and that has perplexed you so.” She made this last point with just a hint of a smile, causing Claudia to step back.

“…Well, if you’re not my grandmother, who are you?”

“I am an image of her created as a receptacle of all that she was so that these fragile and ephemeral things should not be lost.”

“What are you saying… that you’re some sort of hologram?”

“Yes, if you like, but I am so much more. I can learn and I have feelings but my primary purpose is to preserve the woman that was Eleanora Incarnata.”

The image of Eleanora then extended its hand and for a long moment Claudia looked at it. It appeared to be a normal hand and upon the ring finger was a heavy gold ring with a polished onyx at its centre. Claudia recognized the ring and coldly asked,

“Tell me about this ring you wear.”

The woman did not seem to be surprised by the question, nor by Claudia’s tone. Without withdrawing her hand she replied,

“It was made in Naples at the end of the 17 th century and belonged to Pompeo Occioneri. It was commissioned on the occasion of his wedding to Livia Castaldi. The stone is an onyx intaglio of an eye; the eye in black was Pompeo’s personal cipher. Pompeo Occioneri was your maternal great, great, great, great grandfather.”

Claudia was silent. Every detail in this account of the ring was correct although she had forgotten just how old it was. She had a vivid childhood memory of her grandmother wearing it but the ring had not been amongst the personal possessions given to her after her grandmother’s funeral.

“Why should I believe you?”

Humbly the woman answered,

“I have no reason to lie to you. Ask me anything you like and if it was known to Eleanora Incarnata, I will answer your questions and answer them truthfully.”

Claudia found the sincerity in the image’s voice touching so she softened her tone.

“What is this place and why are you showing me all this?”

“We thought it prudent and, after all, as Tintamare has become your home, is it not fitting that you know its secrets? It has been our intention to introduce you to all this gently and gradually.”

“Who are we?”

“I told you earlier that I was created to be a repository of all that was your grandmother. Once she had the skills she created me. I am her autobiography if you like and she created me for you. I am to be your adviser and in time, your friend.”

“She created you?”

“Yes, it took many years but she was a remarkable woman and soon you will meet the person who taught her those skills and much else besides…the person who lives here.”

“Ok, this is really, really weird. Where is here?”

“We are at Tintamare. This building occupies exactly the same space as the house and garden with which you are familiar but it exists in an alternative spatial dimension. Imagine if you will that the instant that you stepped through that door you were shrunk down to the size of a fire ant then, then that you fell into an empty teacup; would that teacup not seem vast. Space has many hidden dimensions, this is but one.”

“I’ve traveled to another dimension.”

“Yes Claudia but in a sense you are still in the conservatory at Tintamare.”

“Are we…are we safe here?”

“Yes. This structure is of considerable size and beyond the walls there is an entire world which to you would seem a bizarre place. Be content for now with what you see before you.”

Claudia laughed, “Don’t worry; I don’t plan on going exploring outside just yet.”

The image of Eleanora smiled again and Claudia asked,

“Why did you extend your hand to me earlier if you are just an image that my grandmother created?”

“See for yourself.”

With that she raised her hand again. After an instant of hesitation Claudia grasped it. It was soft and warm. She stepped closer and caught a hint of perfume. She recognized it.

“Jardin du Plaisir?”

“Yes, you know it.”

“It was the only fragrance she wore. Wow, you are quite some autobiography.”

The image of Eleanora nodded casually and smiled. For an instant Claudia imagined that this was really her grandmother and that somehow she had cheated death to inhabit this strange, swirling dimension that was like a cloister set in the deepest recesses of the mind.

“Now the person I mentioned will soon arrive. It has always been his intention not to overwhelm you or frighten you but circumstances have occasionally arisen that have not allowed this.”

“Damn right,” Claudia thought. “Is he responsible for…transporting me back, a little while ago, from Agrigento?”

“I would assume so, but I will let him explain.”

A bright spindle of multicoloured light suddenly appeared to the right of the tall partition and along with it; Claudia heard the faint sound of wind chimes. Suddenly the light disappeared and there stood a tall young man. His face was tanned, sharp featured, lean and aesthetic. He had shoulder length, dark hair that was swept back carelessly. His restless, dark eyes gave him a deeply serious even troubled air.

It was Aurelio Barricelli.

· * * * * * * * *

Even though Sabina’s flight arrived early, Claudia still spent an anxious hour waiting at Catania Airport. At 10:30 am she checked her watch and looked up at the arrivals screen. Sure enough, Alitalia flight 119 from Lausanne was moments away from touchdown. Sabina had only been away for ten days, yet Claudia still felt a wave of excitement; as though she was about to be reunited with some long lost sister.

As the crowd of mostly young passengers, tourists and a few returning locals cleared, Claudia noticed a familiar wave of long golden hair. The woman turned; smiling at the airport official as he welcomed her home, and Claudia caught sight of her beautiful Scandinavian features and her soft, bright blue eyes.

Yes, welcome home Sabina, welcome home.

Sabina carried little hand luggage so when their eyes met she almost sprinted through the gate and hugged Claudia; kissing her several times on the lips. Claudia too was overjoyed and put both arms around her friend; pulling back after a long moment to see tears in her eyes. The two women hugged, speechless for a long time until Claudia became conscious of several pairs of inquisitive eyes upon them. It was Sabina who spoke first.

“Oh Claudia, how silly we both are, crying like convent girls.”

“Well, your life has just been saved. Isn’t that worth crying about?”

“Yes, tears of joy.”

They embraced again until Claudia turned towards the baggage conveyer. Sabina’s luggage had all arrived and soon Claudia was negotiating the busy corridors of Catania Airport with an overly full and distinctly uncooperative baggage trolley. Sabina meanwhile proceeded to give her a day by day account of her trip followed by all the things that she and her husband Sandro had done in Switzerland when Sandro was still alive. One particular point caught Claudia’s attention.

“So you went back to that church this time?”

“Yes I did and I lit two candles; one for Sandro and one to give thanks….thanks to our mysterious friend for saving my life.”

Claudia smiled. Sabina then asked, “Ok so what’s been happening here while I was away.”

“Um…I do have a few things to tell you but let’s wait till you’ve rested.

“Ok but I don’t feel like resting much. Let’s go out tonight and celebrate, I’ll call Gianina and Julia.”

“Ok, great!”

The long drive; from Catania, then inland to Sabina’s home just outside the town of Montaperto, took them through beautiful countryside. Yellow sandstone cliffs, here and there, made way for lush, emerald green oases of palms and outcrops of grass among which grew a profusion of wildflowers. There were long stretches of farmland dotted with orange and lemon groves, grey-green olives heavy with black summer fruit and rows of almond trees; their bountiful crop ripe for harvest. They passed long lines of dry stone walls that might have been standing in the time of Empedocles; walls that sheltered the stately red-orange marigold and the pale yellow sorrel, while beyond them, grew gently swaying fields of ripening corn. At length Claudia saw an ornate wrought iron gate which stood between two tall sandstone columns. Atop each column a sandstone eagle spread its golden wings; reminding Claudia of the hunting eagles on the coins of ancient Akragas; one of which she owned. Sabina slowed the car.

“Here we are.”

A wide cobbled drive way led up a gently rising hill to a well tended garden of cacti and succulents in amongst which monolithic stones had been aesthetically placed. Sabina drove slowly along a narrow path between the cacti then turned. Beyond a hedge of fruiting Opuntia, Claudia saw the pleasant, streamlined contours of a sizable ultra modern house.

“Nice!”

‘Thanks. Alessandro had this place designed when he came into his inheritance.”

“And the garden?”

“That too. When he was younger he spent some time studying in Arizona and tried to recreate that feel here, but without the rattlesnakes. This house was his baby. He collected cacti for years and studied them too. He could tell you the names of all of these. He was quite a guy…”

“Sit tibi terra levis, let the earth lie lightly upon him.”

“It’s lovely of you to say that, thank you.”

The single storey house was the epitome of cool, Scandinavian elegance. Its clean lines and minimalist chic immediately impressed Claudia. It was so different to Tintamare which reflected her grandmother’s eclecticism and eccentricity as much as the ambiance and moods of the sea.

They were met at the door by a short, pleasantly smiling woman that Sabina introduced as her house keeper Angela. The woman bowed graciously and rapidly told Sabina that lunch would be served at 1pm. She then departed leaving Sabina smiling slyly.

“I’ll have to introduce you to Angela’s son Rinaldo later. It’s his day off, he’s my gardener.”

Claudia smiled and produced a contented purr of approval.

Later Sabina showed Claudia to her room and took her on a tour of the rest of the house. There was an outdoor swimming pool, an indoor Jacuzzi and sauna. Sabina turned the Jacuzzi on and checked her watch.

“Hmmm, we’ve got an hour and a half to kill before Angela calls us to lunch. How about it?” Claudia was about to reply when Sabina cut in, “Don’t tell me you need a bikini!”

In no time at all, both women had discarded their clothes and two beautiful bodies settled luxuriously into the warm, soothing embrace of the effervescent water.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Sabina nimbly climbed out of the tub, allowing Claudia to once more admire her intricate geometric tattoos. From a small refrigerator set into the wall she fetched two chilled glasses and a bottle of champagne.

“Ah Veuve Clicquot, very nice!”

Sabina then slid back into the tub, popped the cork and poured the champagne.

“Here’s to us.”

“Salute mia amica!”

Sabina then resumed her animated account of Switzerland, the conclusion of which coincided with the draining of the bottle. Before she could say anything more, Claudia turned to her and kissed her on the lips. It was a long tender kiss, made sweeter by the latent flavour of the champagne. Sabina did not resist; placing her hands around Claudia’s waist and holding her close. They kissed again; their breasts pressing together softly while the endless jets of tiny bubbles massaged their bodies into a state of total contentment. Claudia looked into Sabina’s eyes.

“Mmmmm, almost siesta time I think,” she purred.

Sabina looked back at her gravely.

“I’m afraid to sleep,” she said, with tears beginning to well in her eyes. “I’ve been knocking myself out with sleeping pills…just in case I have that dream again.”

Claudia looked back at her compassionately but remained silent.

· * * * * * * * * * *

A while later, after having showered and changed, the two friends sat outside at a small courtyard dining table just off Sabina’s kitchen. Sabina was dressed in jeans and a white cotton tee while Claudia wore one of Sabina’s elaborately embroidered kimonos.

“I feel a bit like Sei Shonagon.”

Sabina shot her a quizzical look.

“The author, she was a medieval Japanese femme fatal…never mind. What’s for lunch?”

Right on cue Angela appeared from the kitchen with an aromatic tray of grilled red mullet and a dish of fried aubergine rolls stuffed with prosciutto, ricotta and basil. It was no surprise to Claudia that her host had a huge selection of fine wines on hand. Soon the feisty cook was pouring them both a glass of sweet, chilled rosato.

“Grazi Angela.”

Angela smiled and departed leaving the two women to enjoy the food. After agreeing that both dishes were delicious they sat and ate in silence. Sabina, as always, enjoyed the serenity and security that her home offered while Claudia basked in the warm terracotta glow of the courtyard. It was yet another perfect summer day and although they were sheltered from the sun by the house and by a huge shade umbrella, Claudia could not shake the urge to go for a swim in Sabina’s pool. But for now the courtyard was lovely and she noticed how the occasional breeze entered it, bringing the aromas of the countryside and, just faintly, the seemingly distant sound of goat bells.

A voice, deep in her mind, spoke to her,

“Distant goat bells ring

Faintly amidst the mountains.

Arcadian noon.”

She smiled. It was a voice that had spoken to her before, several times, though initially, she had barely noticed it; imagining that it was a product of her own subconscious. It was a subtle yet penetrating voice and now for the first time, she paid it her full attention. As she did so, it became louder and clearer. The words had about them a peculiar and unmistakable cadence. On this occasion, she could put a face to the voice and she could even reply to its owner.

“Are you always with me?”

She heard a faint chuckle by way of an answer but the rest, if there was any, was cut short by Sabina.

“Ok, come help me unpack. You’ll just love what I got you. They have such adorable things in Switzerland and I guessed we’d be about the same size.”

Claudia was about to tell her that while she was grateful for the presents, she still shouldn’t have bought her anything when her cell phone rang.

On the other end she heard Carlo’s pleasant boyish voice. After greetings, small talk and pleasantries he hesitantly asked her when he might see her again and Claudia asked him to hold on.

“Carlo, an adorable guy I know from Girgenti, he’s just got back from Palermo. Shall I invite him to join us tonight?”

“Sure, the more the merrier.”

“He’ll be thrilled.”

She instructed Carlo to meet them at the Bar Empedocle for drinks at around 10pm and, in his usual good natured way, he promised to be there. As she bade him ciao, ciao, she beamed a smile at Sabina. It was so good to hear Carlo’s voice again but since their last adieu, her life had profoundly changed.

Sabina had bought her a beautiful, geometric Prada ensemble and a slinky 70s black dress by Rudi Gernreich with a distinctly Gothic look to it. She liked this latter item very much and she guessed that it had cost a fraction of the price of the former.

“Where on earth did you find this? It’s stunning.”

“I have my sources and my secrets.”

Then followed a range of small accessories; each more gorgeous than the last, by a handful of designers with whom Claudia was largely unfamiliar. The gift giving complete, Claudia regarded her friend with mock disapproval and shook her head.

“Well, do you like them?”

“Like them, I’ve been so dreadfully spoilt by you Sabina. I love them!”

The younger woman giggled, “Ah you deserve it. I don’t think I’ve thanked you enough or apologized enough for what happened on our first night together.”

Claudia smiled slyly and shook her head then stepped closer to her friend.

“You mean this.”

Their lips locked, but this time it was not a comradely kiss, not a kiss to say I’ve missed you.

Claudia loved the feel of Sabina’s lips. They were full of sweetness and fire; as sweet and as hot as the first time. Sabina’s fingers soon found their way between the folds of the kimono and she pressed her fingers, cat-like, into Claudia’s skin. This took Claudia by surprise and she responded by holding Sabina by the shoulders and crushing her lips. She kept this up for several minutes until Sabina was virtually out of breath. They stared into each other’s eyes and slowly undressed. Then, once nude, each beheld the glory that was the others body. Sabina eyes took in every curve and line of Claudia’s exquisite legs, her perfect hips, and the elegant sweep of her torso to her grapefruit sized breasts; ripe and dripping with nectar.

“Goddess,” she whispered.

“Nymph,” was the reply.

They kissed again and this time fell upon the bed; surrendering first to gravity and then slowly, inexorably, to desire. And what desire it was; sweet, pure, unbridled and free from the anxieties of their first encounter. Claudia took her time exploring every inch of Sabina’s body with her tongue. The girl’s incredibly intricate geometric tattoos were a source of constant fascination and up close; they lost none of their allure. Suddenly a subtle voice deep in her mind said,

She is a book wherein one might read the very lore of love…

That she is….Claudia answered.

Sabina now rose and pulled Claudia down onto the cool silken sheets. She kissed her tenderly on the mouth again and spread her palms on Claudia’s hips. With a look of serene contentment she slid down between Claudia’s thighs. Claudia gratefully parted her legs then felt the first flicks of Sabina’s warm tongue; first on the soft skin of her inner thighs then on her labia. Sabina was endearingly and naively gentle but Claudia did not tell her so; not wanting to take over. She was a guest after all.

After a few minutes she reached down and spread her lips, arching her back as well to allow Sabina’s tongue to penetrate deeper. Soon Sabina was relishing her task and Claudia felt wave after wave of pleasure wash over her body like the cool caress of the sea. The younger girl lapped and nibbled at her friend’s pussy with growing abandon. It was like having a gorgeously perfumed flower before her face that she could simply not get enough of. Gently, she now slipped two fingers in and rubbed; finding to her satisfaction that Claudia was already well and truly wet.

Claudia found her friend’s efforts were indeed having the desired effect. As she became aroused, her thoughts turned momentarily to the night ahead. She looked forward to seeing Gianina, Julia and Carlo again and the possibility of meeting new people always excited her.

She now spread her pussy wide with both hands; feeling deliciously sexy and letting Sabina explore and savour her every hidden fold. Claudia lay back, fully relaxed, to enjoy the pleasant bonbon that was her friend’s mouth. Sabina did not disappoint. Soon Claudia found herself bucking her hips and grinding her pussy harder and harder upon Sabina’s mouth. Pure pleasure began to flood through Claudia’s body as she came in rhythmic undulations and waves of ecstatic delight. On and on through a timeless arc until her body felt one final surge then relaxed, utterly spent.

They cuddled and hugged and played with each others hair as they lay contentedly in each others arms. Serena then rose and closed the room’s shutters, returning quickly to nestle in Claudia’s cool embrace.

“Perhaps we’ll take that siesta after all, hey.”

· * * * * * * * * * * *

Sabina gave Angela the rest of the day and the night off. The two friends were alone and later that afternoon, they shared sweets and an espresso on the front veranda overlooking Alessandro’s Arizona garden. Claudia found the garden’s formal design and perfectly maintained state so very different to her own rambling grounds at Tintamare. She liked it but could not help thinking of a stage; the setting perhaps of some mysterious drama. She guessed the tall stones had been raised to imitate Neolithic stone circles and she found this intriguing. There were winding gravel paths, groves of tall cacti and stone grottoes; all designed with baroque artificiality.

“Ah, it’s so lovely here.”

“Not missing the sea?”

“Not today.”

Claudia looked at her friend as the younger woman now regarded the garden with obvious pleasure. The quiet contentment in her eyes was so endearing and though there were many things that Claudia wanted to tell her, she found it difficult to raise any one of them now. Why complicate things and spoil the moment…

“Why indeed,” she replied.

An hour later, after the two had enjoyed their fill of the garden’s tranquility, the phone calls started. First Gianina called, then Julia, then Carlo, then a friend of Sabina’s named Dante, then Carlo again and finally Rinaldo, Sabina’s gardener. After much ado, it was finally agreed to meet at the Bar Empedocle in Agrigento at 10pm.

· * * * * * * * * * * *

After sharing a calzone rustico in a tiny trattoria just opposite Agrigento’s Church of San Giuseppe, Claudia and Sabina emerged onto the busy Via Matteotti. Near the middle of the street, in what had once been a warehouse, was the Bar Empedocle. It was a stylish club with a sizable dance floor and a well stocked bar. The elegant interior was designed along Italian modernist lines with chrome fixtures, Murano style lighting and 1960s inspired futniture. Claudia imagined that at any moment she might bump into Anna Magnani or a young Sophia Loren, but the era of La Dolce Vita was well and truly over and she was far from Fellini’s Rome.

As soon as they entered the bar they saw a tall, strikingly beautiful redhead sitting alone at a corner table. She was dressed in jeans, extensively laced black leather boots and a t-shirt emblazoned with a large motif of Vivaldi’s signature.

“Gianina!”

“Buona sera, Sabina et Claudia!”

A few heads turned at the sound of Gianina’s powerful voice and if the soprano was at all aware of this she didn’t show it. After kissing them both she offered to buy the first round of drinks. As soon as the three sat down, Claudia saw Julia’s smiling face at the door. She wore a black, shape hugging dress with long velvet gloves, a single string of pearls and elegant high heels. The overall effect was stunning. Claudia rose and greeted her warmly. She had to remind herself that Gianina and Sabina already knew Julia well. Just behind Julia were two men; one was tall and slim with straight blond hair, the other just a fraction shorter, muscular with dark brown, curly locks. Without standing up Sabina introduced the first as Dante and the other as Rinaldo, her gardener. Both men seemed to be already acquainted and Claudia found herself admiring Rinaldo’s profile, his stubbled chin and rugged features. He was living proof of the physical benefits of a life spent largely outdoors.

Dante too was the epitome of northern Italian charm and sartorial elegance. As he greeted everyone present and kissed the hands of all four women, Claudia made a mental note to look at the label on his jacket, that is, if the opportunity arose. Last to arrive was Carlo and it was so good to see him that Claudia momentarily forgot that they were not alone. She kissed him tenderly and he whispered welcome and familiar words in her ear,

“Dea incomparabile, bella Claudia…”

He was well dressed and although he had lost some of his signature tan, Claudia noted that he looked as fit and handsome as ever. Moreover he looked happy; the few weeks spent studying in Palermo had obviously done him some good. Now that they had all arrived she surveyed the group and found them all very much to her liking.

At around 10:30, Bar Empedocle’s resident DJ appeared at his station. By this time the club had attracted quite a crowd. Claudia was the first to strut out onto the dance floor as soon as DJ Destyno’s set began. She was soon followed by Julia and Sabina. She looked back at the others and saw Carlo and Rinaldo still sitting at the edge of the dance floor. The two had been talking, in animated Sicilian, about football and their discussion had become so engrossing that they hardly noticed the girls dancing. Claudia then spotted Gianina at the bar with Dante. The two had slowly drifted away and they seemed to be enjoying themselves; laughing and talking over the steadily rising bass of the music. Claudia smiled slyly and turned her attention back to Carlo and Rinaldo. She soon led the girls back to where Carlo and Rinaldo sat. All three now put on quite a show; moving perfectly in tune to the driving bass and exhilarating electronics of the music.

As she danced, Claudia smiled wickedly at Carlo; inviting that him to join her but he just smiled back in his usual good natured way and stayed put. Rinaldo on the other hand needed no more encouragement. Needless to say, upon meeting her, he had been quite captivated by Claudia and he soon demonstrated that he was quite a good dancer.

Hmmm, a guy that can dance, a very rare thing, she thought.

As the evening wore on, the club’s inviting atmosphere and warm ambience worked its subtle magic on all the minds and bodies within its walls. DJ Destyno kept the crowd jumping with a mixture of progressive European techno and classic 90s beats. Taking their cue from Claudia, the girls danced with abandon; feeling the vital strength of the music surge through their limbs and the bass penetrate and fill their souls with primal energy. Claudia too found it easy to lose herself in the music but this night she was also pleasantly conscious of the attentions of six pairs of admiring eyes.

At around 2am the seven friends emerged from the club. The night was warm and utterly still. The empty street was suffused with the aroma of white jasmine from some nearby garden, making the short walk to where Dante was parked doubly pleasant. He owned a silver Maserati which did not fail to draw admiring sounds from both Carlo and Rinaldo. Claudia was pleased to see Gianina cut nimbly in front of Carlo and slide into the front passenger seat. Rinaldo and Julia took the rear seats while Claudia stealthily looped her arm around Carlo’s. She held on to him as Sabina reminded Dante of the best way to reach her house just outside the town of Montaperto.

A few minutes later, in a nearby lane, Carlo, Sabina and Claudia climbed into Claudia’s white Alpha Romeo. Sabina had earlier invited them all to join her at her house and they had all readily agreed. Half an hour later both cars drove up to Sabina’s eagle flanked gate. Claudia looked up at the buttermilk coloured moon and some lines from an old Japanese poem entered her mind,

Late into the night
I wait for one, who does not come,
When in the moonlight
Comes the sound of a deer calling…

But it was not her mind’s voice reciting the words; it was another, subtler, smoother voice, a voice that she was becoming accustomed to hearing between her own thoughts.

“Stop it!” was her initial reaction but this was quickly followed by, “Will I see you tonight?”

The whisperer answered her but his answer was lost in the electro-mechanical grinding noise that accompanied the opening of Sabina’s gate. Still, Claudia was left with a sense of expectation and excitement that she could barely contain.

A while later, after they had all settled in Sabina’s spacious living room, their hostess appeared from her kitchen with a tray of drinks which she set down on the coffee table. She had even managed to find a bottle of Courvoisier and gave the glass to Claudia with a smile. Their hands touched and Claudia momentarily recalled carrying Sabina’s limp body to bed on that lonely night two months ago. She shivered slightly but then her attention was diverted. Gianina and Dante had taken their drinks to the sound system and had been looking through Sabina’s extensive CD collection. They selected a variety of discs; playing snippets of several before settling upon a compilation of tango music. Before long Gianina was instructing Dante who admitted that he was not a total novice so after some practice, the duo were ready to dance. The music they chose was a fast, elegantly sexy piece for piano-accordion and orchestra; a catchy tune that greatly appealed to Claudia. Their audience was instantly captivated and called for an encore as soon as the track had finished.

“That was Adios Nonino by Astor Piazzolla. It’s a classic!” announced Gianina.

“Encore, encore!”

So they danced again and their bodies moved to the irresistible rhythm in perfect tune with each other; as though they had danced Adios Nonino together for years. Claudia found herself biting her bottom lip. She took a sip of Courvoisier and settled back on the luxurious leather sofa. Her eyes were met by Carlo’s with his innate air of calm contentment. She tweaked his nose before the rest of the audience burst into applause. Dante and Gianina took their bows. There followed an hour of drinks and pleasant conversation until Claudia noticed that Sabina was not in the room. After a cursory search, Claudia located her at the spa tub. She had placed a tray full of shot glasses by the tub and lit several sweetly scented candles. She looked up as Claudia entered the room and smiled covertly.

“Ignition.”

She pressed the button to release a quietly rumbling effervescence from the silvery depths of the tub.

“Mmmmm, looks very inviting Sabina.”

“Well then, let’s get in.”

Without another word, Sabina slipped out of her dress, gathered it up and threw it to the far side of the room. Her black lace bra and panties followed and she stood in front of Claudia with her hands on her hips beaming a smile that was all mischief. She glanced back at the door.

“Hmmm, let’s see if we can interest any one else…” She giggled and strutted out of the room. Claudia shook her head and watched her go; the intricate, swirling tattoos that covered Sabina’s shoulders, back and butt had always intrigued her.

She’s like a scroll of sensual calligraphy.

Then she was reminded of the words of Empedocles;

The ethereal power pursues souls to the sea… and the sun hurls them into the whirling ether.

“Indeed.”

She pulled her boots and jeans off slowly, placing them next to where Sabina’s dress had landed. Suddenly she heard feminine laughs and squeals from beyond the corridor followed by the deeper voices and whistles of the guys. Needless to say, every voice sounded appreciative. Claudia next took off her tee and bra then slid into the warm, bubbling water of the tub. The effect was instantaneous and she relaxed her every muscle while listening to the chaotic noise caused by Sabina’s nude assault on the living room. Claudia bobbed her head under the water, putting her luxuriant black hair back under control. She was then greeted by the sight of a nude and smiling Carlo standing in the doorway.

“Benvenuto Carlo, are you going to join me?”

“Certamente Claudia, certamente.”

He got in next to her and she instantly recalled the fun they had on the tiny pebbled beach, weeks ago at Tintamare. Nothing had changed; when Carlo looked at her, there was that same, faintly fearful desire in his eyes. She was his dea incomparabile, his aeterna Claudia. She swung towards him slowly and kissed him, and his lips lingered on hers until a noise from the doorway separated them.

“Wo! You two!”

Sabina came in followed by Julia, Dante, Rinaldo and Gianina – all of them totally nude except for Gianina who was topless but still wore a tiny pair of lilac panties. Sabina had obviously worked her magic on them all, and worked it swiftly. As Dante and Julia slid into the tub, Sabina turned her attention to Gianina.

“Ok, prima donna mia, you are definitely over dressed for this party!”

Gianina offered some token resistance then laughed and wriggled out of her very sheer panties, tossing them into the corner where they joined other discarded clothing. Seconds later six beautiful bodies were relaxing under the warm, soothing bubbles. Sabina; always the consummate host, served shots while everyone relaxed and began to grow accustomed to being nude in the company of five other people.

Claudia found the atmosphere in the room intoxicating; thanks in part to the ambient lighting, the scented candles and Sabina’s well chosen drinks. But mainly, it was due to the company. It had been a perfect night and from where she now sat in the soothingly bubbling tub, she could see the new moon; a bright and smiling arc in the sky. She noticed Carlo admiring her and smiled but then her attention was diverted. Gianina and Dante had kissed and now continued kissing. Sabina grinned and turned to Rinaldo, she kissed him on the lips. Carlo let out a low growl and Claudia felt his hand brush her thigh; sending a tingle through her body.

Gianina now placed both her hands around Dante’s shoulders; she pressed her delicious, ripe breasts against his chest and swung her head sensually from side to side as she let herself plunge deeper and deeper into the well of desire. An instant of self consciousness followed and she reluctantly pulled her face away from Dante. She glanced at the others then dipped her flame-red hair into the bubbling water. As soon as she saw Sabina tongue-kissing Rinaldo she blew air into Dante’s eyes then plunged her tongue back between his lips.

Claudia, Julia and Carlo all laughed. Julia then turned and took two shot glasses from the tray. She offered one to Claudia and the other to Carlo. They downed the shots whereupon Julia whispered something in Carlo’s ear. They both looked at Claudia and there was more than a hint of conspiracy in their eyes. She rapidly found herself sandwiched between them. Julia looked into her eyes and entwined her neck with long, delicate fingers. Claudia settled back against Carlo. Her butt nestled cozily into his lap and she felt his strong hands on her hips. She reached down and grasped his thigh then wiggled her butt appreciatively. Julia’s lips tasted of sweet orange blossom and soon Claudia found herself becoming increasingly lost in a sensual journey as she explored the younger woman’s mouth. She held Julia close while Carlo gently massaged her hips and pressed his firm chest against her back. Julia then gripped Claudia’s shoulder with one hand while the other set off in search of Carlo. It soon found him. Carlo growled as Julia raked his abdominals with her nails. Claudia heard this and renewed her gentle attack on Julia’s mouth. She licked and bit her lips, plunging her tongue into the depths to wrestle with Julia’s tongue. Soon both women had wet chins and Claudia imagined hers was smeared with Akragentine honey.

Julia looked up and nodded at Carlo. With one deft stroke they spun Claudia around. Instead of Julia’s soft curves, golden skin and orange blossom aroma, she was now confronted by Carlo’s beautifully toned and rugged body. He had obviously been working out since moving to Palermo but had not taken it too far; the lithe swimmer’s figure that she remembered was still there and now it was in front of her like a table full of luscious fruit. Carlo looked her in the eye and kept his hands on her hips.

“He is the epitome of politeness and restraint”, she marveled.

Claudia was always quick to reward gentlemanly restraint and now she found the sight of Carlo’s stubbled cheeks, his dimpled chin and boyish dark brown curls increasingly enticing. She had missed Carlo and although the weeks after his departure had been filled with new experiences, his reassuring image had never been far from her mind.

Now she smothered his lips with her own and he gratefully accepted; kissing her with growing delight. For several minutes Julia ran her hands over both Carlo and Claudia’s bodies as they kissed. She then slowly slid her hand between Claudia’s legs and rubbed her labia. Claudia reacted instantly; parting her legs and drawing Julia closer.

“What a shameless attention whore I am.” 

She felt a pleasant tingle as Julia’s fingers entered her pussy while Carlo’s tongue flicked in and out of her mouth. His hands held her firmly against his body and all the while, the gently bubbling water massaged her limbs. It was a wonderful sensual experience. She drew Julia forward until they both faced Carlo. He was clearly pleased and kissed Julia while holding them both in his arms.

Claudia glanced around at the others and was pleased to see Dante licking Gianina’s perfect breasts. Her pink rosebud nipples stood to attention and the snowy skin of her shoulders was framed by her flame-red hair. Her face too; astonishingly beautiful as it was, glowed with the unmistakable aura of lust and desire. Claudia admired Dante’s broad shoulders, his deeply sculpted back and his muscular arms in which Gianina now contentedly nestled. Sabina and Rinaldo, much better acquainted, were locked in a deep tongue kiss. Claudia found the contrast between Rinaldo’s smooth, evenly tanned skin and Sabrina’s swirling, black vortex of tattoos intensely sexy. She then felt Carlo’s tongue tickling one of her nipples and Julia’s lapping at the other. To encourage their efforts she gripped them both gently by the hair. How good it was to feel their lips, teeth and tongues on her skin and their hands caressing her body. Images of Julia and Carlo flooded her imagination. She saw Julia licking her pussy; making it wetter and wetter until Carlo was able to slide the entire length of his cock into her. The two would then take it in turns; licking and fucking her with sweet abandon long into the night.

Sabina now pulled back from Rinaldo and tapped the rim of the hot tub. Rinaldo knew exactly what she wanted him to do and he hoisted himself nimbly out of the water, turned and sat facing her with his legs apart. Claudia smiled to see that he was already hard. Sabina looked at his cock and made a mock apology,

“Excuse me while I have a snack.”

They all laughed as she took two steps forward and wrapped her lips around the head of Rinaldo’s shaft. She was soon bobbing her head up and down while Rinaldo settled back on his elbows to watch her. Claudia felt Carlo’s grip tighten around her waist and she reached down to take hold of his cock. In an instant she had him settled up on the edge of the tub next to Rinaldo with his feet in the water. She glanced at Julia and nodded towards Carlo’s substantial shaft. Julia smiled and with wide-eyed enthusiasm took hold of the base of Carlo’s cock. She drew Claudia in and both of them took turns licking Carlo’s shaft, the base of his cock then his balls. Julia pumped his shaft the entire time; exerting more and more pressure as his erection grew. Carlo groaned quietly and shivered with delight. The delightful sight of two beautiful women working on his cock and balls at the same time was not one that he had anticipated. From time to time Claudia would look up at him and smile reassuringly, then plunge his cock back into her mouth. Julia licked and nibbled his balls, biting the skin of his inner thighs while Claudia rubbed the head of his cock on the inside of each her cheeks in turn. She slipped her hand around Julia’s waist and soon the two women were working in perfect tandem. Carlo hung his head back; letting his long wet hair cool the small of his back. After a minute he felt Julia’s warm, wet tongue lapping at the back of his balls while Claudia’s hand pumped his shaft with her usual intensity. Her mouth was hot and her silky tongue was just as sweet as he remembered.

He glanced to his right and saw Dante’s head buried in Gianina’s pussy. Gianina growled and giggled as her lover licked her labia and lapped at her clit. Carlo then saw Sabina take Rinaldo’s glistening cock out of her mouth and rub it with her hand. The look on her fine Scandinavian features was one of pure lust. Next she nimbly lifted herself out of the tub. The sight of water running down her svelte lips, ass and legs was too much for Carlo. His hips tensed and he held his breath. Claudia and Julia had not relaxed their efforts and now took it in turns milking his shaft until he came; shooting ropes of thick white come into the air before Julia’s delighted face. Claudia continued pumping at the base of his cock producing three more spurts that landed on his chest. He groaned and clenched his teeth as he came. Claudia sensuously rubbed the come into his skin while Julia laughed.

“Good boy Carlo”, she giggled.

Sabina now knelt over Rinaldo and guided his curving, tapered shaft into her pussy. She purred as Rinaldo more than filled her silky insides. Then she steadied herself by digging her fingers into his chest. From where they stood Claudia, Julia and Carlo could see his shaft plunge deep into Sabina’s pussy as she bounced up and down. Faster and faster she moved bucking hard as Rinaldo rubbed her sides. After watching them for a few minutes Claudia took a towel and lay down at Carlo’s feet. Both Carlo and Julia looked at her then Carlo knelt down and stroked her knee. Claudia was way ahead of him. She raised her legs then reached down and rubbed her mound. It was all the invitation Carlo needed. He immediately spread the lips of her labia and sank his tongue into her sweet folds. As Carlo’s licking began to take hold she wiggled her hips, resting one leg on his back. Claudia crossed her palms behind her head and relaxed. There was much to draw her attention away from Carlo’s masterful tongue and lips.

To her right, Dante was enjoying a very wet blow job from Gianina. Long strings of saliva hung from his shaft as the redheaded soprano gave herself up to the task with blissful abandon. Upon Claudia’s left, Sabina and Rinaldo had swapped places and now the young gardener was fucking Sabina hard. His balls; fleshy, loose and heavy, swung against Sabina’s perfect ass while his thick cock cleaved her pussy with rhythmic force. Sabina arched her back and bucked against his thrusts. Her clenched teeth, open mouth and frenzied breathing amply demonstrated the blissful state she was in.

Claudia shut her eyes and settled back to enjoy Carlo’s skillful mouth; every movement of his face and every flick of his tongue was pure delight.

She fondly remembered with what abandon they had made love on Tintamare’s lonely beach and now began to feel the need to have his cock deep inside her again.

Julia meanwhile had joined Sabina and Rinaldo on the floor. As Rinaldo fucked Sabina from behind, Sabina licked Julia’s pussy; holding her labial lips open with both hands. It was a delicious sight but one which Claudia was unaware of for the moment. She reached down and grasped Carlo gently by the hair. Her warm, soft hand on the back of his neck immediately brought back the delightful days and lust drenched nights that he had spent with her on the coast. She opened her eyes and saw his fine features and dark eyes framed by long curls. He bent down and kissed her tenderly and as she wrapped her arms around him she whispered in his ear,

“Fuck me.”

Carlo let out a contented growl and smiled. Without any hesitation he guided the head of his shaft between Claudia’s silky pussy lips. Her eyes rolled back and she grit her teeth and this did nothing to diminish her fierce beauty. As Carlo settled down to enjoy the sheer pleasure of having his cock inside Claudia, his mind never quite forgot the almost superstitious awe in which he held her – too look too long upon her face was surely to gaze upon the occult visage of a sorceress, to lose his heart to her was surely to compromise his immortal soul. Now this woman who lived in an enchanted house looked up at him with spectral, lust filled eyes. She propped herself up on her elbows with her palms splayed at her sides and started bucking against his thrusts. She shook her black hair; framing her face with a shadowed halo. To him she was the very image of Homer’s Circe or Ariosto’s Maga Alcina, the arch-seductress.

Claudia lay back down and arched her back; her relentless, cat-like movements were now slowly sending Carlo to a new level of arousal. His cock savoured the velvety wetness of her pussy and the silky smoothness of her skin but to be with Claudia was a total sensory journey; she whispered his name and her voice was like a carnal incantation. Carlo shut his eyes and, after a moment, became conscious of other sounds in the room. In the background there was the steady slap, slap, slap of flesh against flesh; amplified by moist skin and firm muscles. The succulent sounds of tongues licking piquant pussies and mouths fervently devouring cock could also be heard, while above these, there rose the breathy sighs and sweet moans of pleasure made manifest.

It was all music to Carlo’s ears and provided great counterpoint to his exquisite exertions. Opening his eyes again he saw the boundless beauty that was Claudia. Her hands now embraced his neck; her cool fingers sent tingles down his spine and finally brought him to the brink. His spine tingled and the muscles of his lower back felt as though they had melted. He tensed and grit his teeth. A second later Claudia felt his cock achieve the apogee of its hardness and release spurt after spurt of hot seed deep into her. She loved the sudden inrush of liquid warmth and wound her hands around Carlo’s shoulders as he instinctively gripped her hips. He breathed hard, uttering her name repeatedly but the syllables were lost; overwhelmed by the surge of ecstasy.

After a few recuperative minutes, Claudia smiled appreciatively and rubbed his smooth back. She was about to whisper something complimentary when he propped himself up and slid down until his face was level with her navel. He looked up at her and smiled, licking his lips and whispering,

“Deliziosa.”

Claudia purred and ran her hand through Carlo’s riot of curls. Then she pressed his head down gently and leant back on one elbow. Settling back, she was now in a prime position to enjoy what the others were doing.

To her right she immediately noticed Gianina’s beautiful long legs. The red headed soprano’s soft, marble white skin contrasted boldly with Dante’s tanned muscles; she was like a Nereid; a classical sea nymph entwining a hapless young sailor in her frond-like arms. After a few moments they changed position. Now Dante drew up behind Gianina; his rigid cock bouncing up and down at a pleasing angle. In response, she wiggled her ass as he slid his wet, glistening shaft between her cheeks. Claudia was a little more than mildly surprised,

“Well done Gianina, you bad, bad girl.”

Julia and Rinaldo had made their way to the wall upon which Julia’s back was firmly placed. Rinaldo had lifted her up onto his sizeable shaft and she had him securely clasped between her gorgeous thighs. Julia sat on Rinaldo’s forearms while his hands spread her pussy. She bounced up and down, sighing and gasping with every thrust. Rinaldo paused occasionally to catch his breath and to kiss her passionately. Claudia took the riotous scene in and shut her eyes. She concentrated on Carlo’s tongue that now flicked gently over her clit. As always Carlo was gentle and patient and she appreciated him greatly.

After several minutes he shifted his efforts slightly and licked her with long vertical strokes. She felt her feet tingle and soon let go. She came in quiet sobs, like she was about to cry. But soon, as waves of intense pleasure surged through her body she begged Carlo to stop. He looked up and smiled broadly, his wet, glistening chin adding an endearingly comic note to his boyish face.

As the night wore on Sabina, like the consummate host that she was, ensured that all of her guests had the opportunity to enjoy her personal attentions. She lured Carlo into the steaming shower soon after he and Claudia had caught their breath. Sitting him down on the wall bench she buried her head in his lap until he became hard. As Claudia watched approvingly from the door, Sabina then lathered Carlo’s ass with soap. She used the detachable shower head to wash the soap away then spread his cheeks; allowing the vibrations from the water to stimulate the sensitive areas in and around his sphincter. The affect was quickly apparent; Carlo bit his bottom lip and arched his back but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. Sabina then slid two fingers into Carlo’s ass while her mouth clamped down onto his rapidly hardening cock. Claudia imagined that Sabina must have done this before; with Alessandro and mused that it might be some sort of homage to her lost love. Sabina now pressed forward with her fingers; stimulating Carlo in just the right spot. She rubbed the shaft of his cock with her other hand as she held it between her lips. Carlo soon felt his cock harden into a steel cable; obviously Sabina had pushed all the right buttons. He soon came with an intensity that surprised him; sending spurts of thick come into Sabina’s mouth. Claudia smiled, shaking her head with mild bemusement and wandered back into the spa room.

Sabina soon appeared with a smiling Carlo in tow. He crashed on the floor next to a relaxing and still dripping Gianina who kissed him good-naturedly. With her wet hair like a sheaf of golden silk, Sabina now strutted around; offering her ass to which ever of the men was sufficiently ready to fuck it and there were two eager takers. Dante fucked her first as Rinaldo looked on; stroking his own shaft until he was ready to take over. Soon Dante came; shooting sweet, hot come into Sabina’s velvet hole. No sooner had he withdrawn than he was replaced by Rinaldo. Sabina’s dripping wet, over lubricated ass had him thrusting into her as hard as he could. Sabina knew him well and immediately spread her ass cheeks with one hand allowing him to get as deep inside her as possible. Soon Sabina was drooling and salivating; she thrust back onto Rinaldo’s cock meeting his every stroke. Rinaldo looked down; drinking in Sabina’s beautiful body like a fine moscato. He gripped her hips and threw his head back. He soon came; gleefully shooting every last drop of his seed into Sabina’s insatiable ass.

As the night wore on Sabina tasted each mans seed and licked the delectable pussies of each of her three girl friends. Then, after a final round of drinks she invited all her friends to share her king-sized bed. An hour later she was blissfully asleep between Gianina and Julia. Claudia curled up on the couch with Carlo while Dante gave the grateful Rinaldo a lift home in his Maserati.

As they drove off into the night, the new moon hung in the sky like a delicate sliver of platinum. The breeze had picked up; adding a gentle rustle to the nocturnal sounds of the Sicilian summer. Sabina’s house was dark and tranquil at last. In the cloudless, star-strewn sky far above it, a spindle of golden light appeared. It soon transformed itself into a humanoid figure of pure silver. The figure raised its arms and sped high into the sky. He then descended in freefall until sensitive inbuilt sensors told him that only one hundred meters separated him from the ground. He briefly cast a glance down at Sabina’s Arizona garden with its bountifully fruiting Opuntia, then turned towards the coast; unintentionally breaking the sound barrier as he fixed his far-sighted eyes upon Tintamare.

· * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Now that a miracle so strange
May not in vain be shown,
Let the dear maid who wrought the change
E’er claim him for her own.

- William Cowper

Tintamare, Saturday 8:30am

In the conservatory, Claudia poured two cups of espresso and handed one to Sabina. The younger woman accepted it gratefully and gently blew air across the surface of the dark, aromatic liquid.

“Mmmmm, thanks,” she said dreamily as Claudia sat back facing her.

Claudia now spoke with quiet gravity as she looked into Sabina’s spectral blue eyes.

“So how are you amica?”

“Well my ass is a little sore after last night but it serves me right. Too much of a good thing…”

Claudia laughed.

“Not your ass silly! This is your big sister asking how you are.”

Sabina was silent for a moment, clearly touched.

“I’ve got to go back to Lausanne in six months. Six months Claudia when they had given me three months to live last time. I’m better and happier than I’ve been since before Sandro became ill and it’s all thanks to our mysterious friend.”

Claudia smiled and nodded slowly then said,

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Are you serious!?”

Claudia grinned broadly and nodded. Sabina whispered loudly.

“But wait, you mean you’ve met him, you’ve talked to him? But how, he’s been so secretive up till now?’

“Well, let’s just say I seduced the right man.”

“Dante, Carlo....not Rinaldo!?”

“No, I don’t think you know him but I suspect Julia and the good professor do.”

“But how did he cure me of an inoperable brain tumor so easily?”

“Have you heard of nanotechnology?”

Sabina nodded and Claudia continued,

“It’s something we’re only just starting to develop now but in his time it’s almost as simple as taking an antibiotic. The clever little nanobots do the rest.”

“What do you mean, in his time, is he from the future?”

“It’s simpler if I show you.”

But Sabina had more questions.

“Are there secret passages and hidden chambers in this house?”

“No, in fact we are not even going to leave the room.” She then raised her voice and uttered one word, “Porta!”

Almost immediately a black teeming column appeared before the window and quickly coalesced into a tall rectangular gateway, the middle third of which was empty space. Although Claudia had seen the mechanism in operation several times by now, she still found it a little unsettling. Sabina stood up and cautiously stepped forward.

“No way!”

Claudia then took Sabina by the hand. She stepped over the threshold and Sabina cautiously followed. On the other side they were immediately struck by the sheer volume of space and the strangeness of the vast room. After a few awestruck seconds Sabina spoke,

Wow, this is amazing, is this where he lives? What on earth is this place?”

Claudia tried to speak with some authority,

“We’ve passed through a portal into an alternative dimension. We’re still at Tintamare, in a crazy way, and in the conservatory but on…a parallel Earth.”

“Ah, I’ve been meaning to read Brian Greene’s books. Oh and look, is that your harpsichord? Musica Dulce Laborum Levamen, it is, isn’t it!”

Sabina giggled with all the innocent excitement of a six-year-old discovering a wonderful new play ground.

“I’m still coming to grips with it all myself.”

Sabina strode over to the long marble bench. The easel was still there and a painting stood uncovered on its shelf,

“Oh, it’s professor Barricelli! Wow, and quite a good likeness too.”

“Yes, our friend is very talented. He painted my Nona Eleanora and he is a brilliant harpsichord player too.”

“Oh, the painting on the conservatory wall! Did she know him too?”

Claudia nodded, “They were good friends.” Before she could continue, a bright spindle of light appeared a few feet away from where they stood and with it came the pleasant sound of wind chimes.

“My greetings to you ladies.”

Claudia and Sabina spun around to see the slim, dapper form of Aurelio Barricelli. He wore a dark suit, white shirt and a gaudy blue tie. His feet were bare and his long dark hair hung carelessly upon his shoulders. Claudia stepped forward and grasped his arm then kissed him on the lips. He smiled and continued,

“My sincerest apologies if I startled you Sabina. I’m glad to see you. I asked Claudia if I could meet you once she thought you were ready. But I am forgetting my manners again.”

Suddenly the floor to their right heaved, rose and molded itself into three arm chairs whose colour changed from swirling blue-grey into a more solid and reassuring black. Finally a low cylinder rose between the chairs and formed itself into a coffee table.

“Please make yourselves at home.” He spoke beautifully and humbly but Sabina detected something vaguely artificial in his voice; as though it was a recording. She then had the notion that she had heard his voice before, somewhere deep in her subconscious. She stood still, looking dumbly at the chairs.

“Please sit Sabina.”

Sabina noticed that Claudia had sat down so she did likewise, though a little hesitantly. She then turned her attention to their mysterious host.

“Now, please allow me to introduce myself, I am Aurelio and you will see a lot here that is strange but please do not be alarmed. It took Claudia quite a while to become accustomed to it.”

“Yes indeed.”

“Now, may I offer you a drink or something to eat?”

“Make mine an afogatto.”

Aurelio turned to Sabina.

“Um, scotch on the rocks please.”

“Ok and I’ll have pomegranate juice.”

An instant later all three drinks appeared on the cylinder and Claudia said,

“What service!”

Now Aurelio took his drink and sat back.

“Sabina was asking me how you cured her.”

Sabina now looked at him eagerly but not before taking a sip of whiskey. He spoke quietly.

“Well, I’m glad you’ve recovered and I’m certainly no physician, but where I come from, we’ve cured cancer and many other diseases long ago. As you may have already guessed I needed a sample of your blood and tissue to determine if the treatment was safe. When I was sure that no harm would come to you I gave you a dose of what you might call nano-machines. They are still in your body and by now they will have long destroyed the cancer and any other harmful pathogens they might have come across. Don’t expect to get a cold now or ever again.”

“Wow, that’s absolutely amazing. How can I ever thank you?”

“It was nothing. What was much more difficult was telling you of my existence…. I do not normally communicate with words and there are certain strict rules to which I must adhere.”

Sabina was now starting to relax. She took a few more sips of the excellent whiskey and looked around.

“This is an incredible place. I have heard about quantum mechanics, wormholes and string theory; nine dimensions added to the three we know, wow.”

Aurelio nodded as though he was listening to a first year high school student. Claudia fought the giggles and concentrated on her affogato.

“Yes, you are on the right track and I’m not an engineer or a physicist.”

“Who are you?”

Claudia looked sideways at him; recalling the time when she had asked the same question.

“I am a man, in as much as I am mortal and made of flesh and blood. I am an Earthling too though I was born far from Earth. In my time people from Earth and many generations of their descendants are scattered far amongst the stars.”

“So you’re from the future?”

“Yes, but not from your future. I have not only traveled in time but from one universe, my universe, into yours. It is not possible for us to travel into the past in our own universe because we risk altering that past. In this universe however I have yet to be born therefore I can do no harm.”

“Wow, I really must read Brian Greene’s books.”

“Yes it might help. There are an infinite number of universes but our two are quite similar, nearly identical in fact, so I am able to carry out my work here quite easily.”

“How long will it take us to discover time travel and travel between universes?”

“It took my civilization many hundreds of thousands of years. I imagine it will take just as long here in this universe.”

“One thing puzzles me, actually many things do, but when I saw you in my dreams and that night at the house; the alternative version of the house, you looked completely different, nothing like you do now. Was that a disguise?”

Claudia smiled at the naïve tone of her friend’s question but remained silent, coating instead the crunchy coffee beans in her affogato with ice cream.

“A disguise? No, in fact what you see before you now is a disguise.” He raised his hands to his face and went on, “This is not what I really look like. I am projecting an image of my form and an impression of my voice directly into your mind like I did when you thought you were dreaming. But it is much more than just an image. To all intents and purposes I look, feel, sound and function just like an ordinary human.”

“I can certainly vouch for that,” chimed in Claudia.

Aurelio smiled but otherwise ignored her.

“You’ve heard of genetically modified food. Well, in my society genetic modification is commonplace. We have been genetically altering and improving our bodies and our minds for generations – both for practical and aesthetic reasons.”

He paused as though to gauge Sabina’s level of interest then continued.

“We have adapted to toxic atmospheres, to life underwater, we can attain levels of exertion and endurance that would amaze you.”

Now Claudia spoke and there was true admiration in her voice, “You are telepathic and you can fly.” Aurelio nodded modestly. “Now tell Sabina how old you are.”

“I am on the verge of middle age at four hundred and forty years.”

“Aurelio has lived here for the past one hundred years.”

Sabina shook her head, “That is absolutely mind blowing. I guess if humanity is scattered out there amongst the stars there is no overcrowding, no hunger, no war and medical science can allow people to live a thousand years, just about anything is possible.”

“Oh yes.”

“You mentioned your work…”

“Yes, I guess you might say I’m a historian. I was sent to Tintamare originally to retrieve four priceless manuscripts. Come, I’ll show you.

They followed him to a shadowy area beyond the marble bench and, as they walked towards it, Claudia noticed that the swirling, multicolored wall seemed to recede. Lights came on and there before them stood a magnificent Roman sarcophagus. There were fine relief carvings on all four sides. Aurelio informed the girls that these depicted episodes from the Trojan War. Both Claudia and Sabina had seen similar sarcophagi before but few had been as magnificent as this one. Broad strips of text ran just beneath the cavetto cornice of the lid and Sabina tried to make out some of the words.

“This is the sarcophagus of Quintus Flaminius Fulvius, a Roman scholar and senator unknown to the world today but in his time, a man of considerable learning and considerable means. Fortunate too to have lived during the reign of the emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius; Quintus was a lover of literature and a collector. Before he died he ordered that four of his most valuable books be buried with him. My people are able to scan the timelines and peer below the ground much in the way that detailed electronic scans can be taken of the human body. One of my collegues happened to be conducting a scan of this very headland one day and she found that there were Roman and Greek antiquities buried here. There was nothing unusual about that but when we peered inside this particular sarcophagus we saw that along with the urn containing Quintus’ ashes it contained a sealed lead casket of considerable size. Inside we detected four large papyrus scrolls, miraculously preserved, and we deemed these to be worthy of further investigation. ”

“What were they?”

Aurelio pointed at the wall past the sarcophagus and a large section of the hypnotic vortex of colours instantly disappeared. Their place was taken at eye level, by four long bands of what appeared to be brownish paper. Each band was about thirty centimeters thick and tens of meters in length. Sabina walked up to the bands eagerly and took a close look.

“Wow, this is Greek isn’t it?”

Aurelio stood beside her and spoke gently,

“What you see before you is nothing less than the work of the great Athenian dramatist Euripides. These scrolls preserve four of his plays, namely; the Cresphontes, the Stheneboea, the Phrixus and the Bellerophon. All four were lost to us before my people discovered them here over one hundred years ago. Their value as manuscripts is considerable but as works of literature and of art, their worth is incalculable.”

“Amazing, and they’re so well preserved,” said Sabina almost reverentially.

“Indeed.”

“But why one hundred years?”

“My mission was simply to copy the manuscripts then return them to their casket. What you see here are images of the texts. They are now safely back in the sarcophagus with their owner. I have also translated them into several languages and written commentaries and a few books on them. I have also produced performances of them using holographic characters and sets. I’ll have to treat you both to a performance one night, the Bellerophon is particularly good.”

“Wow that would be great!”

“Yeah!” agreed Claudia.

“Over the years, it has become quite a labour of love. I am free to return to my own universe at any time but it is not required of me, besides, I like living here.”

Claudia was surprised to hear Sabina giggle.

“Oh Claudia, we seem to have made quite a wonderful new friend…”

“We certainly have.”

********************************************

Over the next two hours Aurelio kept them entranced and entertained with accounts of life in the distant future and of his own remarkable life and experiences. Sabina asked him question after question until his explanations were reduced to equations and obscure technical concepts which even he could not adequately explain. By noon Claudia had begun to look for an excuse to bid Sabina goodbye, then, as her watch reached 12:15 she had a change of heart and proposed that they all have lunch instead.

“No thanks Claudia, I’m a little tired, must go home. I want to get the place tidy after last night. Angela will be wondering where I am…and what we all got up to. She’s like a regular mamma to me.”

“Ok bella, see you later.”

Sabina stood up and turned to Aurelio with her arms outstretched. When she spoke there was deep emotion in her voice,

“Thank you again, you’re my savior. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

“Think nothing of it Sabina, but I would appreciate it if you could keep all knowledge of my existence to yourself. Only the Barricellis; Julia and Il Professore know who I really am. You understand.”

“Of course, your secret is safe with me.”

She hugged and kissed him affectionately then looked around for the door. Aurelio instructed her to say the word, ‘porta’ loudly and by itself. She did so and immediately the swarming black mass appeared followed by the portal. Claudia and Aurelio followed her through whereupon it silently disappeared.

“Wow, it’s as easy as that to travel between spatial dimensions.”

Claudia smiled at her, “Yeah but it took hundreds of thousands of years to work out how.”

“Hmmmmm, well ciao!”

They both bid her goodbye and she strutted out to her car. As soon as she had disappeared down the gravel drive. Claudia immediately noticed the rustle of the poplars; it was a ubiquitous sound at Tintamare and usually meant that noontide had come.

She turned to speak to Aurelio but he had vanished. She smiled and shook her head,

“I suppose, if we’re going to be living together, I’ll have to get used to your stealthy ways.”

She hesitated for a few minutes then tried something that he had taught her. She formed words in her mind and projected them out to an imaginary vision of his face – Where are you?

His answer astonished her as it came almost instantly. “I’m out in the bay catching crayfish for lunch.”

She laughed, pleased with the success of her first real attempt at telepathic communication. Aurelio could become invisible and seemingly transport himself anywhere simply by thinking about it. He had assured Sabina earlier that the technique took time to master and that special equipment was required but he resisted her requests for elaboration.

Claudia walked out to the wall by the cliff and sure enough, far below, she could clearly see a sleek silver shape moving rapidly through the water, never surfacing but pausing and diving often. She recalled too that dreadful storm wracked night when, at this very spot, she had angrily chased him into the sea like an avenging fury armed with a bayonet. Now she watched him swim effortlessly as though he had been born in the sea. Maybe he had. What a marvel he is, she thought. Then she remembered a line from Shakespeare’s The Tempest…

Like Arion on the dolphin’s back,

I saw him hold acquaintance with the waves…

“Ah my Arion, don’t be too long, I’m hungry.”

Hardly had her mind formed these words than she heard the sound of faint wind chimes and a spindle of golden light appeared next to her. She turned; trying hard to hide her surprise. Aurelio smiled at her. He wore a pair of long swimming shorts but his hair was totally dry. He lifted his hands and showed her two sizable crayfish whose spidery legs curled and flexed with considerable vitality. She was impressed and led the way to the kitchen but not before turning an admonishing finger towards him.

“Now walk….don’t do your transporter thing, just walk, ok, please.”

He nodded with mock regret and followed her quietly downstairs to the kitchen. Once they arrived Claudia found a large aluminium casserole, filled it with water and placed it on the stove. She turned to Aurelio.

“Um, I’m not good at killing things.”

“Already done, humanely.”

The two crayfish hung limply in his hands.

‘Ok, so you’re a silent assassin too.”

“I’m a man of many talents,” he replied enigmatically.

Aurelio cooked the crayfish and served them with an aromatic lemon and garlic risotto. As a finishing touch he theatrically conjured up a white truffle from behind Claudia’s ear and grated it over the risotto. Lunch was delicious and left Claudia feeling contentedly replete.

Later, on the balcony facing the garden, they relaxed; listening to the rhythmic drone of the cicadas. The air was laced with pine and a hint of wood smoke but the ever present breeze had departed from Tintamare, leaving only the sun to cradle the house in his golden arms. The cicadas, like chanting monks, droned on; changing the key of their song several times before Claudia stood up.

“I’m going to lie down, are you coming?”

She turned and strode inside, far from certain that he would follow; he was still a mystery to her and full of surprises. But she liked mystery and that certain danger of the unknown had always enticed her. She slipped out of her bikini and crashed on the bed. It was a haven of luxury and comfort. Eleanora’s bizarre African masks looked down at her protectively from the walls and she made a mental note to ask the holographic Eleanora to tell her more about them. She turned over to look at the masks and there was Aurelio standing naked above her.

“Did I startle you?”

“No, yes, you always do but don’t worry I’m getting used to it.”

“I’m sorry, I find conventional locomotion limiting but I will try to adapt.”

He said this with such humble, endearing sincerity that it melted her.

She put one hand upon his shoulder and drew him towards her mouth. They kissed tenderly for several long moments. His lips were sweet and faintly aromatic. She soon found his tongue working its way into her mouth and wrestling playfully with her own. Claudia sighed as she felt strong tender palms rub her sides then settle upon her hips. He drew her closer and kissed her even more passionately. Her hand pressed his face closer to hers and with her other hand, she traced a line down his back to his buttocks then up again to his shoulders. His skin was supple and his muscles firm; indeed everything about his body pleased her and Claudia found that her natural instincts were greatly aroused by him.

He pulled back now and looked her in the eye. His lips did not move but deep in her mind she heard his voice clearly,

“Claudia the passionate, I want to lick your pussy.”

And she recalled that he had called her that once before. She smiled and nodded her head eagerly. What followed was the most exquisite treat her pussy had ever enjoyed. For what seemed like a delicious eternity, his tongue and lips found her every secret fold until her entire body tingled with the most sublime pleasure. More and more, she sighed and moaned causing him to renew his efforts until she felt herself on the brink.

She made him stop then passed an index finger teasingly across her labia,

“Oh, look how wet you’ve made me.”

He smiled but said nothing.

“Mmmm, well, now it’s your turn.”

She made him get on all fouls with his knees far enough apart for her to slide under him. She was not surprised to see that he had a sizeable erection which now hung before her face like an exotic tropical fruit all ripe for tasting. She looked up and admired his abdominals then opened her mouth.

“Fuck my mouth,” she thought and immediately she found the head of his cock between her lips and pressing against her tongue. She reached up between his legs and gripped his butt while feeding his shaft into her mouth with her other hand. She worked his head and the underside of his shaft as only she knew how. His cock was delightfully hard and smooth in her mouth and suffused with the same sweetness as the rest of his body. Like a delicious treat, she thought. Soon her tongue had licked the entire length of his shaft and his balls. She next drew his hips closer and allowed her lips and tongue to explore the area below his balls, then on to his ass. For several minutes she rimmed his hole with abandon, all the while keeping his shaft firmly massaged in her hand.

Suddenly but gently he now pulled his hips away from her mouth. She opened her eyes and surveyed the wet lines that she had made all over his nether regions. Now she heard his voice deep in her mind and immediately knew that she had pleased him.

“Let me make love to you. O Claudia the Exquisite….” 

She giggled and flopped down on the pillow next to him then dipped a finger in her dripping pussy and put it into her mouth,

“Your golden honey comb?”

“…is all yours for the tasting.”

With the minimum of effort he now lifted her on top of him and Claudia quickly settled into his lap. She could feel the rigid cable that was his cock pressing against her back and rose elegantly to slip it into her pussy. Instantly she felt electric surges of pleasure flood her body. His cock filled her and touched her very core. Without even moving Claudia could feel her mouth water as she savored the delicious rigidity and width of Aurelio’s cock. She could feel her pussy react to him; lubricating their connection. Next she felt Aurelio’s hips surge and grind gently up into her. She looked down at him and there was deep lust in her eyes. Slowly at first, she rose and fell upon his lap like a dancer; feeling every inch of his shaft slide against the moist skin of her pussy. His shaft made ripples run through her body with every thrust while his hands kneaded her breasts and rubbed her sides. Claudia rode him hard; bouncing up and down while swiveling her hips from side to side and making her pussy muscles flex around his fleshy cock. Coming in from the open balcony door; the breeze brushed the curtains aside and coolly caressed her shoulders. All the while, her raven hair fell and rose like the notes of an operatic overture and her clenched teeth and parted lips spoke more eloquently than words could ever have of the bliss she now enjoyed.

His hands gripped her butt cheeks and gently parted them. His fingers traced their way down until they rubbed the rim of her ass. Claudia reacted by parting her own cheeks so that Aurelio’s fingers could enter. With his long, thick cock in her pussy and his fingers stimulating her ring, Claudia could not imagine feeling more content. She loved having her ass played with and for a moment she fondly recalled Josh rimming and fucking her ass at his parents’ beach house during their first summer together….

As soon as this memory entered her mind Aurelio stopped and lifted her up. Once again she was amazed by his strength and agility. He made her get onto all fours and parted her thighs. Claudia immediately knew what he had in mind and with one hand she spread her ass cheeks. Aurelio knelt behind her and soon her tender pink ring was feeling the sweet attentions of his lips and tongue. He traced wet circles across it and licked it all over until Claudia’s ass was dripping with his saliva. Soon her hot little hole was tingling and pulsing as his tongue continued to explore its secrets. Claudia arched her back; instinctively inviting Aurelio deeper and deeper into her sacred, primal core. She loved the feeling of a man’s tongue in her ass but there was one other thing that she loved more.

Reluctantly she made him stop then licked her lips and giggled; reaching down she guided Aurelio’s cock into her ass. The curve and taper of his shaft felt just as good in the tender confines of her rear as it had done in the velvet smoothness of her pussy. He thrust gently at first but Claudia was long past being treated gently. She placed both her hands on his chest and dug her nails into his flesh then arched her back and bucked against his cock; cable hard and solid, deep in her inner core. With perfect rhythm, every time she pushed down, Aurelio reciprocated by thrusting up. They spent the next twenty minutes thus; Claudia increasing the energy of her thrusts every time she bounced. Her pussy was so wet that it dripped honey on to Aurelio’s abdominals while from the corners of her beautiful mouth, long lines of saliva ran down her throat, between her breasts and pooled at her navel and above her mound. All the while her untamable hair bounced and shook; its every movement a reflection of Aurelio’s delightful attentions.

Looking down at her mysterious lover; she saw that he had closed his eyes and that his breath had quickened. He opened his eyes again and smiled at her. She responded with a string of delicious profanities that made him laugh aloud. Nestled amongst her pillows he was tanned, handsome and muscular and pleasing to her eye in every way. Still, she had to remind herself that what she saw before her was an illusion; a beautiful illusion but an illusion none the less. A thought entered her mind but before it was even half formed he spoke,

“Are you sure Claudia?”

She nodded.

“Are you ready to see me as I truly am?”

“Yes,” she answered breathlessly with his cock still nestled comfortably inside her.

They continued fucking; eyes locked on one another, then almost imperceptibly, Claudia noticed the outlines of his nude body shift slightly and shimmer. She bucked harder, letting out a series of blissful howls as his cock hit a particularly piquant spot. An instant later he had transformed himself into the mirror man that she had first seen on the night of the fearful storm. She gasped in wonder and heard him chuckle in her mind. His body felt no different but what lay before her was a figure of perfectly reflective silver; a man made of liquid mercury. His face was totally blank and, as Sabina had done, she saw her own face flawlessly reflected in it. Now his voice was soothingly reassuring,

“This is my protective shell, my exoskeleton if you like. It is an artificial construct, in many ways the apogee of our technology. Shall I go on?”

“Yes, let me see the real you.”

“Nudo?”

“Si, nudo!”

As though to encourage him she bucked faster; feeling his cock fill her ass to its very limits. After a moment or two the flawless mirror too began to shimmer and darken. Beyond it she began to see the outline of deeply sculptured muscles upon a massive, V shaped torso, long dark arms grew from his shoulders terminating in slender, supple fingers; the fingers of an accomplished keyboard player. She looked down and saw a slender waist and long muscular legs below it. Making a conscious vow to look at his face last of all, she next turned her attention to his skin. Some parts of him were hard, glossy and darkly iridescent; like an amalgam of onyx and blue steel, while others were soft, flexible and covered in black, velvet-like down. Finally she looked upon his face; the face of a man from a hundred thousand years beyond her own time.

What she saw was a dark, iridescent blue visage, perfectly symmetrical with a long tapering jaw and architecturally arched brows. Aurelio’s full lips smiled then parted to reveal long, wickedly pointed silver teeth. Above them, a long, slightly aquiline nose led to a pair of totally black, fathomless and unblinking eyes. Once again Claudia could clearly see her reflection in their depths and she shuddered. This time though he said nothing to reassure her. This was, after all, what she had wanted. After her initial surprise had faded, she leant back to take in all that she saw at a slightly longer perspective. His face was like a stylized, classically proportioned mask carved by a Cubist sculptor from a block of some dark, exotic stone. It reminded Claudia of the African masks that hung enigmatically above them.

“Wow, you are… just amazing…”

She was impressed and slightly terrified by him and had to remind herself too that he could read her every thought. She blinked and looked up at the ebony masks for an instant but when she looked at him again he was an ordinary human male once more. He grinned, flashing teeth as white and as perfect as any she had ever seen,

“Great party trick huh?”

“Oh, yes…..I can’t believe it. It’s…..you’re totally incredible, I’m sorry if I put pressure on you to…….”

“Shhhhhh,” he replied gently, “I don’t mind.”

His quiet, gentlemanly manner impressed her once again and she even detected a hint of vulnerability in his dark, restless eyes. She leant forward and, without the slightest hesitation, kissed him tenderly as his arms embraced her. They sank back onto the bed and down between the huge soft pillows as though they were the melting into the warm, fluid embrace of the sea.

· * * * * * * * * * * *

Incta Alea Est 

- The die is cast (Roman saying)

-
The car sped along the coast road at far beyond the speed limit; passing farmland and a few derelict buildings and slowing finally when the driver came to a large expanse of Agave growing on the rocky sea cliffs. Far below, the jeweled expanse of the Mediterranean glittered like a block of lapis lazuli studded with diamonds. It was late afternoon and a cloudless, silent sky hung above the scene like the painted ceiling of a Florentine chapel.

But Florence could not have been further from the thoughts of the two men who now parked their car next to a low, dry stone wall that had once been part of a hut that might have afforded shelter to a goatherd in former times. Beyond the wall, a narrow path led to the very edge of the cliff and, unknown to the two men, precarious ledges and footholds had once been gouged into the cliff face to allow the desperate and the unscrupulous access to the sea.

The men both got out of the car without a word; what they were about to do they had done before and there was no need for discourse. They popped the trunk of the car and removed a long burlap sack that was light enough for only one of them to carry. The other rushed ahead; down the path to ensure that it was clear of obstacles. The contents of the sack were motionless, making its transport easy. At the cliff’s edge the man who carried the burden heaved it unceremoniously into the sea, after which the two men hurried back up the path and sped away. The dust from their tyres drifted slowly towards the cliff’s edge where moments before it would have encountered a near invisible figure.

The figure had arrived with the car; having rode part of the way on the car’s roof. Then it had plunged head long into the sea; stopping about a meter above it to await the downward transit of the sack. The sack had soon appeared; tumbling down and splashing into the sea. However, seconds later, the invisible figure had hauled it out of the water and lifted it effortlessly onto a narrow ledge half way up the cliff.

Deft fingers ably but discreetly assisted by technology, made short work of the rope that bound the sack. It fell away in fragments to reveal the frightened, tearstained face of a very young woman.

Her long, dark hair was gathered into a long pony tail, her limbs were bound and her mouth had been stuffed with cloth and gagged.

“Now for the hard part,” thought the figure; mentally adusting the optical reflective settings of the suit she wore. “I’m getting good at this.”

The frightened woman looked up at her rescuer for the first time and there was even a hint of defiance in her eyes.

“That’s the spirit.”

But the girl’s eyes widened when she was met by a face that was nothing more than a blank, silver-gilt mirror; a mirror in which her own face was reflected back at her. She began to panic and the figure touched her shoulder, firmly and reassuringly, with one hand while pointing down at the sea with the other. This succeeded in calming the girl down a little. Then the figure spoke to her,

“Listen to me. There is nothing to fear, you’re quite safe. I’m going to take you away from here. I’m taking you to the police.”

The girl looked down at the sea and sobbed then she stood up, gazing in awe back at the alien countenance of her rescuer. She nodded.

The figure gently picked the girl up and was again mildly surprised at how easy it was. They stepped off the ledge and slowly rose into the air. After a number of subtle mental adjustments, their speed increased until they were high over the cliff. The figure felt the girl’s grip around her shoulders tighten and heard her breathing slow,

“Girgenti,” she whispered and her rescuer hummed approvingly.

More subtle adjustments to the controls of the suit and they were soon speeding towards Agrigento. At length, the grand old city came into view and they hovered above it. The girl looked down and shivered.

“Ah, it must be cold up here. Don’t worry amica; I’ll have you down in a jiffy.”

Moments later they alighted silently on the flat roof of Agrigento’s police headquarters. The figure let the girl down whereupon she took a few rapid steps back; looking at her saviour with renewed fascination now that her fear had abated.

“Are you an angel?” she whispered in heavily accented English.

The figure drew back its head and shoulders and, for an instant, stood totally motionless. Then its head shimmered and faded, to be replaced by the face of a woman; a face of incomparable beauty framed by luxuriant black hair. From behind a pair of small, dark sunglasses she smiled slyly at her awestruck audience of one then dramatically struck up a distinctly Baroque pose, imitating Caravaggio’s The Inspiration of Saint Matthew.

“I thank you my angel,” whispered the girl getting down upon her knees.

Claudia giggled and suddenly had a wicked thought. 

“Oh you shameless show off Claudia,” she chided herself, but only for a second.

An image formed in her mind and she uttered a short series of key words; the incantation as Aurelio called it. Almost immediately the shoulders of the suit shimmered and expanded to form a giant pair of silver-gilt eagle’s wings. The girl gasped and instinctively shielded her face from the miraculous sight. Claudia hid her features once more behind the mirror helm and flapped her ‘wings’. She disappeared into the air and once out of sight went into ‘stealth mode’ leaping unseen from one rooftop to the next.

At length she slipped into a quiet, cloistered courtyard in which bed upon bed of languorously scented flowers had been planted. At the far end, the waters of a monumental fountain played quietly. Beside it stood a handsome, dark haired man in a formal black dinner suit and tie. Upon seeing him Claudia smiled and checked to see if he was wearing shoes, he was. She landed and, with a mental adjustment, switched the mirror suit off. Beneath it she wore her slinky, black Rudi Gernreich dress that Sabina had brought her back from Switzerland. She looked down at the sleek retro lines of the dress then touched a spot at the back of her neck. She felt nothing. In the month since Aurelio had implanted the tiny chip that contained the suit, the slight swelling that the process had caused had disappeared. She smiled as Aurelio turned and she kissed him tenderly on the lips. He kissed her just as sweetly but then she noticed a distinct look of disapproval in his eyes.

“Whaaaat?” she asked, without feigning innocence.

“Eagle’s wings Claudia?”

“You saw that?”

“I see everything,”

“Well, I’ve always wanted to be a Victoria’s Secret model.”

Then his tone softened, “I need to keep an eye on you and to protect you Claudia, you have much to learn and you must be discreet.”

His sharp features cleared and his dark eyes brightened.

“But you did well, very well, bravo.”

“Grazi caro dottore. Shall we go in? Gianina is singing Scarlatti’s Olympia tonight.”

“Ah bene!”

“Could my life be any better?”

Later that night, as it had done many times, the pulse of the Accademia’s music wafted imperceptibly through the air, where it mingled harmoniously with the aromas of the night flowers and with the countless nocturnal sounds of the Sicilian summer. The moonlight shone down upon the old city and upon the temples of ancient Akragas as it had done for centuries; turning them into pure buttermilk. Meanwhile the gentle starlight touched the face of the sea; the eternal Mediterranean whose waters lapped the tiny bay at Tintamare. At Tintamare a mystery had been solved but as Claudia was soon to realize, the universe contains many more mysteries to solve and many wonders yet to discover.