Gabriel and Em were amazing together. They moved through spaces like a travelling party, like a stream passes through a forest. It was as though a carnival from another world brushed through to ours in the walking of two hearts through this world.

Gabriel and Em were amazing together. People stopped, turned their heads, wondered and carried on. Gabriel was all hair and beard and dazzling dark blue eyes. Em was piles of raven black hair, soft white skin and motion. Their clothes bounced and flew and shaped themselves on their bodies as if charged with some subtle spirit. Em would rest her arm around Gabriel's shoulder as they walked. She was a good deal shorter than him and so dangled half in the air, her body bouncing along like a stringed puppet. This approach to walking meant that Gabriel could hold her close around her waist and they could delight in the feel of each other's bodies: pressed close, side to side.

Gabriel and Em, as they walked together were ever in the middle of some adventure, and they laughed together almost constantly. Delight spilled from them like waves from a paddling pool, and landed in warm whirlpools within the folk who crossed their path.

Occasionally some bothered mind, busy with its own creation would see them and tut. “Drunk at this time!” or “What's that young woman doing with that old man?” But most times the power of the wave emitted by the two as they walked would break into that same closed world and the same tethered mind would look and see what was real. And then into some world of drizzle and grey slate would come a burst of flowers and brightly coloured ribbons. Faces would soften and something change forever. Gabriel always noticed and quietly celebrated.”

* * *

Gabriel awoke to a shadow across his closed eyelids and a tingling-strong presence in the field to his right. Awoke, or perhaps returned would be better. In the moment before opening his eyes he enjoyed the fresh spring air, the early morning sunlight, the chill and aches in his body from the hard thing he was sleeping on. He noticed without alarm that he had no idea where he was or why he was there. He opened his eyes. In front of him: eyes – big white and round with beautiful soft brown centres and long black eyelashes. Fine black eyebrows, gentle white skin, an incomprehensible mass of wavy long black hair. A nose that Gabriel considered the most beautiful he had ever seen, graceful and slender, and rather at lot like his own, completed the picture. A little noise “Oh.” like a pop came from between cherry cupid lips. The eyes widened then blinked. Once. Slowly. Like the sun going momentarily behind a cloud and reappearing again. He liked the feel of the her who was there in his energy field. Like laughter on the edge of happening. They were going to be friends – the earth human and he. He ran the future forward a little... Then she was going to kill him. That was interesting.

“Hi, I'm Emmilia.” She said. “You were glowing.” - it was a gentle voice with a hint of wonder. “You were sleeping on this park bench and you were glowing.”

She was right. Fading now and subtle but distinctly visible Gabriel shone with a light that was at once a cool refreshing blue like the summer sky and a deep warm yellow like the sun. The glow seemed to come directly from his skin, his face, but incomprehensibly it appeared also around his body although his clothes were not a source. Rather his clothing was odd for being ordinary. Ordinary boots, ordinary trousers, shirt, jacket. They didn't look new but they did look – Good. That was the only way Emmilia could think to describe the curious fully inhabited fit that they seemed to have, as though they wanted nothing more than to serve him, were glad that they did, and knew they were appreciated for it.

As Gabriel opened his eyes Emillia caught her breath, the unexpected depth of dark blue gave her forehead a dizzying spin while something towards the base of her spine wanted to jump forward like a wrecking ball that thought it was a puppy.

“Hi Amelia” said Gabriel, his voice deep and soft. “Well no! That wont do for a start!” Her voice carried the ernest indignation of a three year old. The sparkles that lit her eyes danced like embers though her field and tickled Gabriel everywhere they reached. He laughed and delight spilled from him.

“You said it wrong!” She said, catching the wrecking ball puppy and putting it firmly back.

“Sorry.” Said Gabriel. “Say it again.”

“Em..millia...” As she emphasised 'Em' by pressing her lips together her eyes widened and her eyebrows rose giving the impression of an owl. She blinked. Once. Slowly.

“Ah! Em!” Said Gabriel.

“Yes, and maybe we should leave there. You can call me Em.” Said Em. “What's your name? And don't tell me it's something inpronouncable like Mucvfarian Mhinestrouswer. That would be silly.”

“Unpronounceable.” Said Gabriel enjoying the symmetry.

“Hello Unpronounceable” she said, chomping over each syllable. “That's an unusual name.”

“Really!” Gabriel was laughing with a laugh that started in his side and rose like advent to the light of his expression. “You went for that! I can't believe it!”

“Ah well! It's quantity that counts you see. Not quality. When it comes to bad jokes anyway. But never mind that! You haven't answered any of my questions and I don't even know why I'm talking to you. What's your name? Who are you? Why are you sleeping on a park bench and why, let's come to the crux here, were you glowing?”

Gabriel sat cross legged on the bench, Em sat next to him. Gabriel breathed a deep breath, a simple calm spread from his shoulders across his field.

“I was Three once.” He said.

“Well blow me, that's not going to help much!... Sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. My name is Gabriel. I don't know where I am or how I got here.”

“Hi Gabriel.”

“Hi Em.”

“...and the glowing...?”

“I was in happiness.”

“In happiness?”

“Yes, you know, deeply connected with Source.”

“Right... and then you glow?”

“I think it makes any of us glow.” Gabriel's deep blue eyes sparkled. “Anyway that's enough about me. What about you?”

“Whao! Just a minute! Hold your horses there sailor!”

“That doesn't make sense.” Gabriel laughed. “What's a sailor doing with a horse?”

“He's letting it run amok, amok I tell you, all over the poop deck and he jolly well shouldn't. I'll tell you what doesn't make sense!” Said Em, indignation rising like a marching band coming over a hill.

“You've just told me you've no idea where you are or how you got here, but you were all shiny with happiness and you think that's the end of a conversation!” “Pretty much?”

Em rolled her eyes like a Hindu goddess. “Anyway,” she said with play ascending. “I don't believe you. I think you're having me on. What was it? Stag night gone wrong? Running away from a nasty divorce?”

“Well.” Said Gabriel, rising to the challenge. “I would say I was in England. Mostly because you are English.” Em spoke with a soft South-West accent that fell in Gabriel's ear like the cliff-top sounds of the sea. “From the sky I would say we must be in the East, maybe Norfolk, although something is not quite right somewhere.”

“Do you really not know you're in Amsterdam?” Said Em?

“Oh that makes sense!” Said Gabriel and a little shudder of pleasure radiated out through his field like the spherical expanding shock front of an explosion. The primroses in the nearby flower bed turned their heads, basked in it for a moment and smiled.

“Good. You know what you're doing now.” Said Em emphatically.

“No.” Said Gabriel. “It just thought the park was a bit neat for England. And I love Amsterdam. The Dutch are so easy to be around.” “And they appreciate good design.” Somewhere a mile to the South simple elegant cutlery was being bought from a small independent shop by a smartly dressed couple in their late twenties.

Em, quite possibly for the first time in twenty four years, was speechless. She gestured to the mouth she had open, expecting words. Gestured again. “I'm actually speechless!” She said. Then with sudden realisation she grabbed her phone and looked at it. “Bother!”

“I'm an actress.” She said, suddenly proud. “We're rehearsing for The Importance of Being Ernest and I mustn't be late. I really cannot be late. It was nice to meet you Gabriel.” Em turned and ran...