"Ummm!" The taste was delicious, soft and sweet and bubbly and juicy all at once I closed my eyes to reveal in the taste. This was a multi-sensory experience, colours flying through my mind, sky and grass and orange and lemon and purple and red and pink. Wow!
"WOW!" I said out loud and opened my eyes.
"What!" I looked to my left, and right, up and down.
"Where are we?" I turned to face The Fly buzzing just above my head.
"About 3 months in advance of where we just were." He dipped and landed on a leaf.
"Time boost!"
It was more jungle like than before, we were in a totally different place.
"Where are we?" The Fly stretched his wings.
"About a days walk away from Middle Town. That's where we'll be going next but someone is about to meet The Darling, Darling!"
"The Darling, Darling?"
I stared at The Fly, engrossed in taking a sip of water collected in the middle of a daisy bud. I looked around, we were surrounded by daisy flowers, why hadn't I noticed that before?
"But how can we be 3 months in advance of where we were less than a minute ago?" It as unbelievable.
"Time's alive, I did tell you that bit didn't I?"
I nodded.
"Once you enter the time consciousness anything to do with time is possible and happening everywhere all at the same time, you can go back, you can go forth it lives, it breaths. We're in the time consciousness and the enchanted forest, oh anything is possible and probable!"
"Tum, de tum, I think it must be this way." Bob appeared from beneath a palm frond.
"Yes I think it must be this way." He called over his shoulder.
A voice, faint by distance, but definitely recognisable as the witch replied; "Be there in a jiffy."
"Now isn't this lovely!" Bob exclaimed, moving hands to hips as he looked around the daisy clearing.
"Lovely indeed, nice and bright, won't be needing my lantern here." As he went to turn it down suddenly the sky above him grey dark and he turned it back up and held it up high towards his sky.
I turned to The Fly. "It can't be!"
"Hello, I'm The Darling, Darling. Stroke me for luck!"
"Huh!" I looked to The Fly for an answer. Bob looked up, mouth open.
"It's The Darling, Darling."
"But it looks just like River but different I suppose. But then again everything here is."
"What's going on is happening for you but it doesn't mean to say it's not going on somewhere or sometime else as well," He shrugged, "Or now! Consequences told you!"
"So that's not River, then?!" I wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.
"Well it's a pleasure t meet you and I'll take myself one of those strokes, I could do with some luck," Bob stepped up and took his stroke.
"Been lost here for ages now, do you know the way to Lands Meadow?"
"It's The Darling, Darling, I told you."
I looked at The Fly for further clarification.
"Look," I think he was getting a bit impatient with me.
"This is The Darling, Darling, what's going on here may be/have been/going to take place elsewhere in your future or your past but it is definitely your present and in the present any thing is yet to happen, to you although it's already happened here. No matter how many times I come here the same things take place in exactly the same order, I always know what's about to happen here as it's always the same, for me always has been and always will be."
He nodded in my direction to see if I'd understood. I nodded, I think I was getting the hang of this place.
"So you know how this ends?"
"Oh yes, but you don't and nor will you until it happens as I'm not telling, I can't, I'm simply the guide.
"But you know?"
"Oh yes, I know I've seen it many times, always the same and I think you should keep it down a bit and just watch, you're drawing a bit of attention our way."
I looked over to where Bob and The Darling, darling where scanning some nearby bushes.
"And," The Fly lent in, "The witch and Purlean are about to arrive!"
Cats and Dogs - Another Side
