It was almost eleven at night, the first night of August 2012. Miranda would be here any minute now. She had taken the evening flight from Budapest and her plane had already landed; Dan checked it online. The time to get the suitcase, to walk long corridors, to find an Uber… flying was only seemingly a quick way of transporting. She added a few final touches to the terrace table, all set – two tall champagne glasses, a bowl of peanuts, two thick dark green candles, napkins. The garden was soaked in the summer night; a chain of sun-powered stars stretched from the wisteria to the lilac tree giving an enchanting subtle glow. Only a few actual stars were visible on the sky, the town was too nearby. Cicadas chirruping. Occasional bat zigzagging, night moths attracted by the pools of light.
Tingle, tingle, the house bell. Dan did not bother to go inside, rather, she opened the side gate connecting the garden with the front yard.
“Hey, hello, “she addressed to a silhouette standing there with a suitcase at the feet. “Come straight here, or… you would perhaps want to put your things inside and wash your hands and whatever. “Wait there. Dan disappeared, returned to the garden, entered the living-room through the sliding door, crossed the hall and opened the front door to her friend.
They had long ago agreed to meet here, on the first night of August. Their kids were at summer camps, their husbands on a weekend with male friends. And Brussels always transformed in summer, emptier, though not empty, the crowd of locals felt homey and the crowd of tourists rather amusing.
“A good flight? “
“Moderate. Tiring still. It is a drag. Crowds. Instructions. Noises. Anyway, good to be here. Which room are you putting me in? “
“Zoe’s. Upstairs, first door on the right. “
Miranda pulled her suitcase up the narrow stairs and appeared half an hour later in shorts and a t-shirt, fresh from the shower. Miranda popped open the bottle of champagne. Their glasses touched and tinkled.
To us.
“Thank you, Dan, for the invitation, and all these goodies.“ Miranda three a handful of peanuts into her mouth. They started to exchange the whereabouts of the first month of holiday.
“It rolls so fast. August again. In a blink of an eye school starts. Another season. All those routines. Short rainy days. “
“Okay, okay, let’s not spoil tonight. “Dan interrupted her friend. “We are here, together, free. “ Her face looked dreamy in the candlelight. “I had a strange dream the other night, and it lingers with me like a vision. A vision that wants to be with me, if you know what I mean. “
“I do not, “Miranda laughed. “But tell me. Or wait, let me make myself a cup of herbal tea. “
“I will make you one, “Dan suggested.
“No, seriously, I know your kitchen, will handle. You get your story ready; I get a tea. Fancy a cup, too? “
“Not really. Too warm for tea. “Dan poured more wine into the glasses and stared into flames flicking in a slight warm breeze. Miranda came back with a steaming mug and lowered herself to a different chair as the one where she had been sitting before. They had the night, the house to themselves. How extraordinary. “So, tell me, “Miranda suppressed a yawn.
Dan was staring into the darkness of the garden, and started slowly to talk:
“It was a long time ago; around two hundred thousand years ago. People were roaming parts of the Earth. Quite many of them, though they counted in thousands, not millions. They packed, searched food, there was hierarchy between them, but no family bonds. Really, they looked more like apes than human, in the dream. Suddenly, a few flying saucers appeared and landed on different spots. They unloaded unearthly creatures. Tall. Slender. Translucent. With no hair on their bodies or heads. First, they kept to themselves, but inevitably they crossed paths with locals.
“Wait, the visitors were of both sexes? Extraterrestrials? “
“I guess. I do not know, really. And as for the genders, it was like, they did not care much about genders. Or food. They moved swiftly. They were physical, but hardly in an animalistic way. In the dream they got attracted to individuals among the locals and… “
“Wait, Dan. How long has it been since you had sex last time? When is John coming back? “
“Monday evening, and you do not need to develop that theory of me being deprived of sex. “
“Okay, continue. “
“So, the visitors picked their favourite individuals, who were first shy, reluctant to make contact. But, they persisted, showered them with so much affection, awe, curiosity that the apes surrendered, gradually. “
Miranda groaned, not that she was turned on, more annoyed. “Whatever works for you, Dan. John is back soon, I am going to bed. “
“Right. Of course. You had a long day. We talk in the morning. “
Miranda took her mug with, did not offer to help clearing the table, but hugged Dan from behind. “Sorry, I am dead tired. “
“Yes, of course. “
Dan stayed alone breathing through the disappointment. The long awaited soirée of them two ended so quickly and abruptly. Dan was always a night person, loved to observe all that life buzzing in the dark, so different from days. She lit a cigarette and took a sip of wine. The vision came back. Visitors coming closer to hairy inhabitants. Desire gave them strength and they developed physical capacities of intimacy. A vision of translucent creatures being intimate with hairy, messy, musty, clumsy and still so cute apes. Many boundaries were crossed in the act. New babies started to come into the world. Visitors never left. Us are them, the vision came to tell Dan. We are both, our foremothers and forefathers are both. All of us. We are precious, the creatures from the vision came to tell her. Now what? A voice inside her asked. Perhaps Miranda sent the question from her sleep. Now, nothing. Just it is fine to know, Dan answered the question more with a feeling than words. She stayed at the table well into small hours until she finally blew the candles out and brought empty glasses and the champagne bottle inside.
