Midsummer Night

After a whole day of eating, drinking, and dancing around the pole, I was ready for bed but Eve had a different and, I must admit, intriguing idea. “Let’s go into the woods ,” she said and took my hand to tug me along across the meadow towards the tree line. The light was enough to see where we were going and the woody, mossy scents were gentle and inviting. I was getting excited. Maybe we could find a nice, soft spot under a tree. Eve suddenly stopped and stared out in front of her.

“There,” she pointed towards the middle of a clearing. “Can you see what I’m seeing? I hear someone playing too. There is a strange light coming through those gates. How wonderful. Can you see them dancing?”

I looked. I squinted. I opened my eyes wide. I glanced sideways. But nothing. “No. I’m afraid I can’t see anything but a swirl of mist, moving over the grass at times.”

“But you must! Come on, try.”

I tried again and shook my head. “No.”

“This is madness! You mustn’t think I’m crazy. I really do see them, and now one of them is beckoning. She’s coming closer. Look!”

I still only saw the luminous midsummer mist, shimmering over the green grass. White and airy, like a little cloud come down to rest on the ground, making the fir trees on the other side of the glade seem a little blurry. But no shapes inside the mist like Eve insisted.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but . . .” As I turned toward her, Eve had started taking her clothes off, stripping right there in the glade, in the cool midsummer night. “What are you doing? Stop! You’re scaring me, Eve.” In my mind the old myths chimed over and over again. The myths telling about this night when dusk and dawn mingled and the veil between worlds became thin. Could it actually be possible? But these were just fairy tales, right?

The last piece of clothing, her bra, joined the white dress, her panties and her Converse trainers on the ground. She didn’t look at me but stared straight ahead at the mist, smiling, her head to one side as if listening. Then she walked forward, and the mist slowly swallowed her up. I tried to catch her, but her arm was slick and I lost my grip. I roared her name over and over to no avail. The mist dispersed and the night was silent.