Between the Worlds Read online

  BETWEEN THE WORLDS

  BY KAY AMORY

  Text Copyright © 2015 Kay Amory

  All Rights Reserved

  Pam and Gwen were lovers. They had met a couple of years ago at the women’s club. For about three years now they were lovers, but they could still not find their way together. There were so many problems and they had so very little time for themselves. The children always needed to be considered first and, not infrequently, the ex-husbands.

  Pam and Gwen could only see each other about once a week and even then it wasn’t clear how much time they could spend together. Usually they just talked on the telephone after the kids had gone to bed. Many times they felt plain discouraged.

  Most of the moms of Jimmy’s kindergarten class were stay-at-home mums, but Pam worked part-time. Sometimes the other women tried to help Pam out. “I’ll take Jimmy and Nathan home with me after school and give them both lunch,” Nathan’s mother said. Nathan was Jimmy’s best friend at school. “Oh, I’d be awfully grateful,” Pam said. “It’s not easy for me to get back on time. And really I should be working till two.”

  “No problem,” the other mother said, “Just take your time.”

  But sometimes Nathan’s mom couldn’t take Jimmy, and then Pam had to scramble to find someone else, or she had to come home early.

  Gwen had a full-time job. Kevin was older than Jimmy and was able to look after himself quite well, but Gwen worried about him being a latch key kid and spending so much time on his own.

  The timetables of both women were difficult. Pam’s Jimmy usually woke at six in the morning and Gwen’s Kevin delivered newspapers at seven. Everyone got up early and by evening Pam and Gwen felt very tired. It was a challenge to even think of going out and usually there was no way for them to spend the night together. As time went by the two women got older, but they did not get wiser. None of their problems could ever be solved, or so it seemed.

  And then came Halloween. The boys, of course, wanted to go out “trick or treating.” They had been planning their costumes for weeks. This was to be their great evening. But this year Pam and Gwen were also determined to have a night out on the town.

  “They’re having a Halloween party at the women’s club,” Pam said. “Do you want to go?”

  “Oh yes, let’s dress up and go,” Gwen said.

  “But we don’t have any costumes,” Pam said.

  “We’ll get something together. It’ll be fun.”

  “Yes, we haven’t done this in years. But I don’t know what to wear. I guess for me it will have to be a long, black skirt and a black top. I don’t really have anything else.”

  “Black is for witches. That sounds about right. I’ve got a black cape.”

  “And I must call a babysitter immediately.”

  “Yes, the available girls are all so busy at Halloween.”

  “Perhaps Liz can come to sit with Jimmy. She’s still very young and eager to make a bit of money babysitting. I’ll call her right away.”

  “Good. Kevin will go over to his father’s place. He likes doing some more ‘trick or treating’ over there.”

  The following Saturday was Halloween and the two women agreed to meet at Pam’s place after the children returned. Jimmy still liked going out with his mother. He had a great time going through his neighborhood ringing people’s doorbells. While Pam smiled and stayed in the background, Jimmy crowed “trick or treat” as loudly as he could. Most people found Jimmy cute, despite his green-painted face, but Jimmy didn’t like this. “Mom, why isn’t anyone scared of me?” he asked, “After all, I’m a space alien.”

  “Yes dear, you make a splendid Martian,” Pam said trying to hide a laugh. Jimmy was mollified. When they got home he was carrying a big pillowcase full of treats. Soon Gwen arrived and grinned when she saw Jimmy in his costume.

  “Where’s Kevin?” Jimmy asked. “Kevin went out with his friends this year. He’s too old to go with his mom. I stayed home and dished out candy to the children that came to our door.” Then Gwen turned to Pam and said, “That’s what Bob used to do when we were still married.”

  “Nobody hands out candy at my place,” Pam said. “I just turn all the lights out till we come home.” Jimmy held up his full pillowcase for Gwen to admire. .

  “Look at all the candy I have collected,” he said.

  “That’s great,” Gwen replied. “I like your costume. What are you?”

  “I’ m a Martian, of course. Can’t you see that?”

  “Just what I thought,” Gwen said. “Everyone knows that Martians are green.”

  “Jimmy, please don’t just stand there,” Pam said. “Put your candy on the table and go and get changed. Liz will soon be here to stay with you. Perhaps she’ll help you sort your candy.”

  “Okay, Mom.” Then Jimmy turned to Gwen again. “Can Kevin come over later?”

  “I’m sorry, Jimmy, Kevin’s gone over to his Dad’s place tonight.”

  “Oh,” said Jimmy looking disappointed. “Is he really a knight this year?”

  “Yes, he’s made himself lots of armor and a helmet out of tin-foil.”

  “Cool. I wish I could see it. I guess I’ll just have to play with Liz.”

  After Jimmy had gone upstairs Pam and Gwen looked at the things they had got together for their costumes. “You’ve got nothing but your long black skirt and top? That’s rather boring,” Gwen said as Pam held up her clothes.

  “I’ve also got a silver belt, “Pam defended herself. “Now let’s see what you’ve got.” So Gwen showed Pam her leotards, long shirt and cape, also all in black. “Well, that’s not much better,” Pam said. “But I think I have an idea.” She grabbed Jimmy’s green make-up stick which was lying on the table and held it up. “Look Gwen, this will make all the difference.”

  When both women were dressed in their black costumes, Pam started painting green snakes down the bare part of Gwen’s arms and across her face.

  Pam stepped back and gazed at Gwen. “Looks great,” she said, “Now it’s your turn to paint me.” And soon snakes appeared on Pam’s face and arms. When Gwen was finished the two lovers went upstairs to look at themselves in a full-length mirror.

  “Fabulous,” Gwen said peering at their reflection. “How clever of you to think of this.”

  “Well, I get a good idea once in a while,” Pam said and grinned.

  “We’re a matched pair,” Gwen said looking into the mirror again. She put her arms around Pam and said, “Just look for yourself.”

  “All those snakes,” said Pam. “Hmm, they make us twice as interesting.”

  “So let’s get going.”

  The Halloween party was a wonderful success. Pam and Gwen enjoyed every minute of it. Although they did not win any of the top three prizes for their costumes, they did receive an honorable mention and they were both very pleased. Their outfits attracted quite a lot of attention, especially when they appeared together with their arms entwined. The snakes looked as if they were sliding from limb to limb.

  Now it was past midnight and the party was over. Pam and Gwen left the clubhouse and walked down the street towards their parked cars. “Ah, the fresh air feels good,” Gwen said.

  “Yes, but wasn’t the party fun?” Pam said. “Our costumes were great.”

  “I also enjoyed all the other crazy getups.”

  “Especially those gorillas who were the favorites and won the first prize.”

  Gwen and Pam shuffled through the leaves the trees had dropped on the sidewalk. Gwen stopped and lent against a big tree trunk and said, “I don’t really want to go home yet. Let’s go down to the park for a few minutes. You know, the one a bit further down the street.”

  “But I have to rescue my babysitter,” Pam said
, “It’s already well past midnight.”

  “I know, but half an hour more surely won’t matter.”

  “Oh, alright. But Kevin is with his Dad, so you don’t have to worry.”

  “Yes, but we so rarely get a night out,” Gwen said.

  “Oh, I hate all these problems,” Pam said and stamped her foot.

  Soon Pam and Gwen were sitting on a wooden bench in the park watching the fall leaves come whirling down. “It’s such a lovely night, “Gwen said. “And there’s not a soul around.”

  “Except us,” Pam said. Gwen put an arm around Pam and pulled her close. Soon they were kissing and then they completely forgot about time. Slowly the bench, with the two women on it, started to recede into the night. It became smaller and smaller and after a while there was nothing to show that it or the two women had ever been there.

  Finally Gwen looked up and said, “Where are we? This doesn’t look like our park.”

  Pam glanced up at the sky. “It isn’t really dark anymore,” she said. “Have we been sitting here all night?”

  “I don’t know,” Gwen said. “Maybe it’s all a dream.”

  “I don’t think so. You’re right here with me,” Pam said and squeezed Gwen’s arm. “You feel real enough.”

  “We seem to be sitting in some deep woods,” Gwen said. Both women looked up into the trees. The leaves shimmered green and gold and some shone red or russet. There was no wind and a diffused daylight glowed through the branches.

  “Maybe we’re in an enchanted forest,” Pam said.

  “Perhaps,” Gwen said. “Let’s go and explore.”

  So Pam and Gwen got up and walked through the beautiful autumn woods. The ground was covered with many colored leaves. There were so many leaves that the two women could pick up whole armfuls of them. They threw them at each other and laughed. Soon their hair was covered with leaves. They looked at each other and noticed that they were still wearing their Halloween costumes. The green snakes on their arms and faces looked more alive than ever. Again the lovers laughed and kissed and then started running through the woods. Nothing seemed strange to them anymore and home and club and even the Halloween party were forgotten.

  For a time the two women came walking and singing through the woods till they suddenly sighted an old stone wall. It was not very high and they could easily help each other climb over it. On the other side they found more crumbling stonework. “Maybe these are the ruins of an ancient castle,” Gwen said.

  “Yes, they look positively medieval,” Pam said.

  “Oh, I think they are older than that.”

  Soon they reached a small courtyard and saw the remains of a tower on the right. To the left a broken staircase led up to a doorway. Gwen and Pam climbed the steps and then entered the large, vaulted hall. They looked around in amazement.

  “Do you see those strange symbols on the wall there?” Pam asked. The two women stepped forward and peered up.

  “From close-up they look like snakes holding their tails in their mouths,” Gwen said.

  “Yes, so they do and they seem to be mounted on big round shields.”

  “And look at those stone seats beneath them.”

  “Perhaps they are thrones.”

  “You may be right,” Gwen said, “I wonder who they are for?”

  “For the Fairy Queen and her retinue?”

  “You think we have come to the halls of the Fairy Queen?”

  “Why not? Perhaps she is waiting for us.”

  “I don’t think I want to see anybody right now.” Gwen said.

  “Oh, I’m sure we were meant to come.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because it’s Halloween and anything can happen. “

  “Like finding ourselves in those beautiful woods and reaching this castle?”

  “Yes, perhaps we’ve slipped from our world into the other world.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you not heard of the ancient idea that at Halloween the veil between the two worlds gets very thin and that at this time people can sometimes slip through?”

  “I think I recollect something of the kind in old myths and legends.”

  “Yes, it’s an old Celtic belief.”

  “And you think that’s what’s happened to us right now?”

  “Maybe.”

  Suddenly the hall was filled with blinding white light and the snakes on the wall came alive on their shields and started to spin in circles, still holding their tales in their mouths.

  When Pam and Gwen adjusted their eyes to the brilliance around them, they saw a female figure form at the center of an incandescent haze. Fascinated, they watched as the figure became solid in front of them. And then a woman dressed all in white stepped forward towards them with outstretched arms. Serpents writhed in her hair and sparkled like shining stars. In her left hand she held a staff with a snake encircling it. Gwen and Pam stood mesmerized while the shining figure slowly lifted her wand and touched each woman lightly on the shoulder.

  “Welcome to my halls,” she said. “I don’t know why you have come, but I see you are wearing my ancient symbols.” The two lovers were speechless. “It has taken you snake women a long time to come, but in the end my children always find their way to me. You have walked the path of dreams which, in these latter days, only few can follow. You must be very tired. I will show you to your chamber and tomorrow we can talk.”

  The ancient healer brought the two women into her realm. She showed them a room with a big bed of leaves all covered in white fur. Pam sank down with a sigh and so did Gwen. Then the Fairy Queen brought them golden cups to drink from and small cakes on a golden plate. When Pam and Gwen finished eating and drinking the Queen sat down on the bed beside them and said, “You must sleep now. Our talk can wait till tomorrow.” The women nodded gratefully and smiled. And then, in turn, the ancient healer took each of the weary women in her arms. Pam sighed and let her head rest on the shoulder of the beautiful Queen. She did not see the snakes of the healer slide out of her hair to encircle them both. When she looked up she just saw the face of her lover Gwen.

  When the Fairy Queen turned to Gwen and embraced her, Gwen too found solace in the arms of the white-clad healer. And when Gwen looked up she looked into the face of her lover Pam. She did not see how the glistening serpents stole out of the hair of the Queen and slid over her to entwine with the green snakes on her arms and face. Then the shining woman left them and slowly Pam and Gwen revived and felt good and new. They made love with abandon as they had rarely done before. And so during the endless night the ancient mother Queen looked after her children and healed them.

  After a long sleep Pam and Gwen woke up in each other’s arms. The golden cups and plates still stood by their bedside. For warmth they had wrapped themselves tightly in the big white fur.

  “What happened to us last night?” Gwen asked.

  “We made love,” Pam said sleepily.

  “Yes, but I thought we saw the Fairy Queen,” Gwen said, “and the circling snakes.”

  “We did,” said Pam. “Now stop talking and go back to sleep.”

  “No, no! We have to get up and go home.”

  “Not yet,” mumbled Pam, “We’ve finally got out night together.” She put an arm under Gwen’s head and pressed her body close. And then they made love once more with the same fervor as in the night before.

  When it was over, Gwen stretched out her arms and said, “Oh, I’m so sleepy.” And then she and Pam curled around each other and went back to sleep.

  Late the next morning when Pam and Gwen stepped into the great hall, the Fairy Queen was sitting on her throne, waiting for them. Again, she was surrounded by blinding, white light. “It is time to talk,” she said as the women approached her. “Why have you two come to see me?”

  So Pam and Gwen told her about themselves and how they found their lives difficult and unrewarding. “We nearly ever get any time together,” Pam said.

  “A
nd when we do,” Gwen said, “Our time is rarely without interruptions.”

  “We always have to jump up and see to one of our children or answer a phone call,” Pam said.

  “Yes, and usually one of our ex-husbands wants to make a change in our custody time-table,” Gwen said and sighed.

  When they were finished the ancient healer nodded and said, “In the old days being a mother was not that difficult. It was just part of a woman’s life and it was usual for the whole village to help look after the children. I see that things have changed in the modern world.”

  Pam and Gwen nodded and waited for the Fairy Queen to go on. “And why did you paint those snakes on your arms and faces?”

  “Oh, we did that to make our Halloween costumes more interesting,” Pam said.

  “You see, we wanted to win a prize at our Halloween party,” Gwen said.

  “And did you?” the Fairy Queen asked and smiled.

  “Yes, we did,” Pam and Gwen said in unison. “Even if it was only fourth place,” Gwen added.

  “It was those snakes that helped you find your way and that led you to my palace,” the Queen said.

  “The snakes?” Pam asked.

  “Yes, they are my special symbol, you know,” The Queen said, “They are the symbol of the healer.”

  “I think, I know that,” Gwen said.

  “And when you get home you’ll find that my snakes have healed you. Everything will be different. There will be no more hassles with children and fathers, and no more problems with baby sitters and timetables.

  Gwen and Pam looked at each other in surprise. “But how can that be?” Gwen asked.

  “Halloween magic,” the Fairy Queen said and gave them an enigmatic smile.

  “Oh, we are very grateful,” Pam said.

  “Yes, and perhaps we should be making our way home,” Gwen said.

  “We can’t thank you enough,” Pam and Gwen said together.

  “Oh, there’s no need at all,” the ancient healer said. “It is my job to look after my children, especially when they come to see me in person.”

  “We are very glad we found you,” Gwen said.