The Old Woman of Mani

stood up craning her neck to look into the stargate which was now some ten meters above her head.

  Suddenly the humming sound diminished to a low hiss and a five square metre section of the stargate slide open revealing a bright white light which shone like a spotlight bathing the woman in its incandescence. Then the light started to pulse changing colour from white, to yellow, to blue and finally red. As the light changed into its red hue the woman felt herself being drawn very smoothly upwards towards the gap. Once she was through the gap, it closed and she was transported at immense speed, as if by a giant hand, for just over a minute, then she slowed as she approached another stargate which opened as she come up to it. She passed through and was lowered gently onto a metal floor. She looked around. She was in a huge cavernous room, completely windowless, and as far as she could see, it had no doors either.

  The room was empty except for a glass dressing table and stool placed in the centre of the room. The old woman walked slowly and unsteadily over to the dressing table, using her stick for support. She sat down and stared at herself in the dressing tables' mirror.

  "I look so old." She thought to herself. "I'm ugly and wrinkled and have a pasty harsh skin."

  She hadn't heard anything but somehow she had felt something change. She looked up at the ceiling and saw that the metal area which was immediately above her had changed into a translucent flowing area of energy which was gradually approaching her from above. Now scared she tried to rise from the stool, but she couldn't move, it was as if she had lost all the remaining strength in her old muscles. The energy started to engulf her and she looked into the mirror once more. She felt drowsy now and she had great difficulty in keeping her eyes open. Just before she closed them she could have sworn that the age lines at the corners of her eyes were not as prominent as they had been earlier that morning. With that passing thought the old woman slept but she did not dream. Dreams would come later.

  The woman lying on the rock by the side of the road opened her eyes. Anyone passing at that time would have noted that there was a distant humming sound coming from a circular veiled hole surrounded with blue lights hovering above a cluster of three houses at the bottom of the hill. They would have seen an intense green light shine onto the houses for a few seconds before the hole like object glided without a sound out to sea before accelerating at tremendous speed it telescoped in on itself and disappeared. They would have also noticed that the woman lying on the rock was young, around 20 years old, very beautiful, had striking green eyes, and jet black hair. They would have also noticed had they been particularly keen on noticing details that the clothes the woman wore were not styled for a young woman but more for an old woman. The black dress she wore was also torn in places and revealed long shapely legs and a slim figure and a pair of panties that were in fashion over sixty years ago. There were no shoes on her perfectly shaped feet and lying a short distance from her was an old knobbed walking stick.

  The relative quietness was broken by the sound of an engine in the distance. The young woman awoke and looked around. She vaguely remembered that the small cluster of houses at the bottom of the incline was where she lived, although try as she might, she could not remember living there or for that matter what she was doing on the road or even what she had done yesterday. Somehow she knew her name was Yolanda and that she had lived in this place for many years. The engine sound was close now and the young woman saw a single deck dust stained blue bus approaching from the village. It ground to a halt opposite her and a young man alighted. As he crossed the road towards her she covered the exposed parts of her legs so that the young man would not see them. The man stood over her and held out his hand.

  “Here, take my hand.” he said smiling down at her. “Are you alright?”

  The young woman took his hand and allowed herself to be helped up. She looked at the young man and liked what she saw. He would be perfect she thought. Exactly what he would be perfect for still escaped her but she somehow knew that she should keep him interested.

  “Thank you, I'm feeling fine now. I felt a little faint earlier and sat down to rest.” She said smiling at the young man.

  The young man smiled back and unashamedly appraised the young woman. Although he had passed this way many times before he had never seen her before on this part of the road. However, he recalled seeing an old woman walking up the hill from the cluster of houses below several times.

  “Look I have to go,” he said. “The bus is waiting for me and I have an appointment in the next town. I just got off when I saw you lying by the road and thought you might have been hurt.”

  “No I'm fine really,” Yolanda replied. “Thank you for helping me. You must let me repay you for your kindness. When you return from your appointment please drop by for lunch. It won't be much, but I am a good cook.”

  The young man felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her invitation.

  “If you are sure I'm not intruding it will be my pleasure. Would around one o’clock be good for you then?”

  Yolanda smiled showing her perfect white even teeth and made a slight bow, purposely giving the young man a glimpse of her perfectly shaped breasts.

  “The pleasure will be all mine,” she gushed. “My name is Yolanda and I'll see you at noon Alekos.”

  The young man gave her one last smile before he turned and crossed the road. Once back on the bus he gave Yolanda a small wave from his seat before she was lost to his sight in a cloud of dust. On the journey to the next town only the young woman would be in his thoughts as if he was mesmerised by her aura. He could not stop the kaleidoscope of images that filled his mind. Thoughts of her breasts, her shapely legs, which he had glimpsed, before she had hurriedly covered them up, filled his head. As did her beautiful green eyes and the sheen of her long black hair and her unblemished skin. Above all there was her musky odour which even now he could smell, as if she was sitting next to him. He knew he was falling in love but for all the excitement he felt at the thought of seeing her again in a few hours, he felt a little uneasy. Something was pervading his thoughts. He could not recall telling her his name, yet she had called him Alekos. How had she known? He made a mental note to ask her at lunch. Unfortunately, his mental note was forgotten and although he wasn't to know now, by the end of lunch it would be too late to stop the next phase of events from happening.

  The young woman watched the bus move off and smiled to herself. She bent down to pick up the knobbly walking stick, purposely letting her black dress open, giving the young man a last glimpse of her thigh. She started down the hill towards the cluster of houses down below. Later, when she entered the house she had chosen to use as her home, she would find that her wardrobes were filled with modern clothes and her drawers with exquisitely sexy lingerie. The bathroom was full of perfumes and soaps that only rich and chic women generally used. She also noticed that her pantries were filled with all the food she would need to prepare a luncheon feast for the young man. She didn't know how all these things had got here but she did know why.

  Later, as the young woman soaked in a bath scented with oils she started to make plans on how to snare her new found young friend. She would make love to him this very day. She was young and strong and would have twins again. Alekos would be taken from her of course. They always were. Somehow she knew that, as she also knew that her children would not need schooling, but would eventually leave her to attend some high profile university somewhere in the world. She also knew they would both become influential in world politics, perhaps even a prime minister or president of an important country.

  Later that day after an exquisitely delicious lunch Yolanda and Alekos sat on her veranda sipping a glass of red wine. Alekos commented on the wine many times during the lunch that he had never tasted a wine that was so smooth and light. The bottle had no label and Yolanda dismissed his questions about the wine by saying that it was a local brew which she had purchased from a local farmer. In truth Yolanda had no idea where the wine had come from bu
t it her pantry had many bottles of the wine, which replenished as if by magic.

  When Yolanda was confident that the wine had done its work on Alekos she audaciously said. ‘Come Alekos mou take me to bed’. He needed no second bidding and they made love many times in the following hours.

  ‘Will I see you again?’ asked Alekos, after he had kissed Yolanda gently on her lips, as they stood outside her front door in the growing twilight.

  ‘Of course my darling,’ she purred, ‘come tomorrow night and stay for breakfast.’

  Alekos promised that he would and with a light heart started the long climb up to the road above. He barely made the bus and sat down luxuriating in thoughts about the hours he had just spent with Yolanda. He was desperately in love he realised and began to plan how he would make Yolanda his wife. Two children, he thought. That would be enough. He suddenly felt very sleepy. Must be the rolling of the bus and my exertions of the afternoon he thought as he closed his eyes.

  An hour later the bus reached its terminus stop and the driver walked the length of the bus to wake up Alekos, only to find that Alekos had passed away. The subsequent inquest found no apparent cause of death. It seemed