Time Machine

Mau and Daphne meet a second time, a year after she left the island with her father. They meet up in the woods, to spend some time alone, and talk. They have been doing this for two weeks, but soon Daphne must leave. Mau admits that he loves, and Daphne is not sure what she sohuld do. She says she loves him too, but there is a kingdom that waits for her. Her place there, and his place is here. In his desperation, Mau kisses Daphne, and suddenly they dissapear. They are gone

As Mau kisses her, Daphne is overflown with differend emotions. She feels warmpth in her heart and true happynees and excitement, as she flushes, but aslo some strange kind of sickness. That is not how you react to a kiss with Mau, now is it? But as if Mau has felt it too, he backs away and looks around, nowhere but into Daphnes eyes, and he looks frightened. What is that now all about? Dissapointed she looks around, and – shrieks. She dosn´t know it yet, but she is standing on a pavement in todays London. Alarmed, Mau takes her in his arms, wanting to protect her, and notices her new clothers. So does Daphne, he concludes, as she shrieks again. People look strangely at them. She is waering light gray tights, black shining ballerinas, a cute brown skirt, a red top and a black jacket. Then Mau notices his new cloting, when Daphne pushes him a bit away, to look at him properly: white socks, red Converse shoes, bronish shorts and a yellow T-shirt with a label that says "Cool down, I´m here!", as Daphne reads it out loud.

"W-what?", Mau stammers, looking as frightened as a cat i the dogpound. This must be a dream! He thinks, as his thoughts rotate in his head. Or a nightmare.

Daphne falls again into Maus protective hug, and looks around. She is aware of the truth and intensity of all of this, but she doesn´t want to scare him. It looks like a big city to her – she knows what roads and houses and shops are, when she sees them, but those people and those moving metal-things scare her. And the new clothes, too. What should they do?

"Where are we?", Mau whispers in her ear, and she giggles because it tickles. She looks him inot th eyesa and thinks for a moment. "In a city, I think." She stamps with her foot on the floor. "This is pavement, and these big buildings are houses. Down here, whe you enter through one of those doors, you can buy something. With money. These are shops."

Mau is relieved, as he thinks this might be somehow normal for Daphne. He thinks about what she has just said. "And why is this pavement lower?" he asks, and points at the street, where a something making noise just passed. "And what what that?", he whispers.

Daphne is insecure. "Normally, those would be coaches, little wooden rooms with sittingplaces carried by two or four horses, like a carriage, so I assume these are as well something you sit in and go somewhere", she concludes, hoping she is right. The only thing she REALLY knows right now is that she wants to stay with Mau. Not onl y right now or here, but forever. Losing hersef didn´t mean much t her, as long s she had him. She had realised that just now.

Part of her – and Mau – suddenly vanished, back to their real time, while they suddenly remembered some other life, here in this time, leaving from the other time only the feeling that they belonged together.

"Daffy! Daffy!" Suddenly a little darkhaire boy with blue eys comes out of nothing shouting and smiling and pulling at her skirt at her skirt.

A blonde woman appears, looking almos as her dead mother. "Daphne Ermintrude Fanshaw! Your father and I have been looking for you two all over, why wouldn´t you answer our calls?"

"I´m sorry, Mum, I forgot my phone at home, didn´t I mention that in the car?", she asked, picking up her small brother Henry, smiling at him.

"Maurice, your mother has called", Daphnes mother informed Mau, who now looked at her.

"What did she say?", he asked a boit anxious.

"She wants you to be home by seven. Don´t worry, we will manage that – I bet she´ll allow you to sleep over if i ask her politely and assure her you will only sleep in the guest room.", she pointed out.

"Yes, that´s great", he smiled. "Emely is sleeping over at some friends house too, I bet she will want a day off from us, just with dad."

They went on shopping, looking for nothing really important. At least it seemed like that to Daphne and Mau, who were holding hand all the time, knowing nothing could ever seperate them.

They got married and raised four children : Robert, Alicia, Evelyn and Leonard. They were great fans of old-fashioned housing.

Somewhere far away, in another time, Mau and Daphne parted forever. Daphne married another man, and Mau stayed alone, both of them knowing that somewhere they really were togehter, and loved each other. Which made it possible for them to take the places they were meant for.

A lifetime later, there was a pair of dolphins that would habe been known as "the never parting", if they would have ever been noticed.