7 - Circle Part 1

In fact, Suzé stared, then took off again up the road; leaving Jo and Jay to follow. Past the entrance to tree-pillared Silver Queen Avenue on the right. Round the grand post that marked the end of the wall on their left. Then into an open arena of road, pavements and island lights; distant trees and dusky houses.

Only, there wasn't time to look at the tree-lined and final avenue on the right by the name of Galactic; as Jo just about caught sight of Suzé plunging into the wide entrance of the road on their left. A road, complete with a light-decored island crossing.

"Keep sight of her," Jay called from behind. "If we lose her in there, we might as well go back."

"You've changed your tune," Jo answered, easing as he went into the corner, then extending into the straight. "It's alright," he added, "I can see her in the carriage park."

"Not on transit to the field, I hope."

"No, she's waiting for us."

Right in the midst of the pool from the lights on either side of the carriage park met; beyond which lay the start of a pool of the opposite entity...

"You don't have to run anymore," Jo said, jogging across the road, "we're here now."

"Another one didn't hurt," Suzé replied as she went into a stretch. "I'm warmed up now."

"You call running on and off up Ullista Road a warm-up?" Jay wheezed. "I need to sit – no –" He backed away towards the road, "No, no, no..."

"What's wrong?" said Jo.

"And we have not gone onto that attempt at night-time selfishness," Suzé added.

"I'm not - touching it," said Jay.

"You're going to have to give us a clue," said Jo. "Lamppost, road sign, twinkling bin..."

"That," Jay answered, pointing behind Jo.

He turned round into the light from the next lamppost and was met by a solitary gate post - fully the width of the previous two that he and Jay had touched - and almost the height of both stacked on top of each other.

"I'm not either," he said, also backing away.

"Neither of you has to," Suzé yawned.

"I'm not even walking near it," Jay added. "They were playing tennis, yet all three of them could see me."

"Three?" said Jo. "It was a woman from a gatehouse."

"What are you talking about? It was a tennis court with gardens flowing down to the sea. Where were you?"

"Not the same place as you by the sound of it," said Suzé. "But we are no longer in the bounds of Song and Sonnet."

But a good few steps into another Jo sighed. There were other lights apart from the two upon either side. Soft notes at intervals in the shrouded distance; twinkling like stars only inches above the ground. Indeed, clouds had parted to reveal their twinkling and more scattered brethren in the dome above. But between the first set and Suzé, Jay and himself, spread the field that was the beginning of the Park.

"Can't believe we're going to do this," he whispered.

"Another visit was going to have to happen sooner or later," said Suzé.

"The path might be better," said Jay, pointing to the light on their left with the arch of tree greenery, "It's got lights, even if it looks like a tunnel. And it's not near that post."

"Too sheltered," Suzé replied, stepping out onto the grass.

"Oh, you can't," Jo reached out, then finding that that single forward step had launched his feet into a second, third and fourth that saw him cross the flagstones and onto the grass. The grass; the space; the dark and Patchwork knew what

Well, not entirely dark. The afterglow of the two lights behind cast his shadow out on the field; getting larger the further he stepped away from them. In fact, it wasn't just his own shadow on the grass, but Jay's and Suzé's; theirs also growing larger at the light's expense with every step. As if all the three would merge into one big –

"Arm's length," Suzé said as an invisible hand coaxed Jo towards the right. "It's not going to eat you."

"I'm moving, I'm moving," said Jay over from the left.

"Didn't realise that I was doing it," Jo replied, looking across Suzé, Jay and the sweeping dark; dotted with the odd light beyond, and an undulating beat that at any other time would have made him want to dance.

"Someone's having a party," said Suzé. "Might even be a light display."

"The lights don't seem to be getting any closer," said Jay. "I'll be waiting in gloom next."

"Not with our mini stellar entourage," Suzé continued as Jo could make out her turning her head towards him.

"I didn't realise that the gloom was pushing me in," he began, stroking the four sweeps of hair that flowed along on the right-hand side of his head, then frowning upon the site of five spackles that might as well have fallen from star vault above. "How did..."

"Goodness, I can see them from here," said Jay, almost stopping. "Like a crown."

"I thought I'd washed them all out," Jo continued, touching the other side of his head with his left hand to reveal more twinkles. "Brushed, combed, blow-dried too."

"Didn't get all of them by the looks of it," said Suzé. "What were you doing; It's like a constellation."

"Only got into a dance-off with a tinsel horse," Jay chuckled. "Only it was more of a tussle-off on more than one occasion; and at one point the whole place was a sea of lights, snowflakes and stardust."

"But you two haven't been out since the evening Iolene gave me a lift to Brantismett. Plus Glorifhun said nothing this afternoon about you two being a pair of reprobates."

"We went back for one," said Joe, trying to block out the lights, the lilac fuzz, the fresh mint and sparkler shots in glasses shaped like rocking horses.

"But it was too close the sight of an elephant-sized party eagle make a take-off from the street and whisk you and Lady Sisteron like a comet to Brantismett," said Jay. "Had to block it out. Well, at least until the next morning. Had an appointment; which I kept."

"And a few of the House's Finest did that."

"We didn't go that far up," said Jo. "The Rocking Market was dragging people in to watch the owner present her latest collection."

"...Not the jumble from the last clear-out she's been to," Suzé groaned. "A man sporting two pairs of glasses came in the last time to demand the third pair Phyllis had dipped in turquoise."

"Might have been more fun than the interpretive set," said Jay. "It was like five cats sounding the end of Existence."

"And made you want to drink all the more, I get it. But where does the horse come in?"

"One of the performers," said Jo, "although the pipe sounded more like a drowsy xylophone."

"Which they heard, and would only accept an apology, if Jo agreed to a snow dance-off," Jay chuckled.