Presence

He saw things sometimes out of the corner of his eye, fleeting motion which disappeared when he looked right at it, leaving him with the vague sense that if he'd only turned around faster he might have seen something wonderful. But the second day of the Wilder Music Festival, between the main stage and the food pavilion, he whirled around to check one of those ghost motions and someone was there.

Not just anyone -- a vision. Dressed simply in a flowered, sleeveless sundress, she wore her long hair mostly down, the front half held back in two loose braids. Rebellious wisps framed her face, standing out wildly in all directions from the wind and humidity. He tried to keep himself from staring, but his eyes kept returning to her. She had an uncomplicated air about her, a sense that she'd simply sprung from the earth exactly as she appeared. She wore none of the heavy makeup so popular at the time, nor any jewelry, she didn't carry a purse or have pockets on her dress. As his gaze moved lower he saw that her feet were bare against the trampled grass of the festival field. The enigma of it enthralled him.

She smiled at him, so he smiled back.

The music was far too loud to have a conversation. Besides, he felt that yelling at this beautiful creature would be like shaking a branch where a butterfly had just alighted. So he gestured to the main stage and held out his hand. To his delight, she took it.

They spent the afternoon together enjoying the music, wandering past tables of folk art and jewelry and assorted offerings, pausing at one tent or another to listen to conversations and impromptu orchestras, and watching as groups of people played hackeysack or danced.

Late in the night, when the moon stood full and bright overhead, they sat against a tree on the far edge of the campgrounds listening to the crickets playing a harmony all around them. The music had stopped for the night, and most of the campground was silent. They sat dozing and talking, his arm around her and her head on his shoulder.

"So this is embarrassing," he said, "but I don't know your name."

"Do you need to?" she asked.

"Weird," his mind thought. But his heart urged him to try something new. "Well," he stammered, "I guess not. Do you want to come meet my friends?"

She shook her head and stood up.

"Where are you camped?" he asked, following her a little way.

She smiled and backed away from him. "I'll find you tomorrow," she promised and, with a careless wave, walked away.