While dreaming, Faris told Jodie of his progress. She said that she had been going to the mountainside for walks every day, and had lain down and crawled a little way into the flowerbed and seen the portal.

“I’ll lie down with my face to the portal tomorrow,” she said, “That way, you might be able to see my face from your side, rather than just flowers that look much like the trees of your little forest.”

Faris awoke the next morning, and went back down from the meadow, slowly into the forest and well off the path. He had to step nimbly between many trees for over an hour, and then he saw Jodie’s face, or as much as he could make out of it from his side of the portal. Her face was lying sideways on her open hand, looking into the portal.

He saw her lips moving, but could not hear anything.

“Jodie!” he called to her.

She pointed to her ear with her other hand, and her face took on a questioning look, to indicate that she could not hear him either.

He made his way over to the portal and stepped through and virtually threw his face at her giant lower lip. She removed her hand from under her temple and gently lifted him up onto her turning chin, so that she looked up at the clouds. He lay down on her chin, resting his face on her lower lip.

“We found each other,” he said.

“And we’re awake.”

“And it’s real.”

“Of course it’s real, tiny Faris. I knew it had to be.”

“It’s also in colour. Now I know for 100 percent certainty that we’re not dreaming.”

She eventually moved him down to snuggle on her neck, and they talked in person for the next two hours.

“I’ll show you the view,” she said at last, and sat up.

She stood up slowly and stepped out of the flowerbed, walked over to the tree, sat down on the grass and leaned her back against the tree. She put her hands in her lap, and let him sit on the open palm and look out at the cliffside and the valleys far below. It was even more breathtaking than the Irish countryside to which he had awoken that very same morning.

They talked for a little longer, and he felt that first dose of ecstasy that comes from enjoying the conversation with someone much loved and wanting it to go on forever.

Then she lifted him up and sat him on her shoulder. They continued to talk, looking at the view. He often turned his head to look sideways at her face. There was something very sweet and elegant and pleasant about the side on view of a beautiful lady’s face.

After a while, she turned her face to him and pressed her lips to his entire face. Then her hand came up to rest him in her palm, and hold him near her lips.

She kissed him slowly again.

“That’s so nice,” he said.

Jodie slowly put out her tongue. It was right in front of him. She slid it gently from his shoulders and neck, over his face, so that each part of her tongue slowly passed over his shoulders and neck and face. It was soft, moist, incredibly beautiful, and made him feel more thrilled than ever to be with her, rather than any of the girls he’d once liked in Australia.

“That’s so much nicer still,” he said.

“Thank you,” said Jodie.

*          *          *          *

Colleen dreamt that she had dug up the meadow and sprayed the invisible leprechauns with food colouring and caught them all, along with an escaped shrunken admirer named Tarquin.

Then she heard Brother Zeke’s voice again:

“I’m glad that Colleen has finally caught her much longed for leprechauns. I’m looking forward to her making meals of them.”

The voice known as Tim replied, “And you’ll see that for sure, as soon as I’m back in full health. Sorry about the delay, folks.”

Once awake, Colleen was certain of one thing. If this Tim did exist, he seemed to have as much fascination with the idea of being eaten as Henry had done.

She was exhilarated with the vivid recollection of the way the dream had depicted her assault on the meadow and her capture of the leprechauns. The dream had made her wish that she had really achieved such an outcome. She was unaware that, in a previous timeline, she most certainly had.