A party in some big rathskeller, all women except (lucky) me. I mingle, methodically searching for Tekla from the front of the room to the back. I can’t find her, but there’s another woman who catches my eye, light, airy, graceful, a trifle unsubstantial even, wearing sunglasses and flirting amiably with me. There’s something very familiar about her, and I realize that she has a quality strongly reminiscent of Heather – vivacious was the word they used in her obituary – and we hit it off in a relaxed sort of way, and eventually, as things start to wind down, decide to go back to the house.

The first floor is crowded with people who have come over too, all talking, laughing and drinking wine. We hang out for a while and then head upstairs to my room in the attic. On the landing a maintenance man stops me and tells me in very technical and unfamiliar terms that when I get up there I should connect two things together. I tell him I have no idea what he’s talking about, and then he says Wait, are you the guy that’s getting married today?

Yeah, sure I say, laughing, trying to play along.

Then don’t worry about it, he says. I’ll take care of everything. (Only now do I start to think that the whole exchange was some kind of a dirty joke.)

Fine. You do that.

I hold the woman’s hand and lead her up the stairs, but I still can’t seem to take this fey, charming creature seriously – I suppose it’s that I don’t know who she really is. There are even more chattering females here and she walks through them and perches on my bed – and then suddenly, seeing her there I realize that she is Heather after all and just because she’s gone in the “real” world doesn’t mean that she’s gone from the dreamtime or anywhere else – unfortunately by now it’s getting late and we don’t have much time, and I’m absolutely furious at myself for not recognizing her earlier.