Remedy

The Farra winter could easily have persuaded Jennifer to break with tradition and to exchange her skis for swimming gear and summer dresses in sunnier places. Once the year-end festivities had ended and the new year had begun, the entire weather pattern underwent a fundamental change, with a seemingly endless string of increasingly powerful storms causing major disruption to normal life, even by the standards of mid-winter.

As it happened, Jennifer had been planning to do just that. After receiving news in mid-autumn from Alari Essalta that was at once very sad, but also promising, plans had been put in place for her to use some of the vast amount of holiday time that was owed to her (through nobody's fault but her own, for she was a confirmed workaholic) so that she could return to Kaylar, a place that had come to occupy a permanent place in her mind and affections, for a wide range of reasons.

In fact, just as Judith and Douglas had decided to take a period of extended leave, so Jennifer had made her mind up that she needed a long period to unwind, refresh her mind and body and generally pander to her own needs instead of those of the multitude that seemed constantly to be demanding increasing chunks of her time.

Katrina and Gregor had been more than happy to offer temporary accommodation to Stanley, Jennifer's Jack Russell terrier. Much to everybody's surprise, this amiable dog had struck up a friendly rapport with Bosun, their very lazy black labrador, who rarely wasted energy on using his single functioning neurone.

However, the main reason for Jennifer's decision to arrange a lengthy stay on Kaylar had been the sad element in the letter she had received from Alari, now one of her closest friends. She had learned of the deaths of Alari's grandparents in a tragic accident at sea, whilst in transit between the Port of Jaralam and their home, perched on a headland high above the small harbour at Baradagur, in the shadow of Baradagurolaram, the Sleeping Fire Mountain, an extinct volcano close to the town with a characteristic conical peak, the summit of which was just under five thousand feet above sea-level.

Jennifer knew a great deal about Alari's grandparents, since her friend had made no secret of the fact that she owed more to them than to almost anybody else, since Kasla, her grandmother, had virtually taken over the maternal role after Laymar, her mother, had died from complications following an ectopic pregnancy when Alari was just 2 years old. That role had been extended 12 years later when Barad Essalta, Alari's decorated father, Master of a coastguard frigate, had lost his life during a naval operation against pirates and smugglers who had begun to infest Vengari waters, exploiting the frequent banks of sea fog that rolled in during the late summer and autumn.

Jennifer had often been deeply moved by accounts of the setbacks that had befallen Alari during her childhood and adolescence and had developed deep admiration for the grandparents who had seen this girl and her siblings safely through those years.

On a lighter and altogether happier note, Alari had often regaled Jennifer with accounts of the weekends, holidays and long summers that the three orphaned children had spent at

Laki Luala-aribe

, which translates loosely from Imenar as

The Lookout

. The property took its name from the site of a former coastguard station, approximately half a mile away, that had been closed when sophisticated coastal monitoring facilities were installed above the tree-line on the slopes of the towering ancient volcano.

Such was Alari's gift, even in a language that was not her own, at communication that Jennifer had found herself feeling almost as if she could smell the sea, the blossom from the wide variety of trees, shrubs and flowers, along with the mouth-watering aromas of grandmaternal Kaylar cuisine, both savoury and sweet. Many had been the times when Jennifer's thoughts had drifted to that remote, idyllic place when the pressure had been bearing down on her in the workplace.

Now, it transpired,

The Lookout

and surrounding property belonged entirely to Alari, whose siblings had been bequeathed other assets from the Essalta estate.

Some people might have thought that this left a rosy situation where Alari was concerned, but Jennifer was not 'some people', for she was only too aware that, even though Alari had the wherewithal in her personality to deal with the loss of such loved family members, there would be times when she would be very vulnerable to waves of resurgent grief brought on by memorable days in the calendar, such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Since the birthdays of both deceased grandparents and their wedding anniversary fell in February, Jennifer had taken the view that this would be a good opportunity to spend a substantial amount of time with this girl whom she had come to love very dearly, although she had yet to work out just what form that love took. There were elements of parental concern, for she was indeed old enough to be Alari's mother, but also of personal care, for she had become captivated by Alari's disarmingly kind and compassionate nature. Not that this prevented her from adopting a very firm and strident tone when necessary!

Then there was the matter of Alari's physical attractiveness, something that Jennifer had tried to exclude from her thinking, other than in purely aesthetic terms, taking the view that factors such as the age gap, her own heterosexuality and differences in culture and background made any such ideas unthinkable. However, as the day of her departure drew ever nearer, she had found herself having to deal with the fact that she was sexually attracted to this young woman. Thus it was that her bank card had taken a fairly substantial hit as she had worked her way round the fashion houses of Carlingham, including her favourite boutique that supplied all of her other-than-everyday intimate apparel needs.

Alari had advised Jennifer to travel as light as possible and this advice had been followed closely. She had also promised that if Jennifer ran out of things to wear, she could help herself to her clothes and even try some of the beautiful, colourful fabrics for which Kaylar was renowned and that were now redundant in the late Kasla Essalta's wardrobe, which had been left untouched for the time being. Jennifer had not been quite so confident of that idea, for she was very uncertain as to the associations that Alari might form when seeing another woman in her grandmother's beautiful outfits. She need not have worried, for there was even more to Alari than Jennifer had imagined.

Much to her own surprise, half way through the morning on an increasingly stormy-looking day in early February, Jennifer found herself with just the one moderately-sized item of baggage at the check-in desk at Carlingham Mainline Station, heading for the high-speed service to Leverston via Sanderson Airport, which would give her just enough time at the airport for lunch before the early afternoon

Vengair

flight to Amatadi International Airport, close to Kerata.

The comfortable jet aircraft with the distinctive rich orange and dazzling blue

Firebird

logo on its tail, took off just a few minutes late. As it turned out, the next flight out of the airport did not manage to take off until 36 hours later, thanks to the predicted blizzard, the intensity of which had never been seen before. Jennifer tried very hard to settle her mind down, but she was on a hiding to nothing, since she had to admit that she felt like a girl heading out on her first serious date. This had to be fantasy on her part, but why? She knew many truly lovely young women at home, some of whom were very special, but she had never felt this type of attraction to them.

Jennifer had decided that spirits were probably not the best idea in the circumstances, but she did enjoy a glass of lightly chilled sparkling Kaylar rosé wine with the sushi-style early evening in-flight meal and she began to savour for real that heady atmosphere that had enchanted her during her previous visit. So why was her pulse so amazingly strong when she should be chilled and relaxed? Again, Jennifer pushed the thought from her mind. At least, she thought she had pushed it out! She looked at a couple of glossy magazines but, uncustomarily for a woman whose mind worked like a vacuum cleaner where information was concerned, barely a word made it through to her conscious mind until a name sprang out of an article close to the back of the dull-sounding

Kalyar Gazette

, which turned out not to live up to that initial impression. There, smiling out of a small but remarkably clear family photograph, were three generations of the Essalta family, half way through an article featuring the act of memorial, as it was known in Imenar, in honour of Alari's late grandparents. Try as she did, Jennifer could not identify her hostess, but she did manage to record a copy of the image on her mobile 'phone.

Many tourists bemoaned the fact that there were no direct flights to Kaylar and decided to seek their pleasures elsewhere. This was exactly what had been intended, since it had been decided that there should be an element of exclusiveness and selectivity on that island of legendary beauty. Exclusiveness solely in terms of the effort required to travel to Kaylar, where the only working airfield was a military base for the Vengar Air-Sea Rescue service helicopter squadron and a detachment of light military aircraft used for coastal defence patrols.

The absence of direct air links meant that only the most determined visitors from abroad used the very efficient rail service from Kerata to Gadara, the port, approximately 350 miles away, from which the high-speed direct ferry departed for the 3-hour crossing to Jaralam, on Kaylar. There was also a conventional ferry service, operated jointly with the railway company and the post office, that served the three relatively small islands between Vengari and Kaylar, making a total crossing time of 11 hours. It was this service that Alari had booked, along with a 2-berth sleeping compartment on the newly refurbished

Kaylar Mail

overnight express service from Kerata. There had been good reason for planning the journey in this way, since it would give her the chance to show Jennifer the extraordinary beauty of the Singar and Kaylar Straits in a pleasant and leisurely manner, enjoying the excellent catering facilities on the ferry.

The steady drizzle that greeted Jennifer's flight as it emerged from low cloud to land at Amatadi airport did nothing to dampen her growing excitement at the prospect of meeting her friend again. Once the aircraft had come to a stand outside the international terminal it was only a matter of minutes before Jennifer had cleared passport control, collected her single item of luggage from the carousel and made her way through Customs and into the arms of a young woman who was clearly as eager to see her as she was to be in Alari's company again.

For the first time since she had known her, Jennifer saw her young friend informally dressed. It took quite an effort of self-control, even with her legendary determination, not to stand open-jawed at the vision of loveliness as Alari approached her, dressed in a delicately patterned sari-like silk dress that showed her figure off to perfection. Jennifer, in her pale blue camisole top, lightweight cream culottes and simple blue and white shoes, clutching a navy blue fleece dictated by the weather back home in Carlingham, could not have offered a greater contrast.

If Jennifer felt frumpish, her sentiment was certainly not shared. Her hostess, who was as taken by surprise as Jennifer had been by the difference that casual clothing made, simply noted that her guest could probably make a plastic bin-liner look elegant.

There was not a lot of chatter on the shuttle service to Setali station in Kerata, where the ladies had a couple of hours to while away before their overnight train departed. Over excellent coffee that had greatly impressed Jennifer during her previous visit, Alari and Jennifer began to move beyond the initial excitement at the prospect of this holiday together and to slip into the sort of conversation one might expect to overhear amongst friends who have known each other for decades.

It was still drizzling when the two women boarded the Kaylar Mail and were shown to their Premium Class sleeping car. For a brief period, Jennifer began to experience uncustomary uncertainty about herself, but any misgivings she may have had were instantly dispelled when Alari undressed unceremoniously and in complete comfort with her friend before climbing into her bunk. Jennifer was probably beginning to succumb to the activities of the day and to the well-recognised soporific atmosphere in the relaxing host country. However, even in that state she felt her heart flutter as she saw Alari standing in just a simple pair of loose cream-coloured knickers, facing away from her as she glanced briefly in the mirror after completing her bedtime rituals in the en-suite shower compartment. Alari caught a glimpse of Jennifer in the mirror and turned round. Slowly, she moved towards Jennifer, who was still dressed, sitting on the edge of her bunk. Jennifer stood up and the two women held each other in a long, calm and comforting embrace. Jennifer kissed the top of Alari's head very softly and breathed in the natural freshness of her beautiful jet-black hair. Alari closed her eyes and simply rested her head against the comforting softness and warmth of Jennifer's chest.

As Alari climbed into her own bunk, Jennifer took a deep breath and undressed as hastily as she could without appearing embarrassed, yet embarrassment would have been the farthest thing from her mind had she been able to read Alari's mind, as she caught a glimpse of Jennifer's well-toned figure and her excellent taste in feminine intimate apparel.

The train was barely 5 miles out from Kerata when both women sank into a deep sleep that was not interrupted by anything of the busy night routine until shortly before 07:00, when a soft tap at the door of the compartment heralded the arrival of the young steward with a light breakfast tray for the two passengers.

As the train headed inland from the westernmost end of Lemagam Unva, the Great South Bay, on the final leg of its journey, Jennifer leaned back on her pillows, her eyes closed, and reflected on how things had evolved. It was quite by chance that she opened her eyes just as Alari was peeling her knickers off, facing away from her. Jennifer immediately closed her eyes again and waited for her rapid heart-rate to slow down. She felt the softest of kisses on her cheek and opened her eyes again, to see Alari wearing nothing more than a smile, promising not to be too long in the shower.

Still Jennifer was slightly unsure of herself and as Alari emerged from the shower with a soft towel wrapped round her, extending from the top of her breasts down to the tops of her thighs, she was, herself, wrapped in a lightweight cotton rose pink robe that extended down to mid-thigh. However, there was nothing disguised in the warmth of the smile that she put on for Alari as she made her way into the shower. Once again, Alari felt a most unusual, but quite delicious gnawing ache in the pit of her tummy, an extension of something that she had felt towards Jennifer from the first time she had set eyes on her under very different circumstances. As for the reasons for this, she had not got a clue, any more than Jennifer could explain how her feelings had been turned without any coercion at all.

Jennifer and Alari boarded the ferry in hazy sunshine, as the edges of the bank of cloud that had brought in the drizzle thinned and headed eastwards. As the ship made its way round the Diluri headland on Singa Island, the sun finally shone through, unimpeded, turning the colour of the sea to a rich jade-blue, broken only by small amounts of foam at the tops of small waves generated by a warm, light westerly breeze.

For much of the day, the two female passengers sat out on the aft deck, enjoying the pleasant warmth and the sea air. The gentle hum of the engines had an almost hypnotic effect and they enjoyed long periods of comfortable quietness, broken only by the gentle sound of the water sliding past the vessel and the occasional raucous cry of the gulls that inevitably accompanied the ferry during the crossing.

Jennifer found it quite difficult to absorb the real beauty of the three ports of call en route and of the ever-changing sea- and landscape as the vessel moved from island to island. In mid-afternoon, about half an hour out of Stuveri, the final port of call, heading for Jaralam, Alari called excitedly to Jennifer as a school of dolphins swam alongside the ship, appearing to maintain the same speed with effortless ease. Jennifer had never witnessed such an event before, but then, she had never been on such a long ferry journey before. Suddenly, Alari took hold of Jennifer's elbow gently and pointed to the southern horizon, where hazy shapes were beginning to appear. With the enthusiasm that is common amongst island people, Alari pointed out the profiles of the three main mountains on Kaylar - Baradagurgam (Great Fire Mountain) to the West, Baradagurdelar (Lesser Fire Mountain) in the foreground, to the East and, beyond, just visible through the light haze, Baradagurolaram (Sleeping Fire Mountain) to the East. Alari could not conceal her excitement as she explained all the different features of her native Kayla as the ship approached the coast.

Within an hour of passing the spectacular

Keralafera Enva

lighthouse high on the dramatic limestone cliffs at the tip of the North Headland, the mail ferry came alongside the dock at Jaralam, spot on time. Alongside an adjacent pier was a smallish vessel of military-looking appearance, flying the Vengar national flag and painted in light grey. On the foredeck, a well-built man was waving enthusiastically. Jennifer was wondering whose attention the man was trying to attract when she again felt Alari's hand on her left arm.

"Do you remember an officer by the name of Lammar Imiken, who was working with me on the day.. eerrm.. on the day we met for the first time?". There was no mistaking the fact that Alari was deeply embarrassed. In turn, Jennifer, took Alari's hand gently and smiled.

"We both know that what happened then was not your fault, Alari. And yes, I do remember officer Imiken, he was a really good-looking and very polite young man if I remember rightly!"

Jennifer winked and gave Alari a comforting smile.

Somewhat reassured, Alari went on:

"Well that is his Dad. He's the Commanding Officer of the Baradagur Coastguard vessel and he is going to be taking us round the coast to the local harbour."

Jennifer looked again, but could not fully make out the features of the man whom Alari had just identified. Again, with the evening light beginning to fade slightly, Jennifer was feeling the effects of her long journey, but she was far from complaining.

The Coastguard cutter was no slouch and, with a foaming wake trailing from her stern and a powerful bow wave created on both sides as she ploughed through the now glassy calm coastal waters at 32 knots, the two ladies took shelter on the after deck and watched the Kaylar coastline rolling past in a light that was changing gradually from very pale golden to dusky pink. The occasional light was now twinkling along the coast in the dusk and shapes were beginning to merge with the darkening sky, leaving only the unmistakable silhouette of the Sleeping Fire Mountain clearly visible.

Alari had now become quieter, not that this was alarming in any way, but Jennifer, despite being entranced by the combination of scenery, light and ambiance, as many other fortunate visitors had been, was aware of this change in Alari's manner, prompting the resurgence of her maternal protective nature.