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Chapter 1

A stinging nip from an over-confident midge broke the unbridled tranquillity of the summer evening. The insect had been buzzing around the matted locks of the unsuspecting three year old for almost a minute before picking the opportune moment to sidle up to her as bold as brass and take a thirsty gulp of her sweet sweaty blood, lingering teasingly just over a misjudged swipe away to savour and swallow before swaggering into the darkness, licking its dripping lips to locate its next victim, or to wallow in the oil painted river.
A few seconds passed until an uncomfortable tingling morphed into an uncontrollable itch, locked inside a swelling bump on Teia's left shoulder, it was only then when she shouted her words of anger and reproach at the vampire, swiping madly around her, but the midge had long since retreated, it sneered at her misfortune, now safely behind enemy lines, hovering just above the silky rippling waters in which the child was dangling her tiny feet.
Teia sat on the jetty, the splintered wood planks still warm from the July sun beaming down on it all day long. Her arms were stretching behind her and her legs in front, kicking in the gently lapping water, so she took on the appearance of a waking cat. The only time she could sit still was in the grainy depths of a summer's evening, it seemed to bewitch her. The moony milkiness of the sky echoed the land around her, the air was musty and smelled of warmth, when she reached out she felt she could touch the sepia breeze as it wrapped itself around her, coming from behind like a lover's comforting embrace. The only sounds were the rhythmic lolling of the small boats in the tide, the croaking of the crickets and the soft humming of the wind. The child sighed in a deep, shuddering yawn, inhaling all that surrounded her, and rested her head a moment against the nearby tree-trunk. It welcomed her, damp sweet smelling water-reeds blowing around her in a deep hug like blankets. The lapis lazuli blue of the dark was drawing in, the same shade as Indian ink which made it seem as if the scene was being drawn or doodled on the back page of an exercise book, an unreal quality which must be perfection was present.
The sky was bright with stars, not the glinting diamonds of picture books, but tiny specs of light that seemed like the embers flicked from a thousand cigarette butts into space. Tonight's dark was not just petrol black, it was mainly a deep beautiful blue, but contained shades of bruised purple, the yellow of a flickering flame, reds and pinks lingering on from the picturesque sunset, and a glinting, winking silver as the moonlight caught the still waters. Teia yawned again, this yawn was deeper and more gulping than before, the lovingness all around encouraged her eyes to droop shut.

The day, although only just past conception was already clear, bright and lively. The birds chirped their early morning chorus, an over-zealous and often out of tune choir of many inter-locking harmonies like elderly ladies who deeply believed that volume could make up for their unravelling voices. The sun popped up, cheeky and inquisitive, startling itself by its power to turn the black, glistening river to clear blue crystal, bouncing all light and colour back ten times brighter.
The insects woke with a fresh energy and began busying themselves with no time to spare. Teia's ears were the first part of her to awake; the early morning sounds crept into her dream and began to mingle with unreality, introducing themselves enthusiastically to her consciousness. Once she had become aware of her surroundings she allowed herself to feel, her slumped body was resting on the grainy planks of the jetty. The warm, dewy air nuzzled itself into her every pore and the playful sun squeezed itself into the cracks where her eyelids did not quite meet the skin which jutted out below her eyes. Now Teia saw the dancing patterns of a kaleidoscope in the small fleshy space that seemed infinite, the skin which sheltered her eyes from what was too much in the world. The colours teased her as they changed, phycadellic patterns in the luminous shades of highlighter pens, fluorescent pink, orange, green flashing before her to disturb and excite her awake from her innocent dreams.
She was just as inquisitive and eager as the sun, her wide eyes sprang open to take in the sights of the morning, the birds and the boats and the trees and grass and all the things that she loved. She yawned and stretched, tensing every young muscle into activity and shaking off the crust that had formed overnight. She was instantly as alert and respondant as a wild animal.
Shakily she pushed herself up, gripping the mossy planks of the jetty which disintegrated slightly in her clammy fingers, weathered by years of dew and sun. She hurtled through the overgrown wilderness of the front yard, an unravelling rope swing hanging limply from a bountiful apple tree. Perdita, the tortoise shell cat was licking herself under a rose bush. The grass had grown past Teia's hight, it tickled her ears as she hurtled towards the house. She pushed past the bramble bush which clung to her summer dress, an oversized white camisole which had belonged to her mother, trying to claw her back, she brushed it aside, barely noticing the scratches which were developing into whelts on her fore-arms. Teia hurled herself through the cat flap in the canary yellow door, and was home.

Gloria was still asleep, her svelte, slender body strewn across the double bed in the kitchen, where they slept. Her face had disappeared down the crack where the two pillows met in the centre of the bed, her right arm reached out in front of her and her left flung to the side, her legs were akimbo, straddling the bed, her feet tucked under either side of the mattress. She had kicked off the thin white sheet in the night, and it now lay in a crumpled heap across the backs of her knees. She was naked apart from a plain wooden bangle which had ridden up her right arm from its home on her wrist. Her tousled hunnied hair cascaded down her back and covered both pillows like wine escaping from an upturned jug. Her vertebrae arched and fell, slowly, one by one as she breathed. Teia stood silently at the side of their bed, watching her sleeping mother. She lightly touched the hand which was slung nearest her, circling Gloria's soft skin careful not to tickle her. She shivered slightly in response but did not move. After what seemed like an eternity Teia climbed up, her small feet finding its bearings on the cast iron bedstead before finally collapsing beside her mother. Gloria acknowledged her by lightly lifting her arm, allowing her tiny daughter space to get comfortable, then replacing it, slung around Teia's small body, but not allowing this invasion drag her from her dreams. Teia wiggled and wriggled until her head was buried in Gloria's soft armpit, her silky hair a luxurious cushion. She breathed in her mother's comforting fragrance of rural fruits and flowers tinged with whisky, smoke and salty sweat. After a second eternity had passed in which Teia had burrowed herself in Gloria's radiance, she spoke, her husky voice muffled from the pillows which still held her face captive. 'Where did you sleep last night?' Teia moved her head onto her mother's bare back so she could press her head against her sweet skin, and feel the vibrations as she spoke. 'On the Jetty' 'Oh' came the sleepy reply, her back making slight slinky movements, jolting the child. 'Did you speak to the stars?' 'No' 'Oh, you should, they're very friendly.' Then she went back to sleep, closely followed by her daughter, who dozed on top of her, her arms hugged around her , fingers falling just short of her warm breasts.