Wish You Were Here. Victoria Connelly

made her escape into town and was now just about to get off the bus at the stop for the Villa Argenti. This time, a young couple got off the bus with her and they all walked together down the road that led to the villa. They were from Worcester and had just got married and Alice couldn’t help but envy them their new life together. She saw the way that Tim looked so adoringly at his new wife, Janey, and the way that they held hands so tightly. What must it be like to be so adored, Alice couldn’t help wondering?

      There was a little old man by the gate today and he took their money with a polite little nod and Alice watched as Tim and Janey walked hand in hand towards a sunlit bench. She didn’t follow them.

      All of a sudden, Alice wondered what she was doing there and a coldness resembling fear chilled her whole body. It had all been very well imagining romantic scenarios with the handsome gardener whilst in the safety of her bed but Alice really wasn’t the kind of girl to initiate something as wonderful and frivolous as a holiday romance.

      She stopped by a little fountain and trailed her fingers in the cool water and sighed. Perhaps she was worrying unnecessarily. She couldn’t see the gardener anywhere and it occurred to her that he might not be there at all. She couldn’t help smiling at that. The one time she had allowed herself to be a little bit brave and the man in question had foiled her by having a day off. Besides, she had every right to be in the garden, didn’t she? Not only had he invited her to come back but she was a tourist who was simply enjoying a beautiful place. That was all. She nodded to herself and determined that she would let things fall into the hands of destiny.

      It was then that Alice remembered that she hadn’t just come back to the garden in the hope of seeing Milo again but to see the statue too.

      She walked down the neat path which led to the Goddess Garden, passing Artemis, Demeter, Athena and the others but she hadn’t come to see them. She’d come to see Aphrodite.

      Once again, the statue of the goddess of love was in full sunlight and the loveliness of her face made Alice smile. She placed her hand on the hem of the finely-carved gown and felt the magical warmth seep through her skin. What did she have to lose? She closed her eyes.

       Concentrate.

      What did she want for herself that the goddess could grant? What was it the gardener had told her?

       ‘If your wish is for love or beauty, it will be granted.’

      Love or beauty. The two words spun inside her mind until she had her wish.

      ‘I wish,’ she began, her fingers trembling against the warm stone, ‘I wish men would notice me. I wish I wasn’t so invisible to them but that they really really saw me.’

      She thought of Stella for a moment and how much attention she got from the opposite sex. Her life seemed like one long joyous date and she was constantly showered in gifts and spoilt rotten. Just once, Alice wanted to know what that would be like.