Submitted to: Contest #308

We'll Meet Again

Written in response to: "Write a story in which the natural and the mystical intertwine."

Fantasy Science Fiction Suspense

We'll Meet Again

By Lee Kendrick

Ellie was a veteran; she and John, her husband, had been coming to Stonehenge... the ancient stone circle for decades. Today was so important to her as it would've been her and John's thirtieth visit …Sadly John had died from cancer earlier this year.

Every June 21st, on the Summer Solstice, they would arrive in their camper van with little Dotty, their small scotch terrier who passed on at just age seven…Coincidentally, just a few weeks after John passed over…It was as if she had died of a broken heart. Ellie and John loved that dog like it was their daughter. Unable to have children…They would spoil Dotty like loving parents would their only child.

Although John would drive the campervan most of the way, 550 miles from Inverness, Scotland to Stonehenge in Wiltshire, he would take four breaks, while Ellie would takeover and drive for an hour.

Today Ellie had a special incentive to do the long journey…

A pilgrimage in memory of her husband, John, and her beloved dog, Dotty. This spurred Ellie on to muster the energy to drive from Inverness. She arrived the evening before, finding a place to camp overnight, a few miles from Stonehenge.

The following morning Ellie excited, waited for the special sunrise to appear around 3.30 a.m. She and thousands of silhouetted visitors stood patiently at the ready with their mobile phones to capture the moment when the red sun would appear between two of the tall megalithic stones in the circle, heralding…The Summer Solstice.

As soon as the sun's rays beamed through, the crowd merrily cheered, whistled and clapped.

Moments after, Ellie sensed as if there had been a collision of two worlds, and as if time had suddenly stopped. Looking around her, she could see the crowd of people frozen in time. Some were in the moment taking a photo of the spectacle, others were stuck staring at each other, while other people were frozen in time, pointing at the sun; some were in the motion of clapping; others had an expression of awe on their faces.

Ellie stared down at her watch, finding the digital window had stopped dead at 3.32 a.m…The exact time of the Summer Solstice!

Looking up from her watch she observed something odd going on above the megalithic stones. There appeared hundreds of bright white orbs, some the size of soccer balls.

They seemed to be dancing… moving slowly from side to side. Some dropped down in front of people in the crowd but everyone seemed oblivious to the orbs... except Ellie.

Two of the orbs descended in front of her. Her heart raced as they glided slowly towards her, they morphed into one, a human figure, the other much smaller, forming a dog. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. There now in front of her was her husband, John and her little dog, Dotty…As clear as day.

“Hello Ellie, it's great to see you again, Dotty and I have been trying to visit you for a while now. “ John said beaming.

Suddenly, someone else spoke to her, but telepathically it was Dotty. She said how much she missed Ellie and hoped one day they would all be together again-Ellie cried, tears rolled down her cheeks.

“But how is this possible?” She asked.

“Am I dreaming all this? It must be a dream Ellie said.

“ No, Ellie, this is all very real. We were able to visit, as thousands of other departed people and their pets are now here now at Stonehenge, communicating with their loved ones; the orbs you are witnessing are spirits of the departed.

“You see, Ellie, the veil is opening up between the Afterlife and this Earth plane, they are melding together because of the Summer Solstice. So Dotty and I took this opportunity to meet you. And now that this Earth Matrix is disintegrating, soon everyone on both sides will be able to see their loved ones again!

“For now Ellie, be patient and enjoy your time on this Earth as best you can. It won't be long...before we'll meet again!

Moments later John felt a force pulling him backwards. He and Dotty began spiralling as the sun climbed higher in the sky. They reduced back to orb form again, as did the many thousands of departed visitors; now gravitating back to the blue pulsing portal, above the Standing Stones.

Moments later, there was a loud bang and a powerful gust of wind emanated from the portal...blowing the crowd of thousands of people to the ground forcing them back to the present time. At the same moment the portal dematerialised.

It wasn't long before the disoriented crowd wondered what had happened to them; conversing with each other… talking about the wonderful experiences they just had with their departed loved ones.

Like others, Ellie cherished her wonderful experience. She felt a new release of life after seeing John and Dotty again.

She walked back to her campervan, reminiscing what had just happened. Sitting in the van she felt elated as a chill gushed down her spine. She rested and drank some water to feel grounded again. Finally, after half an hour Ellie drove off towards her campervan parksite for the night. In the morning she would be driving back home on the long journey back to Scotland.

After arriving at the campervan site Ellie sat pondering on what she had seen at Stonehenge. She wondered what John meant by seeing her soon because the Matrix was coming to an end! If such a thing really was true…How fantastic that she will see her Dotty, John and other loved ones again.

Ellie knew she had to be patient for the collapse of this fake world to happen before she could see everyone again. For now, life must just carry on.

It was time now for her to get back home to Scotland.

Weeks had passed since her Stonehenge experience. One night, while in bed in her campervan, she was startled by something happening outside near some woods. It sounded like rushing water. Getting dressed she popped outside to see what the strange noise was. Switching on her torch she beamed it in various directions in the woodland. Suddenly, the torch beam caught something moving but it wasn't an animal…No living thing, but the nearest thing she thought it resembled was a waterfall without the water. It was a cascade of luminous blue minute points of light, splashing down onto the grass. She estimated that it was as tall as a red double-decker bus.

Feeling brave, with a heart thumping Ellie slowly and cautiously walked towards the spectacle. As she got close to thirty feet, there was a kind of echoing sound emanating from the surreal thing as the blue points of light rushed down to the bottom. There was something Unreal about it! Moments later, the strange waterfall started to fade out…like an electronic advertisement seen at Piccadilly Circus giving off white electrical impulses. Then she heard a loud pop and it dematerialised…Leaving an odour…like that of burning rubber.

Shocked at what she had witnessed she then went back to her campervan and back to bed.

Feeling somewhat tired after waking up, she remembered a vivid dream she had. In the dream, she recalled seeing all the loved ones who had passed on. She also saw John and Dotty.

On the way to Scotland, fortunately, Ellie had to drive by Stonehenge again! Having come up to the stone circle, she noticed something odd, wondering if it was just tiredness making her eyes play tricks on her… She could only see half the stone circle…Somehow half of Stonehenge was missing!

She decided to get out of the campervan and walk closer to the Henge. Ellie rubbed her eyes and took another look at the ancient site. Then she saw a flickering image appear… The other half of the Stone Circle materialised with blue and white electrical sparks appearing all around it… Similarly to the weird waterfall she saw last night. She began to wonder if it was the Matrix losing its grip.

Halfway to Scotland Ellie made herself something to eat and drink. Stretching her legs she popped outside her campervan, taking in a deep breath. In front of her was some sheep grazing in a field. Above her were some clouds. But no ordinary clouds around their edges were a distinct red glow…Pulsating. Suddenly they stopped vibrating then vanished…materialised back then with a loud popping sound they disappeared not to return.

Then on the horizon she noticed something extraordinary as the sun came up but in a surreal way .... it was like a yoyo up and down up and down the horizon… It seemed to be glitching!

This was overpowering for Ellie. She just wanted to get away from the area.

As she got into the campervan and sat down turning the engine on she heard a panting sound. It was just like how Dotty would pant. Her heart began to race as she swallowed hard.

“Hello Ellie, don't be scared it's John and Dotty!” She looked to the passenger seat and saw both John and Dotty...large as life sitting staring at her.

“You've been noticing odd things haven't you Ellie? John asked.

“Well remember what I said back at Stonehenge soon it will be time...Everything's about to Shift to the next dimension!"

“I'm frightened John!” Ellie said, trembling.

“Come closer Ellie, there's nothing to be scared of!”

Ellie moved towards John.

“Hold my hand Ellie.”He said softly.

“But you're a ghost, how can I… Oh my God I can feel your hand!" She said.

Just then Dotty climbed over and onto her lap his brown eyes widened as he licked her with his warm tongue.

Tears streamed down her face as she cuddled up to Dotty and John.

“Now, it's the time… we will now transcend from this miserable world to our new home in the next dimension! There you will see everyone you have loved, Ellie!"

“John, I can feel myself lifting out of my body!”

"No need for a physical body anymore Ellie...Where we are going!"

Ends

Posted Jun 27, 2025
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