Rooftop Getaways - 19/09/23

Context:

• Leonie was a good friend from my secondary school days. Creative, light hearted and cheeky. A magical woodland fairy in human form. Shoutout to you Leonie, I hope you're living it up wherever you may be!
• Hannah is one of my best friends. I’ve known her for five years and I think she probably knows me better than anyone. Expressive, creative and incredibly level headed. I’ll always go to her if in need of a second point of view. Big things lie ahead. All the love Hanhan ;)
• Toby is an incredible cabinet maker who I've known for a good few years. Offering insight and shedding light wherever he can. Some of the most interesting conversations you'll ever have. If you're in need of quality woodwork, look no further. Follow www.mortoncabinetmakersoxford.co.uk I hope you're thriving bud!
• Joe was an old colleague of mine from the boatyard near Oxford. An incredibly kind and laid back soul who will gladly give his time to anyone in need. Check out www.maddox-cruises.co.uk if you're looking for an idyllic escape down the canal for your next getaway. Much love Joe!
• Good Omens: I had been watching the Amazon TV series Good Omens around this time. No surprise then that the two main characters made an appearance. Well worth a watch... Especially if you enjoy the acting of David Tennant and Michael Sheen.
• Wilf is another of my best friends and is part of The Maniacal Mindwrap family. I’ve never met someone with a bigger heart. Creative, humourous and living life on his terms. I don’t think I’ve ever had more admiration for someone before. Love you brother.

Story:

On a beautifully clear and starry night, I found myself with Leonie on the upper floor of a building. In front of us was an old wooden double door with paned glass and thin frames which held open. Stepping through together, we found ourselves on a concrete terrace with no railings that was shortly followed by a sea of terracotta roof tops sprawling as far as the eye could see in either direction. Directly ahead of us beyond the rooftops, we had a stunning view of a calm ocean glistening in the Mediterranean moonlight. 

After admiring this view momentarily, down to my left, I spotted a collection of bags (about four in total; rucksacks and satchells) nestled in one of the nooks formed by the coming-together of two adjacent roofs with the dimly lit silhouettes of a small group sat around enjoying the view. “They’ve got the right idea” I said, turning to Leonie, before scurrying down the first slope of terracotta to find a spot of our own. Leonie then decided to run ahead a little, leading us up the following incline to the ridge of the roof in front. As she crested the roof, she tripped and fell out of view down the other side. Panicked, I ran across expecting her to have rolled down and off the edge of the building; Luckily, there lay a patioed terrace half way down that side of the roof which had broken her fall. After ensuring she was alright, I turned to find the cause of her trip. A black pygmy goat, around 12 inches tall, stood just by the ridge where Leonie had fallen looking at me with its typically glazed-over and nonchalant expression. Seemingly oblivious to the person that had just tumbled straight over its back. Moments later, more started to arrive until a herd of them filled the roof we were on. “Where have they all come from?” I remember thinking. Despite the peril they’d just put Leonie in, they soon won us over, as they were incredibly cute and extremely playful. In turn, they would jump up, placing their front hooves on us and pulling ridiculous faces by flapping their tongues around. I then pulled out my phone, took a picture and sent it to Hannah as I knew she’d really appreciate seeing the sight of these ridiculous goats. Then without any explanation, there ended up being a group of us together on the roof. I didn’t recognise the majority of them, but knew for sure that they were all in our party. Everyone was taking pictures and videos as if we were on holiday together.

There then came a huge cut and jump in time to the next day. I was removed from the situation I had just been in and then remember being in a large modern complex. It reminded me of an empty showroom for high-end cars. Joe, Toby and I were standing in a line probably two or three metres apart in front of a large window that spanned the entire length of the building. We were playing virtual golf in augmented reality as everything to do with the golf was shown as a blue hologram through our headsets. Joe had set the holographic celebrations for when we had finished the game (I recall this being reminiscent of the animations seen after defeating someone in games like Mortal Combat or Tekken). Toby’s celebration appeared as three holographic swords in the ground. He’d draw one and lift it above his head, at which point holographic armour and a crown would then appear on his person. I can’t recall Joe’s, and I chose not to have one as I didn’t want to self indulge with composing a celebration (maybe through my insecurites I was dealing with at this time in my life, I thought I wasn’t deserving of one unless someone prompted me to make one first). Before the end of our game, things started becoming tense with ‘the bad guys’ who had then shown up (No background to this… no idea who they were or why they were there or what they looked like). Suddenly Crowley and Aziraphale (from Good Omens) turned up to help us.’The bad guys’ were eying up Aziraphale’s bag as if it had some significance or was holding something extremely important. Crowley then spotted them watching the bag and charmingly said with a cheeky inflection “it is a lovely bag isn’t it”, then zipped it up while looking them dead in the eye, turned and started to walk sharpishly out of the building. 

We all escaped together with ‘the bad guys’ now on our case and in hot pursuit. Our group (the group from earlier on the rooftops) came out onto the street together, walking down the pavement, with Wilf and I out in front walking side by side. As we walked, we were discussing the rocket launch that was due to take place the following day and whether ‘the bad guys’ would foil the plan and shoot it down before it had a chance to become airborne. Wilf was to be the pilot, and despite the possibility of him being blown to kingdom come, he was more interested in the bedding that would be supplied onboard saying “I hope it’s the old style quilts, they’re less comfortable, but I prefer them.” I then looked around to see a men-in-black car parked in the layby opposite us. As soon as I did this, it set off, drove past us and off into the distance.

End.