Together we stepped out onto the back deck, closing off the raucous, babbling laughter of voices to stand between the two gold bands of light shining through the glass doors. Nearby trees rose like columns around us, hemming us in from the night sky. The wind in their branches rushed like distant water, bringing the flower-laden scent of summer to swim aromatically about us.

I closed my eyes, letting the scene sink into my memory – a refuge as beautiful and safe as Rivendell – and beside me Gwen stepped closer and squeezed my hand in assurance. Together we watched gossamer strands of light fall from the rising moon, weaving a spell of fantasy across the property that transfigured its familiarity into something altogether fascinating and undiscovered.