I was sitting with old friends on a white-tiled patio. I’d noticed how much older they were than when I’d first met them. They looked good. Trustworthy and sensible.

Across the freshly mown lawn on the inner edge of the garden there was a three-limbed tree with smooth bark, green leaves and yellow flowers. It looked very two dimensional. Beyond the higher branches appeared to be a gossamer canopy held at the four corners and pulled taught, almost sheer.

Into that tree flew a rainbird and perched with its back toward us. Its plumage was light blue, silver, aquamarine and turquoise, with two long black and silver tail feathers. Its right eye watched over its right wing, but then it hopped to another position. As it continued to move from branch to branch I quietly called my daughter to come and see it. Rainbirds were a rare sight.

As we watched it flew from the tree in tight but ever increasing circles. At the same time all of the leaves disappeared from the tree and the flowers became a brilliant golden yellow color, so bright that their vibrations could be seen flowing towards us. As the bird flew around and around ever closer and continually growing in size the tail feathers changed their form to become like legs and the bird, now much larger, took on an almost human form with skin the color mauve and just a feathered flush around the wrists and ankles. Not human, not bird, but Gypsy!

Just then she came within reach, and with eyes as wide as universes she looked with her unforgettable smile. I kissed her feathered hand and said goodbye as she spun into a swirl of pure energy; gone.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to know my friend had arrived at her destination safely.

OM MANE PADME HOM