futuristic weapons and combat vehicles, transforming robots, a bag of Lego bricks and, finally, something that I had almost forgotten â something to which I had been deeply attached as a child: a toy Spider-Man with magnetic limbs.
What a joy to see it again! I thought Iâd lost it.
As I looked at it, some strange kind of light flashed before my eyes, followed immediately by something like a frame from a film, filled with overlapping faces and places.
This strange vision lasted a few moments, and then, from that confused, crowded image, a single distinct figure emerged. A face that was dear to me, but that I couldnât quite identify. Someone with the features of a serene-looking old man, who was trying to tell me something. I couldnât hear what he was saying, but I was struck by a symbol that appeared and disappeared on his face, a symbol exactly like the one used in alchemy to represent common salt or verdigris. A wheel with four spokes.
I blinked quickly, the vision vanished and I found myself looking at the toy Spider-Man. I looked up and saw Ãrtemis standing in the doorway, staring at me silently with a strange light in her eyes. âSo? Howâs it going?â
âFine⦠But there are a few things that Iâd like to keep.â
âOh, I was sure there would be. I put them together with the other things because I thought maybe thereâd be some you didnât want anymore. I know youâre still a kid at heart.â
âTheyâre my mementoes. Look, thereâs my old Spider-Man. I thought Iâd lost him.â
âYou only had to ask me. The problem is that youâre so messy.â
âYes, yes, ok. Iâll sort them out. Is dinner ready?â
âAnother twenty minutes for the meatballs,â she said, setting a dish with feta and olives on the desk, then suddenly rubbing herself against me languidly as she thrust into my mouth an olive that I had no choice but to swallow.
âBut Iâve brought you a snack. Do you want it, hmm? Do you want my little snack?â
âWell⦠Yesââ
Her passion took me by surprise. Had I been in a different state of mind I would have certainly abandoned myself to it without hesitation, but at that moment my emotions were in turmoil. Despite having initially decided to ignore them, Annaâs words had begun to burn in my brain, together with the enigmatic symbol which flashed before my eyes, and something about the taste of the olive made me wonder if I should swallow it. But as Ãrtemisâs attentions became wilder and more intense, I found I could no longer resist. She pushed me onto the sofa, and almost aggressively unbuttoned my trousers. I took my time taking off her blouse, as I tried to bring my own excitement to a peak. When she was topless, she began caressing herself in an unusual, vaguely disturbing way.
âYour wife, your partner, your house, your shop. Itâs all fake.â
The words seemed to explode inside my head, while Ãrtemisâs hands and tongue were suddenly everywhere, enveloping me in a whirlwind of ravenous passion. Her movements were so sensual that my arousal increased dramatically, as did the deafening echo of Annaâs words.
â
Itâs all fake â¦all fake â¦fake.
â
It was like a chant, rhythmically punctuated by the movements of my wife who was in the throes of a surprisingly
maenad
-like wave of passion, and in that moment I decided to take the initiative and be more daring. I tried to remember how it usually felt when we made love and whether this was her usual way of taking and giving pleasure, but my mind was a blur of images.
I was sure of one thing, though: this ardour was unusual.
âNo, it canât be⦠Ãrt is gentler, more sensual⦠I
know
she is.â
I decided to play her at her own game â I had to at least see how far I dared go. I raised myself to my feet, and, on her hands and