“Get the fuck out of here you crazy woman.”

Erika stood by as the butcher grabbed the lady and dragged her out of the door. Some children threw sweets at her as he did this.

“I told you, you aren’t welcome in here!” He shouted at the lady, who was now sprawled across the floor on the pavement outside. The door swung shut and the woman was out of view. The man was now shouting at the children for throwing sweets, they ran away before he could catch them.

“Sorry ladies. How can I help you?”

“What sausages do you have in today?” Erika’s mum asked the butcher. The two of them started talking as if the last couple of minutes hadn’t happened. Erika went up to the door and looked out at the lady, who was sat squatting, poking her finger at the floor. The woman looked strange, her hair was messy and her clothes had holes in them.

“Who’s that woman mummy?”

“Who darling?”

“The woman who was in here?”

“You stay away from her. She is dangerous.”

Erika looked at the woman outside again, she didn’t look dangerous.

“Why is she dangerous mummy?”

“She lives in a world of fantasies.”

“She keeps sneaking in here trying to use my door to the backroom, she claims it is a portal to another dimension.” The butcher added.

“I hear she is living in the bins behind Tim’s Grocers”

“I will have a word with him, he’s too soft.”

The woman was now standing up looking at the sky aimlessly.

“Why’s she like that mummy?”

“Why is. Erika. Not why’s.”

“Why’s she like that mummy?” Erika repeated her previous sentence verbatim, she knew it irritated her mother.

“Because when she was a little bit older than you, she had an accident and hit her head. Ever since then she has refused to look after herself.”

Erika’s mum and the butcher went back to talking about the meats. Without looking to see if she would be spotted, Erika slipped out of the door.

“Hi.” Erika looked at the lady, she smelt really bad.

“Hi” the lady smiled back, showing a mouth sparse of teeth.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes. Are you looking for something?”

“I am but I fear it is lost.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Another world.”

“Another planet?”

“Yes and no.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Me neither.”

“My name’s Erika, what’s yours?”

“Did I ever tell you I was a cat Erika?”

“You weren’t a cat.”

The strange lady looked directly at Erika “I was too”

“Was not”

“I was, I used to walk around like this” The lady bent down and started to prance around on her hands and feet. “With my tail up in the air… where did it go?” the woman looked for her tail. Erika laughed, the lady was funny.

“I like your cat walk.”

“Thank you Erika, I like you. You’re the first friend I have had in a long time.”

“What happened to you?”

“I don’t know” the lady sat on the floor, legs straight out and apart, her knees had blood on them. “I don’t remember anything.” The lady started crying. Erika walked up to her and gave her a hug.

“It’s ok, you will find what you are looking for.”

“Thank you Erika.”

“ERIKA! Get away from her right now!” Suddenly there was a massive ham sized hand on her sleeve pulling her away from the lady. The butcher held Erika up off the floor. “Don’t you dare touch my little girl you horrible vile creature” Erika’s mum was hitting the lady with her bag.

“Mummy don’t!” Erika cried. Her mum turned back to her, ran and grabbed her in a massive hug.

“Did she do anything to you?”

“We were just talking mummy.”

“What did I tell you. She’s dangerous.” Her mum dragged her away.

Erika stole a look back at the strange lady, she was waving. “You’re a real friend Erika. When I find what I am looking for I will come back and give you anything you want. I’m Jo, remember that name!” the lady blew a kiss at Erika as the butcher kicked her away.