The woman stood at the side of the road, watching with detached horror the lorries and buses flowing past her. She had been there for a few minutes now, trying to steel herself for what she had determined she must do.

She had decided she must walk in front of one of them.

Her life was now no longer worth living, since her husband and two young children had been taken from her in a horrific air crash.

She had survived, with remarkably few injuries, but her world was shattered, she couldn't face having to run her husband's world-wide business on her own. What was the point? No amount of money or power could bring her family back to her, and she didn't want to live without them.

There was an easing in the flow of lorries, no vehicles were passing her, and the road was empty. She looked down the dual carriageway for the inevitable resumption of traffic, but all she could see was a gradually brightening light that appeared to be moving at speed towards her. She stared at it like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car at night. Her mind went blank, and she felt a strong tugging sensation as the light reached her.

A young couple, who had been watching the woman were distracted by a flash of lightening, and a loud peal of thunder. When they looked back, the woman had gone.

She was back home.

How it had happened, she had no idea. Then her husband walked into the room, and she realised that she must be dreaming. His touch was so real though, his arms were around her, he was nuzzling her hair, teasing her in the way only he knew how to. She turned her head, and kissed him full on the lips. Oh! If only she could make the dream turn to reality.

He smiled and pushed to arm's length, and studied her. She felt wonderful. She gazed around the room. Her touch was everywhere, the curtains they had so carefully chosen to match the new carpet, and the expensive furniture that filled the room.

"I've asked Josephine to bring in tea," he said as he led her to one of the large settees. He studied her closely, "Do you feel okay?" He seemed very concerned, and she wondered why.

She laughed, and replied, "I couldn't be happier, I thought I had lost you and the children for ever in that horrible 'plane crash." She hugged him close, and then asked, "Where are the children anyway?"

David, her husband, smiled, replying, "They're at school of course. Where else would they be at this time of day?"

Just then a petite lady entered the room pushing a hostess trolley, which was loaded with tea and cakes.

This must be Josephine. She looked like Maria, spoke like Maria, and was doing her job. A tinge of doubt crossed her mind, but perhaps she was wrong. The main thing was that she was home, and had decided that she was not dreaming.

David passed her a teacup, and she sipped contentedly from it, the tea warming her body. "Cake Mrs Stephens?" Josephine was offering a plate, and had tongs poised to lift her selection from the stand on the trolley.

"Yes please Marie, er Josephine, I'd like the strawberry tart."

No one seemed to notice her gaffe, and the cake was delicious. Afterwards she wandered around the house with David, and everything was in it's place. The cleaner had obviously done a good job that day, as she knew it had been a bit of a mess when she left home earlier.

She suddenly felt exhausted, and she told David that she would have a lie down for a while.

It seemed like only five minutes later when she heard the voices of her children shouting excitedly from downstairs. She hardly had time to rise from the bed when the door burst open, and the twins burst in. "Mummy, Mummy!" They chorused in unison. "You're Back Whoopee!" They flung themselves at her, and she fell back on the bed, engulfed by the two six year olds.

Jonathan and Rebecca dragged her downstairs, and soon they were all having their evening meal.

She settled back into her normal routine over the next few weeks, all her friends came over as usual, she went out to the company's parties, and took up the reins of her old job at the office.

She was blissfully happy, and although there were some niggling differences in her surroundings, they were so insignificant individually that she didn't put them together to notice how her life had subtly changed. She forgot the air crash, considering it as a bad dream. It couldn't have been anything else, her family were around her, and life was moving on as normal.

It was six weeks before David went before the Committee.

The Chairman shook his hand warmly and said, "Well David, has it been successful?"

The beam on David's face answered the Chairman before David spoke. "It is everything I could have wished for," he stated joyously. "She is wonderful, and she's identical to Belinda, there's no difference as far as I am concerned."

The Committee members cheered, and the Chairman breathed a big sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that then, perhaps we will look for other subjects in the future, to keep our influential friends happy!"

He rose, and struck his gavel on the table. "I hereby declare this meeting of The Alternative Dimension closed, and long may we continue to help citizens in either world to regain their happiness.!"

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