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Alice. Remember me?"
    Alice giggled and unhooked herself from Martin. He was lost in a growing mass of attention focused on his escort. She drifted further away with the crowd following attentively. There was a wink and a blown kiss from her before she was absorbed. So, he was on his own, but he was the man, he reminded himself, unconvinced. There was a group of about eight standing in a circle ahead. They looked approachable with a suitable gap for him to slot in.
    "Hey," he said.
    "Hi!" An attractive female figure opposite responded.
    "Hello."
    "Hiya."
    Greetings tumbled down the screen from the others. Martin made his avatar smile.
    "... and I got the new upgrade for eyes. I think it looks good." The woman who had first responded dropped back into her conversation.
    Another woman, that she appeared to be speaking to, added her text.
    "My first session at the Music Circle went really well yesterday. We learnt all about combining rhythms on the virtual instruments. But everyone just did whatever they wanted. It was hilarious."
    Her avatar doubled up in a laugh, the gesture ended as abruptly as it started. The graphics engine required some work Martin noted. The chat continued, interrupted intermittently by a sales offer or an announcement of a 'must be seen at' gathering. Martin couldn't find a place to join in. None of their dialogue linked up, they all seemed to be having their own private conversations with themselves. He made his move.
    "I am new here. I must say you all look fabulous."
    Heads turned towards him. The text box filled with Thank you''s from the party. There was a moment's pause and their undirected comments returned.
    "Would anyone like a chat?" Martin asked.
    No response, just the continued babbling scroll. He couldn't think of anything else to say. After a while of watching he decided to move on.
    He wandered around like a ghost, orbiting the outskirts of many groups, never pushing in. Everywhere was the same, men and women flirting, people talking about the game or themselves. All the time the responses were disjoint, off topic from the comment preceding. It was just the same as any party he had been to. There seemed to be no way to contribute and nothing interesting being said if he had. The effort on his appearance hadn't changed anything. Everyone looked good, resulting in everyone looking the same.
    Losing interest, he went to a notice board,. The virtual pages slid across the frame as he flipped through. One small section showed a picture of a waterfall with the logo 'Get away from it all. Come to The Glade'. It was just what he wanted to do right now. His avatars hand touched the sign, the screen dissolved and he was transported.

Chapter 9 - The Glade
     
    The Glade appeared below as he floated down in a slow spiral. Light reflected off the cascading water casting hints of colours on the mist. The hard stone grey of the rocks contrasted the vibrant greens of mosses and grasses. He touched down at the plunge pool viewing the falls from below. He couldn't understand why there wasn't anyone else here, this was a work of art. Small bright flowers were peppered through the grass. The detail was wonderful. Five Hello''s stacked in the chat box. He had been so absorbed he had missed them.
    A scan of the view finally located the avatar of a girl. Her bare feet were visible below a knee length pleated green skirt. She wore a free flowing white shirt with a rainbow vest beneath. Her skin was pale, her hair red and full, but cutting through all this were her beautiful green eyes. Another Hello' appeared as Martin gazed at her.
    "Hey," he typed in his inarticulate way.
    "I don't get many visitors. Do you like it?" Her avatar smiled.
    "Like what?"
    "This!" She lifted her hands in a sign of everything.
    "You made this?"
    "The Glade, yes. It took a long time, but I thought people might come here to share quiet moments together. It's not very popular. A few arrive but they don't stay long in case their social