Nora McAloon | The Dreamweaver

I was out for a stroll along the boardwalk enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the seaside.

Suddenly, an adolescent black bear appeared running along the sand and startled me as I was unaware that bears would come down to the seashore.

Luckily the bear didn't notice me so I hid momentarily behind a building that housed a snackbar and souvenir shop.

I observed the bear as he tried unsuccessfully to capture a few gulls that were wading in the water.

Then the bear snatched a pig I imagined had escaped from the petting zoo. The bear had a good firm hold of the pig and had it stood on its hind legs. The bear was attempting to bite the pig on the back of its neck, but as it was a young inexperienced hunter the pig managed to squirm out of the bear's clutches and run away. I decided not to take my chances and hang around, so I walked the other way down the promenade to where the ferris wheel and other attractions were.

I quickly noticed a shady character---a man wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up onto his head and concealing his face---walking towards me.

Luckily, just before our paths crossed the man ran down to the sand and pushed an old woman who was trying to get up from her beach chair and stole the small transistor radio she had in her hand.

Noticing two uniformed beach patrol officers in the distance, I ran over to them and explained what I had seen and the two officers ran towards where I had indicated and nabbed the perpetrator just as a patrol car was driving down the promenade.

They put the man into the squad car, bid their colleagues farewell and headed back to where I was standing.

The officers---a tall burly man with a close-cropped beard and mustache and a short, blond-haired woman with a tomboy haircut---offered me their hand and thanks for tipping them off to the crime.

The bearded man excused himself and stepped away to take a call and the woman took a few steps towards me and introduced herself. "I'm Nora McAloon," she said as I squinted trying to read her name on her name tag without my reading glasses not quite sure I understood the unusual name she had just uttered. "Our jobs would be so much easier if more good Samaritans like yourself would come forward in these kinds of situations."

We made some idle chatter for another minute or two before she put her hand on my shoulder and led me a few steps toward the beach. "I know it may not be the most appropriate thing," she said. "But I get off work in about an hour, how do you fancy meeting me at Murphy's for a beer?" Quite surprised by Officer McAloon's forwardness, I awkwardly accepted her invitation and told her I'd seen her at Murphy's at four.

Nora arrived at the pub in civilian clothes and had combed her hair with some gel or something that made her look very different from the intimidating law enforcement officer I had met an hour earlier.

We ordered a couple of beers and some mozzarella sticks and chatted for a while before she got up and moved her stool closer to mine. She then leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. "I wanted to do that from the moment I saw you this afternoon. If you take offense, I have my handcuffs in my backpack and you're more than within your rights to make a citizen's arrest!" We both laughed as the waitress set the mozzarella sticks down on the bar in front of us. "Can you bring us a side of ranch dressing?" Nora asked the waitress.

Then I woke up.