Tangier

By Nick Nicholson


On the morning of August 14, 1955, the novelist Vannevar Mann awoke from a dream in which he was spellbound by the tears of a beautiful dark-haired girl, although in the dream it was uncertain whether the tears were of grief or joy. The cryptic vision of the girl haunted Mann. He sensed that there was something important about her, that she possessed a secret truth of some kind. A week later, Mann spied a dark-haired girl darting through the crowded markets of Petit Socco. Convinced that it was the girl from his dream, he followed her. She led him through a maze of back streets and blind intersections, the labyrinth of the medina, constantly slipping in and out of view, always just out of reach. Then she vanished. In the months that followed, Mann became obsessed. The girl continued to infiltrate his dreams. She materialised numerous times and each time, he pursued her through the kaleidoscopic streets of Tangier. Years passed but he never found her. Vannevar Mann died from a heart attack on December 3, 1962. The next day, a local newspaper reported the story of an unidentified dark-haired girl who had drowned in the Bay of Tangier.


© Nick Nicholson 2010, 2011. All rights reserved. Content may not be copied or used in whole or in part without written permission from the author.

------------------------

This is the final part of Nick Nicholson's theme-adventurous, eight-part Travelogue.

• • •

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Throughout his life, Nick Nicholson has pursued a variety of creative vocations: music, photography, painting and, in recent years, writing. He lives in Australia.