It's 10:30pm and I have just got back from work. I cycled as it was a clear night and my car was stuck at the showroom.
I turned left at County Hall, freewheeled down to Llanyravon shops, turned right and over the little bridge and then, suddenly, I saw blue, green, red and gold lights hovering in the air in front of me.
I stopped the bike, rubbed my eyes and looked again.
They were still there, dancing a strange hypnotising dance in the cool night air.
I reached into my pocket for my diary/address book and thumbed quickly to M.
Mitch....Mitchum...Mathews...Mulder...
Mulder! There it was. Mulder & Scully. Just as I was about to dial the number, I heard children laughing.
"Oh no!" I thought. "This time they haven't come for our water, but for our children too!"
I looked at the lights again and squinted. They were lights, but... lights attached to Dodgem Cars. And there were children but... children holding sticks of candyfloss and laughing.
Hang on a minute.
Lights.
Children.
Music.
Dodgems.
Candyfloss.
Laughing.
It was aliens!

*sighs* ok, ok, it wasn't. That's me and my wishful thinking. It was actually the fair. The one that seems to have been coming to Cwmbran since 1547. I remember times in the early eighties, visiting the yearly Fair that came to Cwmbran. I remember it was the first time I ever went on the Dodgems. As soon as the little car started, the words 'Dodge' and 'em' conveniently lost their meaning and I rammed into every single car I could. And when I had scared all the kids away, I tried to lift the Dodgem car off the rink and down the steps into the field so I could keep driving it.

So here it was again. It had been a long shift and by rights, I should make my way home. But there is something alluring about the fair. Something almost magical. I stopped a gang of youths who happened to be passing and asked them to look after my bike, then walked into the fair.

The first stall I came to was 'Hoop The Duck'. The lady tending the stall looked as if she had just been in a fight with a rhino and won, so I gave her my hard earned cash and she gave me the hoop.
"Three goes, sonny!" she cackled as she stroked each of her three black cats in turn.
On the first go, I hooped a duck! I looked carefully at the selection of prizes before making my decision.
"I'll have the fortnight in Florida please" I said.

(to be continued)