Don't Tell Anyone!

"Oh it`s great to meet you again Colin. I hope you`ve been enjoying Amsterdam so far. It`s a lovely place isn`t it?"

"Ye, it`s a brilliant place! My friends are boozing again. I don`t like drinking all the time so they can go ahead and do that. I`ve been looking forward to seeing you."

Colin was shaking his leg a little. Linda noticed he was tanned and wearing a red canvas jacket and jeans, the same clothes he wore when they first met in Amsterdam. Colin and his friends would be leaving for Rome in two days. He wanted this night to be special - he didn`t know when they would meet again. 

Colin laid his hand on Linda`s leg. Her noticed she wore a gold necklace, it glinted in the light. 

Linda said "come on Colin, lets go up to my room." and she kissed Colin on his lips. 

They went up to her room. Linda quickly dropped her dress to the floor. It was a black dress that had a cut up to the top of her leg and from the top curved up to her breasts. She took off Colin`s muscle top that showed off his rippling muscles and his arms, she quickly unzipped his tight jeans. Linda caressed Colin`s firm buttocks as he stepped out of of them. 

"God Linda, you are so confident now, much more than when I met you for the first time in Barcelona. Oh God Linda, you`re so gorgeous!!"

Colin felt a rush of testosterone as he massaged and sucked her full breasts. He lifted her onto the bedside table, knocking the bed lamp table to the floor. Linda wrapped her legs around Colins waist and moved up and down to pleasure him. They were in ecstasy and climaxed together. They slept together, naked in each others arms. Linda and Colin made love in the morning. Linda felt so satisfied after sex with Colin. Colin was different to any man she had met. He was stunningly handsome, with his mop of jet black hair and fine bone structure on his face. His hair was wild looking. He was amusing and she loved his accent. She thought he must be quite the womanizer in Dublin. 

Colin had never met a woman as sexy as Linda. She was irresistible. He loved her long legs and everything about the way she looked. She was perfect. More than that though she exuded confidence and dignity, while at the same time being fun. Colin gathered from Linda`s accent that she always stayed in expensive hotels and was flying from city to city....that she was, as they say in Ireland "well-heeled". He usually dated girls that were 'easy' - they would have sex with any man. They generally lacked intelligence. He didn`t 'get serious' with girls as he didn`t like getting close because he, due to his mother, had seen girls as weak, troubled. and not worth the effort of going out with. Linda was changing all these thoughts for him. Linda wasn't just an ordinary girl he slept with, Linda appeared strong. He respected her, she was travelling alone and seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. Colin felt she must feel so much freedom leaving home and being away from the serious job she had as a clinical psychologist. He hoped they would meet again soon before he left Amsterdam. 

Linda and Colin decided to go to the Van Gogh museum. They walked along the canal - the swans seemed to be watching them with curiosity, serenely floating beside them. Linda reached out for Colin`s hand and Colin took her hand. They smiled at each other as they casually walked along the cobbled street. To anyone looking at the pair they would have said they look like a couple, very much in love. Colin and Linda didn`t think of themselves as a couple, they wanted to frolic through life at this time as they were travelling, without any responsibility. 

They approached the Van Gogh Museum. The structure of the building was modern, it had that cubic colourless form with little or no decoration that modern art buildings tend to have. Linda much preferred old buildings, like the British Museum. Linda and her father visited sometimes. You walk towards it - an impressive stone building - and walk in to see some of the most beautiful treasures. "Don`t judge a book by it`s cover she thought, there are paintings of pure beauty waiting inside here too. Colin broke the link between them and they stopped holding hands. Without asking they both sat down by the small pond in front of the museum. Colin looked at Linda with a questioning look on his face and forehead wrinkled up. Linda knew that Colin did that when thinking hard about something.

Colin asked "so Linda, what is this art about? I have to admit I don`t know anything about art. He smiled briefly and shook his leg nervously. One of his runners had a small hole above the sole.

"Colin, it`s not going to be important - when looking at Van Gogh`s art. His work will speak to you when you see it. But I will tell you that he cut his ear off at one point in his life and died in a psychiatric hospital. It is said no one visited him. He was poor too, he sold one of the most popular paintings in the world for an apple and the picture is worth millions now. It is said he was rejected in the community and they considered him crazy. 

Linda walked on as she held Colin`s hand. Her long legs looked more defined in her tight jeans. 

"Wow Linda. That sounds tough. The poor man. 

It was true, what Linda said, the paintings were beautiful and a guide was not needed to explain the pictures. Linda walked slowly past the pictures. She had a look that children have when opening up their presents on Christmas Day. Colin glanced toward Linda and caught the look of amazement that glowed on her face. Colin knew, without Linda saying anything, that he was sharing a very special moment with her. Linda would remember this moment forever. 

Colin`s favourite picture was 'Night and Wheat Field with Cypresses'. The painting reminded Colin of happy childhood memories that he sometimes remembered. 

"Linda, these remind me of simple things that look amazing to me. Like the beautiful rays of sunlight as it lights up the vivid green leaves in a tree. The blanket of starlight that covers the fields of grass that you can see out in the country where there are only a few lights - just like in this picture... Starry Night. I remember them from being in the scouts. 

Linda said "my father's country home in England looks just like what you just mentioned Colin. I know exactly what you mean."

She smiled at him whimsically. He sometimes felt like that recently, since meeting The Protector, things weren`t so mundane anymore. Colin was sometimes amazed at the beauty in very simple things. 

Time didn`t seem to exist on this day for Colin and Linda. Time seemed somehow elastic. Time seemed not to apply to them at all as they walked through the rooms mesmerized by the paintings.

They sat having coffee in the museum. Colin looked troubled, as if a cloud was covering the sun. His brow was beginning to wrinkle and he was quiet. 

Linda looked towards him, concerned. What is it Colin, you look a bit troubled?"

Colin said "I told you what happened in the European Union building. But I didn`t tell you everything." 

Colin spoke in a low hushed voice and released the burden of his secret.

"Linda I felt something then, or even heard something. I heard advice that gave me clear directions how to get out of there, I was in serious danger. He defended me and my two friends and I don`t think he was of this world. I followed his advice and we were alright. But I think he calmed all of us down afterwards too. I told you that we nearly got mugged that time and the same thing happened. I was given what I considered crazy advice but I did it and my friends and I were fine at the end of it. Linda I haven`t said this to anyone except you. What do you think?"

Grey clouds were crossing were rolling across the sky, covering the sun as they looked out the window, like a storm was threatening. 

Linda drummed her fingers on the table then slowly lifted her teacup to her mouth, sipping the tea thoughtfully. She flicked her red hair over her shoulder. She sat upright, her fingers on the table pointed and moving slightly as if she had a pen and writing notes, falling into her role as Clinical Psychologist. She sat quietly, deep in contemplation.

Suddenly Linda spoke "Colin, this thing...this being...he tells you only information that helps in a positive way?" 

Colin said "well, kind of, he often helps me when I am in trouble. He calms me when I am stressed."

Linda said "ok, well at least this voice, as you call it, is a positive influence. Why do you think it`s real?" 

Colin said, with hope in his eyes that Linda would understand "I don` t have any proof." 

Linda said in a dictatorial voice, "Colin, thanks for sharing this with me and thanks for your trust. This being is not real. There are patients of mine who experience what are called hallucinations. They hear, see, or feel things that are not there. Almost invariably the patient is hospitalised or medicated with drugs. God help them, E.C.T can be administered."

Colin said in a worried tone leaning closer to Linda and almost whispering "so you think this is nutty talk?"

"In my profession we don`t use words like 'nutty', Colin." 

Colin felt that Linda`s tone was very different than the funny, sexy Linda that Colin knew. She was talking like his counsellor used to talk to him. 

"Colin, your way of travelling is difficult... very long journeys on trains and in hostels with people you don`t know... so you can be under stress." 

"Right so you think I`m crazy!" 

Linda`s voice became more firm "Colin, you know how much I care for you. I would advise you not to say this to anyone even if you think they will understand because, most likely, people won`t. I`m speaking from experience - many of my patients imagine things. 

Colin stared at the table looking disappointed.

"Well, ok, I`m sorry I mentioned it." 

Linda stepped out of her role as Clinical Psychologist, reached out her hand and gently cupped his hand in hers. They held hands across the table. Linda felt cruel for advising Colin this way but she felt it was necessary advice. 

Colin straightened up and looked Linda in the eyes. He saw concern in her face. He knew she was trying to help. 

"Right Linda, ye know I feel much better even just talking about it, you're a good therapist love. Yes I think you are right, now that I think about it. Thanks for listening to me."

Linda noticed that it was as if a light had gone out in Colin`s eyes and he looked disappointed... as if he wanted to talk more about something very dear to him. 

"Colin you can talk to me about this again if you wish. I`m just warning you not to tell people in general." 

An excerpt from The Golden Age Dawns, Part One of The Golden Age Trilogy written by Gabriel Woods.