Destiny

When the time was convenient, he had gone up to the bedroom he had once inhabited and retrieved his camera bag. David knew he would need to hide it, there would be too many questions that he could answer, but that nobody would ever believe. Glancing at the LCD screen, he went through the memory card, looking at the snaps of the old house he had photographed. How did you explain to people in the seventies what a digital camera was? The other object he would have to hide for the moment was his mobile phone, trying to explain that the small object in your hand could make calls, take pictures and had more computing power than those that had sent men to the moon, was unimaginable.

His camera bag contained chargers, spare memory cards, and the usual paraphernalia, even for his mobile phone, but at the moment it was useless. He'd tried, it switched on and some of the apps worked, but to be fully useful, it needed a mobile signal and internet and that along with computers were twenty years or more away.

That night and with each of his family in bed and asleep, David sat in the darkness trying to figure out what to do. What he was living in was an impossibility and must have something to do with the strange house he had visited. Looking at the pictures had jogged his memory, which for some reason had begun to fade. He needed to return there, retrace his steps, and see if he could get back to his own time, but that meant saying goodbye to his mum and dad once more.

The next day, with one sibling at school and his father and the others at work, he decided to return to the property. Before he set out, his conversation with his mother had her concerned, David had never been this affectionate in the past, but that morning he was all hugs as he told her over and over again how much he loved her.

On his last trip, he hadn't bothered with his rucksack and had to make do with an old school holdall buried in the bottom of his wardrobe. His normal clothes had been rolled up and placed in the bag, the jacket and trainers still fit but the rest were a little too large as he chose a pair of oxford bags and a patchwork patterned jumper to go over the butterfly collared shirt. He knew his dad kept a sickle in the shed and he added this to the contents, slinging his camera bag over one shoulder and the holdall over the other.

He slipped out without saying goodbye, realising he would be too much of an emotional wreck as he made his way across town. Hacking through the undergrowth this time was a doddle, David reaching the back door in record time. His youthful body was full of energy, and he went through the brambles and nettles like a hot knife through butter. Reaching into his jacket pocket he extracted the key and inserted it into the lock. He'd been about to twist it when he remembered that the lock at this time may not have been lubricated in years and so gingerly eased the key back and forwards until he felt the door give.

The house looked no different, everything, as he'd left it yesterday, except it was now nineteen seventy-two, and not the present. He checked the downstairs rooms and then opened the door at the bottom of the rear stairs. Slowly he ascended to the first landing and re-checked the bedrooms, they were as he left them in the future, or in reality before he disturbed them. David could feel his nervous energy as he climbed the stairs to the attic rooms. Thankfully, he had remembered that the doorknob and lock may still be broken and had brought a couple of his father's screwdrivers with him.

'Good job I remembered,' he thought, the knob spinning and refusing to activate the lock. He did exactly the same as the first time, removing the knob and spindle before jiggling around in the lock and ecstatic when the door started to open.

Davis stood transfixed, his torch beam illuminating the room. The door has opened back on itself, there was no passageway, only this single large room with the shelves of objects he had photographed and the odd assortment of old disused furniture. There was no second room he realised as he stepped inside the large space and swung the beam around. Walking around the room, he banged on all four walls, the dull thuds telling him that they were solid.

He left the door open when he descended and went back into the master bedroom, bending so that he could look in the dressing table mirror. 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!' he said aloud, the youthful face still looking back at him. Sitting on the bed, David cried, the last time he had done so was when Andrea passed away and he put it down to a combination of fear and frustration. His family would be wondering where he was, not this present one, but the one from his proper time, his kids and grandkids would all be wondering where their father and grandfather had gone.

That day he visited the attic room dozens of times, but it never changed and neither did he, as he locked the back door behind him, he was still a young man. There was a difference though, back then he had been a naïve youngster, now, and whilst he may look young, his mind and brain had over sixty years of knowledge and experience.

That week of what his mother had told him was a break from work was full of surprises, David making plenty of mistakes and having to make things up as he went along because he had only distant memories of this part of his life. The first was when his friends called around, these lads were now old men like himself, a couple of them had even passed away, only ever reaching the start of their sixties. He enjoyed the banter, the jokes and being reacquainted with the things they were currently doing. They sat listening to records on his record player, he'd had quite a collection back them it seemed. The next surprise was his girlfriend, Wendy. They had started going out when he was seventeen and he knew that after a couple of years they had spit up, some of the faults were his, others were hers.

What did he do, he knew what the future held, he had been upset when they separated, but then soon, someone else had come along? This was his chance if he wanted it, a way of changing the future, but then he thought of his children, his grandchildren, what of them if he meddled.

'Hi, David.' Wendy looked young and appealing as she entered his bedroom, leaning forward and waiting to be kissed. By rights, she should have been at work, but as he was on holiday, she had taken a half-day. He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in, gazing in recollection at her pretty face before their lips met. David kept it soft and gentle to start with, slowly increasing the pressure and passion as their mouths ground together. His hands moved seductively, his hips pressing the erection against her groin as their arousal escalated.

When he finally released her, he could see the bewilderment and lust in her eyes. 'Fucking hell, David, is anyone in?' He grinned as he realised what she was after, shaking his head as he began to unfasten her top. Within minutes she had his shirt open and was unfastening his trousers as together they got naked. His eyes took in her young lithe body, a sudden rush of memories as he eased her onto the bed.

When he slid between her legs, she looked surprised, when his mouth alighted on her fanny her eyes went wide and when his fingers opened her lips and his tongue slid into her cunt, she threw her head back and howled. He licked her out and then sucked on her clit, his tongue teasing as he managed to insert a finger into her pussy at the same time. Wendy squirmed against him, rubbing her fanny against his mouth and face, this was the first time anyone had done this to her, and she could feel her climax building rapidly.

David's hands went to her tits, young and firm, her nipples standing proud as he twisted them between finger and thumb and felt them expand. She was groaning loudly now, panting between gasps of pleasure as she writhed, his tongue back in her cunt as his thumb rubbed gently at her clit. And then she was climaxing, sensations bombarding her brain as she bucked on the mattress, guttural cries slipping from her lips as she arched her back and allowed the orgasm to consume her.

Before she could gain her senses, she felt his shaft penetrate her fanny, slipping deep and aided by the juices she had already lost. He was slow and tender, kissing her mouth constantly and then moving on to her tits as his lips suckled at her nipples. She wrapped her legs around him, dragging his cock deeper into her quim with each thrust as his hands flowed over her body, touching spots that she never realised would excite her.

When at last he well and truly fucked her, she abandoned any thought of trying to keep up with him or reciprocating, allowing David to do whatever he wanted to her body. Her climax this time was perfection as she felt his release burst inside her passage and her eyes rolled up into her head. She floated and watched starbursts, every nerve ending sending pleasure signals to her brain until she felt him slow and finally stop, his lips showering her face and breasts with kisses.

At last, her eyes opened to find her boyfriend staring at her. 'Shit! What did you just do to me, David?'

He looked concerned for a moment, 'I'm sorry Wendy, did I do something wrong?'

She couldn't stop laughing as she shook her head. 'Where the fuck did you learn to make love like that? That was exquisite and the best, ever.' He couldn't help but grin, she would never have believed him if he told her he'd had over forty years' experience.

His life began to slowly slip into the routines he'd had in the past, it was only thoughts of that hidden house and his family in the future that kept him rational. The following week he had returned to work, three years into his apprenticeship and it had taken the first couple of days to reacquaint himself with the skills and machines he hadn't used for many years.

David was an engineer and back when he'd started, he had used lathes, both capstan and turret, as well as the milling machines and drilling, boring, and reaming machines. When eventually they had put in an appearance, he had transitioned to CNC machines and by the end of his career, he was highly skilled.

By the third day, the foreman was beginning to take notice, David was too engrossed to see the attention he was attracting, he was in his element, enjoying getting his hands dirty once again. By midway through the second week, the shop floor supervisor was also keeping an eye on him There were constant conflabs, no matter what he was given, David was turning out work far beyond his age, competing with and often bettering men who had been with the company for years and were at the top of their game.

Despite returning to the mystery house often, he seemed to be stuck where he was. The following month he had been called up to the manager's office, the foreman and supervisor were there, and he was asked questions and shown diagrams and blueprints. David was in his element, on the outside he may have been a teenager, but in his head, he had years of experience and knew what he was talking about as he rattled on, leaving all three of them astonished.

There were many times when David found it difficult, he was still concerned about the family he'd had and the anguish they must be going through but living your life a second time wasn't all a bed of roses. The first time around he had no idea how any decision he made panned out until it happened. While he couldn't remember every day of his previous life, certain occasions and incidents were indelibly imprinted on his brain. It wasn't only that, there was the constant fear that if he made a different decision he may change his future, but that wasn't all, having that knowledge changed how he reacted to people and situations.

He and his siblings while being close had still lived their own lives, his sister, in particular, being the only girl, had taken quite a bit of ribbing the first time around. Now he found himself being more considerate, protective, and compassionate towards her. It was the same with the rest of his family as whispers went between them, but it was Carol who was the first one to voice her concerns. She had come to his room one evening, knocking politely at his door before lounging on his bed.

'You have changed, you know,' she uttered. David had looked at her puzzled, he was trying hard to be the person he had been.

'You've become a bit dreamy, you know,' she said, suddenly turning red and giving an embarrassed laugh. David laughed aloud, 'A bit dreamy?'

Carol punched his arm, 'You know what I mean, you have changed. It's like you are suddenly a lot more mature than your mates, Wendy's noticed, so have lots of the other girls.'

David couldn't stop laughing as he teased her, 'What about you sis? Do you think I'm more...... DREAMY?' He couldn't understand why Carol blushed profusely.

Most evenings he would be out with his friends, or they would be around at his house, but he suddenly noticed that Carol spent more time in his room, something he was convinced never happened. She never intruded when Wendy was there, but the minute he was alone she would be sitting on his bed. They had been discussing something and he had been taking the mickey, just like he had always done and still did to an extent before he found himself in a young body. She had jumped on him and started tickling, David unable to do anything for laughing until they had both ended up out of breath, his sister on top of him. He hadn't thought anything of it until she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.

It only lasted seconds before she jerked back and looked mortified, scrambling off him and dashing from his room. David sat upright, 'Shit, where had that come from.' Previously he may have ignored her, but now he went in search of his sister. He found her in her bedroom looking miserable, sitting on the bed beside her.

'It's ok, I'm not angry. You just took me by surprise, what brought that on?'

She looked close to tears and David was unable to help himself as he put his arm around her shoulders and held her protectively. She cuddled into him, allowing her brother to comfort her despite the feelings that were suddenly flooding her mind and body. Eventually, he coaxed her to open up and they returned to his room, sitting, and talking about what she had done as Carol apologised profusely.

'I'm so sorry David. I don't know what came over me. I just had this sudden urge.'

'Do you often act on your urges?' he joked, trying to keep the atmosphere light. Carol grinned at him shyly, 'Nope,' she said, 'If I did, maybe more would have happened before now.' She had become embarrassed again as David wondered what was going on in her head. He had a sudden thought which immediately caused him embarrassment, was his sister somehow fantasising about him?

Previously, he could never have brought himself to ask, it would have been inappropriate. But age had its benefits even if it was only in his mind. 'Are you fantasising about me,' he asked, the colour of Carol's face answering his question. He looked at her kindly, astonishing himself when he spoke, 'I don't mind if you would like to try it again, it was certainly different!'

His sister looked as shocked as he felt as she stared at him wide-eyed. There was hesitation as she shuffled nearer and then more hesitation as she kept glancing but seemed to lack the courage to do it a second time. Lifting her chin, his face moved closer and then he kissed her, ever so soft and tenderly. It seemed to happen so quickly as Carol's arms went around his neck, the kiss picking up pace and becoming passionate and arousing. What was shocking David more than the kiss was the sudden urgency in his loins, he was getting an erection and his hands wanted to touch her.

When their lips parted his eyes caught the sight of Carol's bosom rising and falling rapidly, it seemed that it had affected her just as much as it had done him. 'Mum and dad are downstairs,' he hastily said, knowing full well that if they hadn't had been, something more may have been happening by now. She nodded her head, but her eyes told another story, she was aroused, and David got the impression that she was now wanting more than the kiss. As it was, she took the decision, 'I'd better go and give you some peace,' she said, but David knew that it wasn't the last he would hear about this episode.

Lying on his bed afterwards, he thought about his sister. This had never happened in his previous life, what had changed? Yes, he had always considered her pretty, but he had never thought of her in that way. Why was he now seeing her differently, perturbed when he realised, he was thinking of her sexually and as a young woman?

The problem for David was that Carol wasn't the only one suddenly taking an interest. As a teenager, he'd had a large group of friends, both male and female. He had never stood out from the crowd, always just one of the lads, but slowly it was as if he were exerting some kind of influence over them. All of them seemed to look to him to take the initiative. The first time around there had only been Wendy, but now there appeared to be lots of interest from the other girls in the group. He wondered if his girlfriend had said something, her visits had become more frequent and her desire for sex had increased dramatically.

Six months in and despite his visits to the house, he was still in the past. The path he had worn across the garden was becoming more permanent from his frequency, but the attic room never changed back to what he had witnessed on his original discovery and David was becoming accustomed to the thought that he may be here forever.

It had been a trip out with Wendy that had started him thinking about his future. What if he could never return, did he allow his life to take exactly the same path or was it possible to alter things without affecting what should happen at the proper time? She had wanted to visit the large indoor market situated in the bigger town ten miles away, David finding it a novelty to travel on a bus after god knows how many years of driving himself. While she had been looking at clothes, a stall nearby attracted his attention. On display in glass cabinets were old banknotes of all denominations and examples of coins. David spotted a white fiver and was asking about the price, shocked to find that it would cost him eighty pounds to buy.

'Are you a new collector?' the stallholder asked, David shook his head. 'No, it's just that I have about five or six of them.' The man's ear's pricked up, 'If you are ever interested in selling them, I could give you a fair price.'

David haggled and explained that he also had pound notes, ten bob notes as well as coins. They settled on an amount, 'I'll need to see them,' the stallholder told him. David nodded, 'I'll be in town next weekend. I'll bring them with me,' and the two shook hands.

During the week he paid a visit to the house, going up into the attic room. He'd brought the holdall with him and transferred the contents of the biscuit tin into it. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but it was going to sit here for another forty years until he discovered it and as he hadn't asked to be here, he was going to use it. The following weekend he took the bus again, making his way to the market and showing the stallholder the money he had brought with him. It was only a fraction of the total sum, but David wasn't going to raise eyebrows by selling it all at once.

Over the course of the next two months, he sought out other sellers and slowly disposed of the money, until finally, he had a large wad of cash secreted in his bedroom. Nearly eight thousand pounds sat in his camera bag, not a large amount by modern standards, but when you considered he could buy a house for less than that or a new top of the range car for just over two grand, it was an exceedingly large amount of money for someone of his age. His wage at work wasn't fantastic as an apprentice, but with time and the different courses and colleges they wanted him to attend, his earning power in the future would outweigh what he had originally earned, and David had always considered he had been on good money.