The Traveller

'Take a look, it's English money, it even has the queen's head on it. 'And that won't happen until 1960,' he said, trying his best to convince her.

Annie stared at him, her ice-cream now forgotten, on the one hand, she thought he was mad but when she looked at him she had to admit that what he said about his clothing was true and the money he showed her certainly looked similar and everyone did have a picture of the new queen's head on them but they were nothing like she had seen before and the queen's image on the coins was that of an older woman.

Together they made their way back up the hill, heading for the wood's and the clearing as Adam continued trying to convince her. At the top of the hill instead of entering the treeline, she asked him to accompany her along its edge a few hundred yards as at last, she pointed to the farm halfway down the hill and then further down to the large house and gardens.

'That is Crompton Hall, where I live, and Crompton farm. 'I know the couple well, and they have no children. 'If you are looking for work Adam, I am sure I can have a word with my father. 'We always seem to be looking for gardeners nowadays, have you any experience?'

They parted company as he watched her heading downhill towards her home and he re-entered the treeline and back to the hollow. Annie's towel was still lying on the floor where she had left it and he picked it up and hung it over a branch to dry. Sitting on his groundsheet he tried to make sense of his situation as Sam sprung into his thoughts. He wondered what she must be thinking of him, surely, she had returned today to find him gone, it was not really fair on her after he had promised to stay a little longer. Mostly his thoughts centred on how he was going to get back to his own time.

For the first time in his life, Adam felt lonely, in the past, he had been considered a loner, he was used to looking out for himself and had never needed other people's company. It was a strange feeling, something he had never experienced before and he desperately wished Annie would return, his problem had not felt as insurmountable in her company. The afternoon turned into evening and then night, as he slept uneasily, waking frequently as Sam entered his dreams and he called her name in his sleep. Even the daylight brought no respite as it seemed he was somehow stuck in the past.

True to her word, Annie had got him a job working in the gardens, but his modern ideas did not always go down well with the other gardeners. It was nearly six months now that he had been there, and she had also arranged accommodation for him in one of the attic rooms over the stables. Despite their strange beginning, their friendship had blossomed especially as one weekend he was doing extra, and she had come across him naked to the waist and dressed in shorts and boots. His tanned skin contrasted with her pale complexion as she watched him discreetly and felt a stirring between her thighs as she admired his muscled and toned body.

She sensed that he was different, he had no understanding of social conformity, his words and actions strange for the times and completely out of step with everything she knew. She accepted that times were changing but it appeared that Adam was so ahead of the pack that he was out of sight. All the other staff were deferential to her, but he treated her as if he were her equal, speaking to her and saying things that under normal circumstance would see other staff dismissed. She could not fault his work ethic and she knew her father was impressed with his knowledge.

She caught him one day singing a song to himself, some tune she had never heard before and when she pressed him about it, he explained the concept of pop music to her with a wry smile.

'Next thing you know you will be listening to Al Martino topping the charts,' he said bursting into laughter.

Christmas was miserable, more so than usual, he was used to being alone and Christmas meant truly little to him, never having had a family to share it with. On top of that, as the end of December approached, he began to feel queasy, he was not ill, he just didn't feel right, it was like he was suddenly feeling restive. New Year's Eve was particularly bad, leaving him feeling as though he was being torn apart and spending most of that day and the next in his bed.

It was the third of January when Annie came up to his attic room.

'How did you know?' She asked, staring at him most strangely.

Adam hadn't a clue what she was talking about as he grinned at her and told her so. Her face had changed, it was no longer disbelief that he saw, but a reappraisal of what he had been trying to tell her for months.

'I listened to him on the radio, Al Martino was number one over Christmas?'

It took him a while to stop laughing much to her irritation and then he suddenly became serious, 'I've just remembered something. 'If I show you, you must promise me not to ever say anything to anyone, promise?'

Annie watched as he grabbed his backpack, pulling items out and pushing them to one side as he rummaged in the bottom of it. He pulled out a little rectangular box and what looked like a telephonist's headset, only smaller. He plugged the headset in and pushed a button, hoping that the batteries would still be ok as he ran the tape back looking for the track he wanted and keying it up ready. Passing the headset to Annie, he asked if she was ready. She nodded her head as he gave her a taste of his favourite artist, David Bowie singing 'Life on Mars,' on his Walkman.

Annie's eyes went wide, she had never heard music like this and for the very first time, started to perhaps believe him, wanting to know what was going to happen in the future. Whilst he gave her glimpses of what it was like, he refused to give her details, 'For all I know, I tell you something and you change the future, don't forget, I won't be born for another twenty-four years yet.'

That night it was Annie who could not settle, Adam's strange words and stories reverberated in her head as she tossed and turned until eventually she got out of bed, put on a robe and snuck from the house, heading for the stables. Climbing the stairs, she was nervous; she opened the door quietly before slipping into the room, Adam breathing softly as he slept. Easing herself down onto the edge of his bed, she gently rested her hand on his bare chest. Her breathing was hard to control and she had that familiar feeling between her thighs. She watched as he stirred, his eyes coming open in surprise at her presence. She shivered slightly; the night was chillier than she had presumed.

'Can I get under the cover's?' She asked, a look of surprise on her face when he told her he was naked.

On impulse, she decided it suddenly did not matter, 'Very un-ladylike,' she thought to herself.

Adam moved over and made room for her as she slipped beneath the covers, instantly feeling the heat of his body. As she stared into his eyes in the dim light, she wanted him to kiss her, but that kind of thing was just was not done. As if reading her thoughts, he spoke quietly but she could hear the amusement in his voice.

'Young women are used to being assertive in my time,' he said, 'They don't hang around waiting anymore.'

Plucking up the courage, she moved her face closer and found that he had met her halfway as their lips came together. She didn't want to tell him that this was her first time, but somehow he seemed to know as he kissed her softly and gently, building her passion and arousal little by little until her mouth was grinding against his and she felt his tongue exploring her lips and then her mouth. As she warmed, he helped her out of her robe and then her nightdress and as she lay back down, pressed against him, she felt his erection pushing against her belly and mound.

Adam kissed her lips again and then her neck, he worked his way down to her chest as he slid under the covers and arrived at her breasts. They were a good size, full and firm as his hand caressed and fondled them, his fingers teasing her nipples as he brought them erect and then his mouth and lips were sucking and licking at each one as his tongue circled her areola and his teeth nipped at her teats, causing her to gasp and moan pleasurably. As he worked his way across her flat stomach, Annie could not believe what he was about to do but waited with bated breath as he opened her legs and slid between them.

She could feel his hot breath on her fanny as he carefully spread her lips and then the most exquisite feeling she had ever experienced happened as she felt his tongue and lips slide across her quim. She was unable to stop herself from crying out as uncontrollably she pushed her pussy against his mouth and felt his tongue penetrate her and take her breath away.

'Oh my God Adam, that feels so good, I never knew it would feel like...... fuuuck!'

She never finished the sentence properly as his fingers exposed her clitoris and his tongue flicked out to tease and lick it. Her hips bucked wildly as sensations flooded her body, rippling through her and taking her breath her away as she closed her eyes and allowed the feelings to overpower her. When she finally came back down to earth she found him knelt between her thighs, his shaft gently rubbing against her vagina.

'Tell me to stop whenever you want,' he said, 'I'll try to be as gentle as possible.'

Annie felt his cock pushing against her opening and then inch by inch and ever so slowly, he slid his manhood into her. She felt her insides expand to accommodate him and he paused once he was inside her so that she could get used to the feeling before he started to fuck her. She wanted to scream, not because she was in pain, but because of her arousal and the sensations, she was experiencing. He bent and kissed her breasts, his momentum increasing a little at a time until he could tell that she was close and then he fucked her hard, having to put his hand over her mouth at one point lest the noise she was making woke up everyone in the house. As her head went back and her body arched, he slammed his cock into her, rewarded with her climax as his shaft sent spurt after spurt of cum deep into her passage.

Laying side by side as their chests rose and fell in unison, they gulped in much-needed oxygen until Annie, at last, turned on her side and kissed him, 'I love you, Adam,' she whispered.

Time seemed to fly by, and Adam estimated that it must be nearly two years since he had arrived; in that time, he and Annie had become close, to the extent that he knew he was in love with her. Whilst he still dreamt of returning to his own time, he had reconciled himself to the fact that he was probably here for the rest of his life. Nowadays he looked just like everyone else, Annie had managed to beg some old clothes from her father and the clothes he had arrived in were packed securely in his backpack, ready for that day if it ever came.

While her parents treated him well, he suspected that her father was not over enamoured as their relationship developed; certainly, he would have forbidden it if it had not been for Annie's mother. Though she never socialised with him, nevertheless, she was extremely kind to him and he got the feeling that something in her past made her look at him differently. He and Annie were sleeping together regularly though never in the big house, many were the nights that she would sneak up to his attic room while they made love.

It was a Sunday and the weather was hot, Annie had made some sandwiches and drinks which he had placed in his backpack as they set off up the hill to woods on its summit heading for the clearing and the pool within. In the nice weather, they would visit their sanctuary at least once or twice a week, during the summer they would go up there nearly every evening. No one else ever visited and they could be together without any disapproving stares, on each occasion they would do the same thing, Adam would spread his groundsheet out and they would get naked and make love. Afterwards, they would bathe in the pool, cleansing each other as he held her tightly until they chilled and then it was back to the groundsheet as they allowed the sun to warm and dry their bodies.

They had made love and then splashed in the pool before eating their picnic naked. Stretched out on the groundsheet, Annie was as happy as she had ever been, she was excited, but her secret would keep a little longer until they were in bed together that evening. As the afternoon drew to a close Adam sensed a change in the weather.

'There's a storm coming in,' he told Annie, 'we had better get dressed and be ready to move.'

Annie looked up at the clear blue sky and wondered why he thought there was going to be a storm. The last few weeks had seen a mini heatwave with not one drop of rain and anyway, she was warm and sleepy and did not want to move yet. An hour passed as Adam scanned the sky, both of them still naked as Annie dozed on the groundsheet. His ears pricked up; was that the sound of thunder he had heard in the distance and was suddenly concerned. He stood and made his way up the slope and through the tree's, standing at their edge naked as he scanned the horizon, but the sky was blue as far as he could see.

Back in the clearing, he was just about to wake Annie when the light suddenly dimmed, looking up at the sky he was amazed to see black clouds come scudding in and heard the first rumble of thunder in the distance. Bending, he shook her awake as he grabbed their clothes and his backpack, 'Bring the groundsheet,' he shouted as he headed for the shelter he had suddenly noticed and which he had built years in the future, the first drops of rain beginning to descend.

Huddled together, he wrapped the groundsheet around them trying to keep Annie dry and warm. He could feel her trembling as the thunder now boomed overhead; just like last time the very hollow itself seemed to reverberate with the sound. In the clearing, it was as if night had fallen, when suddenly it was lit by a flash of lightning which made Annie jump. The first lightning strike made her scream, the second nearly had her in hysterics but then the storm disappeared as quickly as it had arrived leaving an eerie silence in the clearing.

'What's that?' She asked.

Adam could already sense it again through the soles of his feet, that strange vibration and humming noise that he could hear inside his head as he dashed from their shelter. He held out his hand to her, 'Come and see!' He exclaimed as the clearing was lit by a cool blue light.

Rushing to the pool he climbed onto the rocky ledge and looked down into the crystal-clear shimmering water.

This is how I got here Annie, please, come with me,' he pleaded, holding out his hand to her. Grasping his hand he started to pull he up to his vantage point, but her hand was wet and she was scared and not sure she wanted to do this, which was why she had let go and watched as Adam went flying backwards into the water. She heard him shout her name just before the flash of light which blinded her for a moment. When she opened her eyes, the clearing looked exactly as it had when they had arrived except the shelter and his backpack had gone. With a feeling of panic and dread, she clambered onto the edge of the pool, the waterfall continued to splash water down into it, but he was gone.

'ADAM!' She screamed, 'Come back, I'm pregnant, we are going to have a baby.' Annie was unable to stop the floods of tears which then came as no one answered her. Why had she been such a coward, why had she not kept hold of his hand. She dressed, still sobbing, taking a last look around the clearing as heartbroken, she made her way towards home.

Adam's brain registered that he was sat in water seconds before a piercing scream echoed around the clearing. He was concerned for Annie and was wondering why she was screaming when his eyes shot open to find, not Annie, but another young woman sat in the pool opposite him.

'Who are you? 'Where did you come from?' She screamed at him as she pushed herself back against the edge of the pool and tried to cover her nakedness.

'You're not Annie or Sam!' Adam kept repeating over and over again as he looked around in shock.

He finally got her to stop screaming at him, having drawn his knees up to his chest and raised his hands, trying to signal that he meant her no harm.

'I need to get out,' she said, and he could still hear the fear in her voice.

Promising to turn his back, he shuffled around in the water to face away from her as he heard her leave the pool. When he turned back, she had a large towel wrapped around her and was drying her hair with a smaller one.

She stared at him fiercely, "What are you doing here, do you know......'

'That this private land.' He finished for her, 'Which does it belong to now, the big house or the farm?'

That seemed to stop her for a moment, 'Who are you?' She asked warily.

'My name is Adam. 'As in 'Adams Wood' and the same as the name on the headstone over there.' His pointed with his arm to the headstone without even turning around, he had seen it so many times over the years that he knew exactly where it was.

'What are you doing here?' she demanded.

It was out of his mouth before his brain told him not to say it, 'I've spent the afternoon up here with Annie, do you know her?'

She continued to stare at him, but at least she was not screaming anymore. Pointing to his backpack which he spied over by his shelter, he asked her to open it and get him a towel, the water was starting to feel a little cold. He could see she was about to say something but all that came out was a gasp as she turned around and saw his bag and shelter. He could hear her muttering to herself as she went over and retrieved a towel for him.

'If you don't mind,' he said, when at first she made no move to turn around, once she had her back to him he stood and wrapped the towel around his waist before leaving the pool but still keeping his distance from her.

Adam turned his back to her as she reached for her clothes, standing patiently until she said she was dressed. Turning around, he looked at her closely and trying not to stare. Her face contained both aspects of Sam and Annie, but while they were both blondes, she was the same hair colouring as himself, a mousey brown. Now she was dressed and felt more confident that he was going to do her no harm, she relaxed a little.

'My mother is called Annabelle; I've heard some of the older folk occasionally call her Annie, but it wouldn't be her, I very much doubt she spent the afternoon up here with you' she said

'And I have never heard of a Sam, there are no young men around here called Sam,' she told him and then frowning when he broke into a smile and started laughing.

'Sorry, no, Sam, as in Samantha,' Adam said. If Annabelle were her mother, she could not be the right one and if this young woman lived locally, surely, she must have known Sam and her family. Also, she and Annie must be of a similar age. And then it hit him like a sledgehammer.

'I know this may seem like a stupid question, but what year is it?'

Her face told him it was a stupid question as she put her hands on her hips, '1973, of course.'

It felt as though someone had suddenly kicked his legs from under him as his backside met the ground and his towel came undone. The young woman got an eyeful before embarrassed, she turned around; he called out his thanks as he covered himself, but his legs felt like jelly and he was staying put for the moment, fed up with falling over. She came and knelt near him looking concerned.

'Are you ok, you're white as a sheet,' she said, 'by the way, my name is Jean.'

Adam shook her extended hand, 'I'll be fine in a minute and everything is hunky-dory,' he said, the sarcasm evident in his voice.