The Traveller

Collecting up her belongings and sure that Adam was going to be alright, she set off up the slope and disappeared into the trees. Once she had gone, Adam retrieved his backpack and dressed before making himself a brew. 'This is ridiculous,' he was thinking, it was still another three years before he would be born, at this rate he would be an old man before he ever got back, and Sam would be a middle-aged woman. He wondered about Annie and what would become of her, suddenly realising that she would now be in her forties.

There were still a few sandwiches in his bag which would do him for the evening but he was wondering what he would do tomorrow, the money still stowed in his backpack was from the year 1996 and he had no idea if any of it was legal tender yet. It was an uneasy sleep that night as he pondered his predicament, at least last time he had had Annie who helped make his life easier.

He was up early the next morning and had washed and dressed in his normal clothes when he caught sight of the young woman descending the slope.

'I see you are still here,' she said, 'have you nowhere to go?' She suddenly realised that the young man seemed close to tears and that her tone had been a little unkind.

She listened as he explained that he had money but was not sure if it was legal in the shops. He also told her what he had told Sam on that first occasion that he had no family to turn to and would need to find a job. She felt sorry for him and her demeanour started to soften.

'I work at Crompton farm, though really, my home is the old hall. 'Mr and Mrs Timpson have the farm, but they are in their sixties now and everything is getting a bit too much for them. 'I do what I can and end up sleeping there most of the time.'

Adam was staring at her intently, was it possible that this young woman was Annie's daughter, the passage of time would make it about right.

'You could come and help out at the farm,' Jean said hesitantly, 'They couldn't afford to pay you, but I'm sure they would feed you each day and you could sleep in the barn.'

Adam had nothing to lose and at the very least it would put food in his belly until he could find a job that paid. Jean was enamoured by his smile as he perked up and suddenly looked a lot brighter. She asked about his money, waiting while he retrieved it from his backpack and held it out in his hand.

'This, this and these you can spend, but I've never heard of a pound coin, and I'm not sure about the notes, they look completely different,' she said with a puzzled look on her face.

On this occasion, she had turned up with a bathing costume just in case and Adam turned his back on her as she changed and got into the pool. He was singing to himself as he packed up all his belongings when Jean shouted across to him, 'What is that damned tune, my mother has hummed it for years but didn't know what it was called?'

He turned and gave her a grin, 'If it's 1973, then I'm sure you will hear it this year,' he said with a laugh and looking pleased with himself.

He had settled in at the farm, the work was different from what he was used to, but he soon learnt what he needed to do and put all his effort into getting the jobs done. Jean watched him one day as stripped to the waist, he moved bales of hay into the barn, singing to himself as he worked. She refused to admit it to herself, but as she got to know him, she quite fancied him, 'There he goes again,' she thought to herself, singing that song, the one her mother would always hum. She thought no more about it as she got on with her own tasks, the radio playing pop music in the background.

It was more her subconscious that picked up on the DJ's words as he introduced the next record, 'And here's the new one from David Bowie. 'Life on Mars.'

She stood transfixed for a moment as the music played, refusing to believe what she was hearing. It was the song that Adam was singing before and that her mother always hummed, but how could either of them have heard it if it had only just been released. It was possible, she supposed, that Adam might just have had heard it somewhere previously, but her mother had been humming it for years, and how come he had suddenly appeared in the pool with her.

That evening, once the farmer and his wife were in bed, she made her way out to the barn and climbed up the bales to where Adam had spread out his groundsheet and sleeping bag. He seemed surprised when she appeared, but his face lit up at the prospect of a little bit of company.

'I heard that song you keep singing on the radio today,' she said casually.

He grinned and gave a slight laugh, 'See, I told you so,'

Jean watched him turn white as she asked her next question, 'My mother has been humming that song for years, she used to drive me mad with it, how would she know it. 'Do you know her Adam?'

He was in a panic, he had gone down this road before and was wondering how much to tell her, 'I met her one summer,' he lied.

She looked at him furiously, 'Adam, stop lying, too many things don't add up, please, tell me the truth.'

He could not, not the whole truth, he could easily end up out on his ear, and then what.

'Ok, although you are not going to believe me,' he started with a huge sigh. 'How old is your mother, Jean, forty?' He watched as she nodded her head. I'm twenty, so when was I born?' He asked, waiting as she did the simple arithmetic.

'1953 of course,' she replied

'Would you like to make some money,' he asked her cynically.

Jean gave him a withering look, 'If you are going to treat me like a child...' she began.

Adam just looked at her, 'If you have fifty pounds, walk into a betting shop tomorrow and put a bet on, put all your money on a group called "Slade" having the Christmas number one this year. 'I bet you get at least 500/1, that should net you about twenty-five thousand pounds.'

Now it was her turn to look at him cynically, 'Rubbish, you can't know that!'

Adam had a sarcastic smile on his face as he looked at her, 'Yes I can,' he told Jean, 'I've heard that song every year since the day I was born in...... 1976!'

Involuntary, she raised her hand to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her, 'You wanted the truth. I was camping in those woods up on the hill when there was a storm one night, someone told me it was supposed to be magical up there, and they were correct.

'I blacked out and when I came too, there was a young woman there, she said her name was Annie and that she lived in the big house.

'She helped me, got me a job working in the gardens, and it was where I played that song to her. He has always been my favourite singer and I particularly liked that track.

'She must have been about eighteen at the time and I got to know her, a nice young lady...... it was 1952.

'And then one day I was back in those woods and the clearing and the next thing I know, I'm sitting in the pool with you.'

Adam let go of her wrist, if you do not believe me, go and ask your mum...... 'Only, tell her that the Timpson's mentioned my name.'

Of course, she wanted to know why, as Adam tried to explain that too many questions would be asked as to why she had aged, and he had not.

He could not tell if she believed him or not, 'I'd better go,' was all she said as she made her way back down the bales of hay and disappeared.

Adam saw nothing of her the next day, the old farmer telling him that she had gone down to the big house to see her parents. He finished work and went to wash and shave before sitting down in the kitchen and having his evening meal, thanking them both as he disappeared out to the barn, Jean having still not returned. He was tired, so undressed and climbed into his sleeping bag, sleeping soundly until someone shaking his shoulder woke him up.

As he opened his eyes, Jean was squatted down next to him, her face in shadow but he could hear her voice catch as she spoke.

'Mum remembers you, she said you were handsome, and she said my grandparents missed you when you left, they said the gardens had never looked as nice.

'She said you were there for several years, but strangely, that you never seemed to get any older and that one day you suddenly disappeared.

'If I didn't know better, I would have said mum fancied you,' she finished with a surprised laugh.

She stretched out and lay next to him, supporting her head on her crooked arm as she gazed at him.

'So, what now Adam, the man from the future!' she asked with a hint of amusement.

Adam was being serious as he told her, 'I honestly don't know, at first, I wanted to get back because I didn't want to disappoint young Sam. 'But she has probably forgotten about me now, it has been over two years and who knows, I might be here for good.'

He sounded a little despondent as Jean decided that perhaps in the future, she could help cheer him up. She could not begin to imagine what it must be like, trapped in a place where you did not belong, it was enough to drive a lad insane.

As the months passed, he often got the urge to go down to the big house and see Annie, but what could he say to her. Whilst to him it had only been six months since he had last seen her, to Annie, it had been over twenty years since that fateful day. She was married, with a husband and daughter, how could it be fair on her to suddenly have him bursting back into her life.

Christmas and New Year had come and gone, not that Adam was concerned, this time of year was very much like the last one, as again, he wasn't feeling that great and even though he'd had Christmas dinner with the farmer and his wife, he had kept himself very much to himself.

Jean had disappeared for a few days to enjoy the celebrations with her family and he had to admit to missing her. It was the sixth of January when she showed up next and snow had fallen for the last two days, the fields all around now covered with a crisp white blanket.

Adam had tended to the animals that morning and was just considering going for a short walk when he spotted Jean coming up the lane at a trot. Rushing into the farmyard and then up to him, she threw her arms around his neck, pulled his face nearer and kissed him fully on the lips. He was too surprised to do anything other than kiss her back until she released him and stepped back, her face beaming with excitement as she shook her head.

'You were right, oh my god, you really are from the future aren't you!' She threw herself at him once more and hugged him tightly.

He reckoned he could get used to being hugged by Jean but wondering at the same time, what he had done to deserve it.

'I did what you said, I put fifty pounds on the number one, I'm rich!' She was finding it hard to constrain herself as she kissed him once more.

Somehow, this time the kiss was different, it seemed to go on for longer and as their lips slowly parted, it seemed to linger.

Jean with her head down, raised her eyes and looked at him shyly, 'I'm sorry, that was a bit presumptuous of me, wasn't it?'

Adam laughed loudly, 'Not at all, it feels nice to be wanted by someone,' he said as he picked her up, twirled her around and kissed the tip of her nose.

Jean threaded her arm through his as they tramped across the fields, each step making a crunching noise in the virgin surface. She wanted to take him into the big town, which was a bus ride away and treat him, but Adam was content just to be in her company. He wanted nothing from her because subconsciously he was afraid, he had got close to Annie and then he was gone, and he often wondered what she may have gone through at the time and how much hurt he had caused. So far, he had done it to two young impressionable women, and he was determined not to do it for the third time.

Sitting down with the old couple that night, he and Jean ate their evening meal before all four of them watched a couple of hours television. Bert Timpson winked at his wife and raised his eyes skywards, indicating that he thought it was a good idea to leave the young-uns and give them a bit of privacy. He and his wife had watched them over the last few months as they sparred with each other, but tonight he sensed, something had changed.

Laying side by side on the huge settee in front of the blazing fire, Jean snuggled up against him and felt content. In the six months, she had known Adam, she had felt herself being drawn to him and especially when he had confided the truth in her. He seemed to have some kind of inner strength she had thought, convinced that if she were in the same predicament, she would have been in pieces ages ago.

Over Christmas and away from him, she had given it a lot of thought and now knew what she wanted. She wanted a relationship with him, and she knew that she was taking a chance; from what he had told her she knew that he could disappear at any time, but she was prepared to take that chance. He had told her that he had spent nearly two years in her mother's company and if she got that long she would be happy, if she got longer, well she would be ecstatic.

It had gotten late and the fire had died down but the room was still warm, Jean had lain in his arms for the last couple of hours but other than kiss the top of her head and occasionally her lips, Adam had made no other attempt to touch her, something she desperately wanted. She was beginning to wonder if he felt anything for her and wanted nothing more than just a casual friendship. She was not quite sure on how to broach the subject so just came out with it.

'You can touch me, you know...... if you want,' she stammered as she looked up at him, not wanting to appear as though she was some kind of brazen woman.

He said nothing at first, the silence just continuing as she began to wonder if he had fallen asleep.

'You know what might happen,' he suddenly said, 'I like you a lot Jean, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you,' there was a long pause as he seemed to gather his thoughts.

'I may be here for the rest of my life, and in a way, I could live with that, and with you. But what happens if I am gone tomorrow or the next day, can you take that chance?'

Her answer was to slide further up the settee until her face was level with his as she took his hand and placed it on her breast. 'I'm willing to take that chance,' she said and kissed him.

This time she could feel the passion in his kiss as their lips locked together and she forced her tongue into his mouth. With one arm wrapped around her, she could feel his other hand unbuttoning her cardigan and then the buttons of her shirt before slipping inside and pushing her bra upwards and freeing her tits. As his hand cupped her left breast, she moaned softly, the sound getting louder as he fondled and squeezed it and then he had to tell her to 'hush' as he applied pressure to her nipple which was now hard and throbbing, demanding more attention.

It was as though they had the same thought at the same time, Jean sat up and discarded her cardigan, shirt and bra as Adam removed his jumper and shirt. She marvelled at his muscled torso, her hands running over his smooth but firm chest as she teased his nipples. From her left breast, he moved to her right, giving it the same treatment and kissing her hard as he tweaked her nipple and her cries got louder. And then his hand was sliding over her stomach as he caressed her flesh, his fingertips moving all the time as though he was memorising her feel and shape. She felt the button of her jeans pop open and then the zip slide down as in her mind she urged him onwards, when his hand slid inside and then inside her panties, she hit the ceiling, her cry, reverberating around the room.

Adam found her fanny lips moist and open as his fingers slipped between her legs and traced the line of her slit. Ever so gently, he applied pressure as a single-digit slid inside her quim, finding her wet and hot inside. As he fingered her slowly, Jean's hand was frantically rubbing at the bulge in the front of his jean pants; his erection feeling hard and unyielding. They finished undressing, Jean gasping as, free of his pants, his cock jutted proudly from beneath his stomach looking large and predatory in the dim flickering light of what was left of the fire.

Back on the settee, she straddled his hips, her fanny atop his shaft as she slid back and forth along its length, teasing him. In response, his hand went to her fanny, his thumb finding her clitoris as he stroked and teased it, causing her to visibly shiver with anticipation. She knew she was ready, her arousal already substantial as she raised herself and fumbled for his shaft.

Placing it against her opening, she lowered herself onto it, her insides stretching as she took him deep inside her quim and rocked back and forth. Adam's hands went to her magnificent breasts, each one, a little more than a handful; her areolas large and covering the front of each beautiful orb and in the centre of each was a darker hard bud.

Adam caressed and fondled her tits, his fingers twisting and squeezing her nipples as she moaned and gasped in pleasure. Jean was rising and falling faster as her climax approached, grabbing her head, Adam pulled it down so that he could kiss her as his hips rose and rammed his shaft into her, Jean trying to cry out as she orgasmed, but their lips locked together kept the sound muted.

Laying against Adam's chest, his cock still buried deep inside her, she panted as she sucked air into her lungs. He waited for her to recover before he suggested they move to the rug in front of the fire. Taking the cushions from the furniture, he spread them on the rug and helped her down before spreading her legs and kneeling between her thighs. His shaft, slick with her juices, sank into her flesh once more as slowly at first and then with increasing impetus, he fucked her. She tried to be as quiet as she could, but he excited and aroused her to such an extent that she wanted to cry out his name.

And then she was cumming again, staring at him with unseeing eyes as her head whipped back and her body arched, she felt his semen spurt inside her as he cried out and then sensations flooded her body and overpowered her brain as she floated serenely. When she came to, Adam had found an old blanket from somewhere and was lying next to her with it draped across them as he cuddled her and kept her warm. She knew at some point that they had to move, they could not spend the night here, what would the farmer and his wife say in the morning. As she dozed, she wondered how many girls in the future, Adam had made love to; while she was no stranger to sex, she had never had such an accomplished lover and felt slightly jealous of those unknown faces.

They took their pleasures where and when they could until one day Beth, (Mrs Timpson) took Jean to one side and told her plainly that they did not mind if she and Adam shared the same room, it wasn't as if they didn't know what was going on between the pair.

The rest of that year and then the next were idyllic with Adam forgetting that he had once had another life in another time. By his reckoning, his next birthday would make him twenty-five, but each morning as he looked at himself in the mirror, he was still a fresh-faced twenty-year-old. It had been a decent enough summer but as the autumn set in Adam started to feel something, it couldn't describe what it was and at one point wondered if it was perhaps something to do with the fact that on the first of January 1976, he would officially be born and it was now only a few months away.

Jean had recognised the change in him, as Christmas approached, she would notice him stood in the farmyard or out in the open fields looking up at the hill and the woods on top. He was forever asking her to go up there with him as though something was summoning him. Christmas day she had to spend at home, but she returned the next day to find Adam subdued and unresponsive to her questions, all he could tell her was that something was going to happen.