2021

  ‘Can you come with us please?’ suddenly asked one of the men dressed in black.

  ‘Hold on, I just want to tell a mate of mine’ smiled Tom as he ran to the next office to explain everything to Alec.

  Alec was just sitting there tapping figures into a large calculator as usual when Tom suddenly grabbed hold of his arm.

  ‘Hey! What do think you’re doing? I’ve lost my place now’ Alec complained.

  ‘I’m sorry, Alec, but I’ve got to go’ he told him quickly.

  ‘Go? Go where?’ queried Alec looking slightly startled.

  ‘I’m being taken to the Vatican City to see the Pope!’ Tom quickly explained.

  ‘Yeah, and I’m off to see the Queen at Buckingham Palace in a minute, we’re having cucumber sandwiches out on the lawn’ Alec joked.

  ‘No, Alec, I’m serious, there are two men outside who have come here to escort me there’ explained Tom.

  ‘But why, you’re not even Catholic? Blimey, mate, you don’t even go to church?’ queried Alec. ‘Na, you’re just having me on’ chuckled Alec as he just went to start adding up his figures again.

  Tom just pulled Alec out of his chair and dragged him over to look out the window.

  ‘Look outside!’ he told him.

  Tom then pulled down a slat in the blind, so Alec could stare out at the two men now pacing impatiently up and down outside.

  Then he turned back to Tom.

  ‘Are you sure this isn’t just someone’s idea of a wind up?’

  ‘No, this is genuine, Alec, Father Mathews was here himself only a moment ago’ explained Tom.

  ‘Father Mathews? But he’s our priest, I mean, my priest in the church my family and I go to every Sunday’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘Come on, Alec, I’ve got to go’ uttered Tom impatiently ‘if you can explain everything to your dad and apologise for me for leaving on such short notice please?’

  ‘No, you’re just winding me up, going to see the Pope indeed, what was in your sandwiches this morning, dope or something?’ Alec just joked.

  ‘Look, I can’t waste time standing here arguing with you, Alec, I’ve got to go’ stated Tom as he began to leave ‘I’ll see you when I get back.’

  ‘You’re not really serious?’ queried Alec.

  ‘Yeah, why do think I’m now grabbing my coat and fast heading for the door?’ laughed Tom.

  ‘Then I’m supposed to just stay here and tell everyone you’ve decided to pop over to Italy to see the Pope? NOT BLOODY LIKELY! I’M COMING WITH YOU’ shouted Alec as he just dropped what he was doing as he ran to catch up with him.

  On their way out, Alec bent down to speak to Mark as he was just underneath a car, busy carrying out a repair.

  ‘Mark, if you can tell my dad both Tom and I have volunteered to fight for the International Defence Army’ he told him casually.

  ‘Yeah, all right’ replied Mark, not really paying any attention.

  A couple of minutes later, it suddenly dawned upon Mark just what Alec had said and he almost hit his head on the underside of the car!

  ‘You’re doing what?’ he puzzled.

  The two men in black weren’t too sure about allowing Alec to come at first, but in the end, Tom just refused to leave unless he did.

  So after a brief stop at each of their houses to pick up some clothes and their passports, they were soon on their way.

  ‘Did you leave a note?’ Tom asked Alec.

  ‘Na, I just told Mark that we had both volunteered to fight for the International Defence Army’ smiled Alec.

  ‘Really, what did he say?’ pondered Tom.

  ‘Nothing really’ replied Alec casually.

  ‘What did you tell your mum?’ asked Alec.

  ‘Oh, I just left a note saying pretty much the same’ smiled Tom.

  ‘I wonder what she’ll say to that’ pondered Alec.

  ‘Didn’t you tell your mum you’re going to see the Pope, Alec?’ queried Tom ‘seeing as you’re a Catholic?’

  ‘You’re joking! If I said that, they’d all want to tag along’ smiled Alec and Tom just laughed. ‘Well the Pope gets treated like a pop star in my house’ smiled Alec.

  They then travelled by taxi to Gatwick Airport.

  ‘We’ll have to check if we can get your friend on the same flight’ one of the men in black told them after they had arrived.

  So both Tom and Alec ended up waiting at the airline’s check in desk for him, whilst he sorted out Alec’s flight.

  He came back ten minutes later.

  ‘I’ve had to book us into a later flight. We can check in now, but we’ll have a couple of hours to kill’ he explained.

  ‘No matter, I could murder a fry up!’ smiled Alec.

  ‘Don’t you ever think about anything other than your stomach?’ Tom criticised, but one of the men in black just nodded his head.

  ‘You can eat if you like’ so then Alec got his wish.

  Soon they were on their way to Rome’s Intercontinental Airport Leonardo Da Vinci approximately 14 miles from Vatican City.

  They had been booked in First Class and both Alec and Tom loved it.

  ‘Blimey, this is the life, much better than working any day’ smiled Alec.

  ‘It’s a bit better than that budget flight to Spain we went on last year isn’t it?’ laughed Tom.

  ‘You’re not kidding, there wasn’t room to swing a cat in that thing’ nodded Alec.

  ‘Are you sure this is all right, I mean us all travelling First Class like this?’ queried Tom, beginning to become a little worried about the cost of it all.

  ‘His Holiness has given us a generous allowance’ replied one of the men.

  ‘Great! Then its beers all round then’ joked Alec before Tom elbowed him in the ribs to behave himself.

  Their flight took just over two hours.

  Then upon arrival they were taken by taxi to a hotel called Alimandi Viale Vaticano just across the street from the Vatican Museums and close to St Peter’s Square.

  ‘We had booked you into a room, but wondered if you would be OK to share?’ asked one of the men politely.

  ‘Yeah, that’ll be fine, well, as long as the room isn’t too small’ replied Alec.

  ‘I think you’ll find it quite adequate’ replied the second man ‘we’ll call for you after breakfast tomorrow. All your bills are paid for by the way’ he added.

  ‘Great, thank you’ replied Tom politely.

  After they had left, Alec turned around to Tom.

  ‘Are you sure those two aren’t really working for the Mafia or something?’

  ‘I hardly think so’ replied Tom as he just shook his head and smiled.

  ‘Well they sure look like it to me’ Alec muttered under his breath.

  Upon being shown to their room it turned out to be an art nouveau suite.

  ‘Bloody hell, will you just look at this’ commented Alec as Tom put his head in his hands.

  ‘I hope you’re not going to talk like that in front of the Pope’ smiled Tom.

  ‘What’s this really all about, Tom?’ asked Alec then being more serious.

  ‘To be honest, Alec, I’m not at all sure’ Tom confessed. ‘If it hadn’t been for Father Mathews I’d never have gone with those two blokes’ he admitted.

  ‘You don’t know, they may have brought you here at gunpoint’ smiled Alec ‘I’m still not convinced they don’t really belong to the Mafia’ he repeated again.

  ‘You dope!’ smiled Tom laughing at him again.

  After settling into the suite, Alec looked a little thoughtful.

  ‘What’s up?’ asked Tom.

  ‘I was just thinking, do you think the Pope will let you take a picture of me and him together, I mean, my mum will never believe me otherwise will she?’

  ‘Who do think he is, Mickey Mouse or someone? You can’t just expe
ct the Pope to pose for a photo of you and him together, Alec’ insisted Tom.

  ‘Why not, I go to his church every Sunday?’ insisted Alec.

  Tom just sighed now.

  ‘I’m beginning to wish I’d left you back at the garage after all’ he muttered. ‘I wonder if I asked them nicely they would put you on the next plane home again’ he smiled.

  ‘Don’t you dare, I’m enjoying myself too much!’ insisted Alec.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Day Twenty Two:

  28th January 2021

  Vatican City, Italy.

  The following morning, the two teenage boys had breakfast, although, Alec confessed he was too nervous to eat very much.

  ‘You’re not eating much at all?’ queried Tom ‘that’s unlike you, you feeling all right? They said it’s all paid for, mate, if that’s what’s worrying you?’

  ‘I don’t want to eat too much, in case I show myself up or something’ explained Alec.

  ‘What do mean, show yourself up?’ queried Tom.

  ‘Well, I don’t want to end up farting in front of the Pope do I?’ commented Alec seriously as Tom just broke down in laughter.

  ‘You won’t fart in front of the Pope!’ replied Tom when he had regained his composure again.

  ‘Can you imagine it though?’ pondered Alec ‘it would probably echo all around the Vatican’ he suggested as Tom just broke down in tears of laughter once again.

  ‘I’ll curse you, Alec, if thinking about what you’ve just said I end up disgracing myself by bursting out laughing the moment I meet the Pope’ Tom cursed.

  A little while later, the two men returned to take Alec and Tom into the Vatican City itself and there they were introduced to two priests who both greeted them warmly.

  ‘Hello, my name is Cardinal Greco’ smiled one.

  ‘And I’m Cardinal Moretti’ smiled the other.

  ‘Welcome to Vatican City’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  Tom reached out to shake both their hands.

  ‘Ah, and you brought a friend with you’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘Yes, this is Alec’ Tom introduced him ‘I hope that was all right, I mean, my bringing Alec along?’ queried Tom.

  ‘Certainly, that’s no problem at all’ smiled Cardinal Moretti as they both shook Alec’s hand.

  ‘If you both come this way, the Pope will see you shortly’ explained Cardinal Greco as he then led the way.

  After a while, Alec nudged Tom’s arm as they all walked along.

  ‘Tom, Look! Blimey, it’s only the bloody Sistine Chapel!’ he whispered to him as he just stared upwards.

  One of the Cardinals noticed the two teenage boys looking upwards.

  ‘It is very beautiful yes?’ commented Cardinal Greco as he then paused for a moment to allow both boys to just stare up at it.

  ‘Ah, Michelangelo’s masterpiece’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘How did he ever paint that?’ pondered Tom curiously.

  ‘He spent many years lying on his back’ replied Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘Sounds like one of my old girlfriends’ commented Alec as Tom just elbowed him in the ribs again.

  To their surprise however, Cardinal Moretti just burst out laughing.

  ‘Oh, that was funny!’ he chuckled away.

  Cardinal Greco couldn’t quite understand what Alec said so Cardinal Moretti explained it to him in Italian and then he too smiled at him and laughed.

  ‘We don’t lose our sense of humour just because we work in the Vatican’ smiled Cardinal Greco.

  ‘Just as well with Alec around’ commented Tom quietly.

  ‘You will need to show due deference to His Holiness though’ cautioned Cardinal Greco.

  ‘Don’t worry, I will’ answered Alec ‘I’m a good Catholic’ he added.

  ‘Well that’s good to hear’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  Then he turned to Tom ‘and you?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t even go to church, well, accept when someone dies or something’ replied Tom, now feeling slightly self conscious.

  ‘You seem to have faith in God though and that’s all that matters in the end’ commented Cardinal Moretti with a kind smile.

  ‘Really, I thought you wanted everyone to be a Catholic?’ puzzled Tom.

  ‘No every man must choose his own path’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘Yeah, but with him it would probably be a cycle path’ commented Alec quietly, as Tom elbowed him in the ribs again as the two Cardinals just smiled at each other and then laughed quietly.

  ‘Ah, here we are’ stated Cardinal Greco ‘if you both take a seat, the Pope will be out to see you soon.’

  ‘Er, Cardinal Moretti’ asked Tom awkwardly ‘the Pope, um, what do I call him?’

  ‘You address him as Your Holiness’ smiled the Cardinal.

  After the two Cardinals departed, Tom and Alec were just left sitting on their own for a while.

  ‘How do I address the Pope? And you think I’M embarrassing’ whispered Alec with a big grin on his face.

  ‘Well how am I supposed to know? I’m not even a Catholic’ replied Tom.

  As he just sat there though, Tom began to feel quite at home.

  ‘Do you know, Alec, somehow I feel I was always meant to come here’ he stated quietly.

  ‘How could you have always meant to have come here, you’re a mechanic, Tom?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I don’t know, I can’t explain it, it just feels ‘right’ somehow’ pondered Tom.

  But before Alec could ask Tom quite what he meant by that, the two Cardinals came walking back and they quickly introduced them both to Pope Paul VII.

  Instantly, both teenagers were struck dumb and the sudden significance of actually meeting the Pope in person really hit them.

  Fortunately though, the Pope soon put them both at their ease.

  ‘Ah, you must be Tom I’ve heard so much about you from Father Mathews’ smiled the Pope.

  ‘Really?’ pondered Tom ‘oh, and this is my friend Alec’ Tom introduced him as Alec was left lost for words for just about the first time ever in his life.

  ‘Come through, come through’ stated Pope Paul as he led the way and chatted to them both. ‘I need to show you something very important’ the Pope smiled.

  After a while, Pope Paul stopped next to a painting that was turned the wrong way around on the wall with only its back facing outwards.

  ‘Could you turn the painting around for me please, Cardinal Greco, Cardinal Moretti?’ smiled the Pope.

  ‘Yes, Your Holiness’ they both answered as they promptly did as he asked.

  ‘This is why I’ve asked you here, Tom’ smiled the Pope as he gestured for the two teenagers to examine the painting more closely.

  ‘Blimey, it’s a bit psychedelic isn’t it?’ commented Alec, immediately apologising for his language only a second later.

  Then, when he looked at the painting more closely he almost shouted out aloud.

  ‘But, Tom, that’s you!’ he uttered.

  ‘But it can’t be me? How would it be me?’ puzzled Tom, now staring at the painting’s central character.

  ‘That’s definitely you, Tom, I don’t care what anyone says’ smiled Alec. ‘Mind you, exactly what you’re supposed to be doing in this painting is anyone’s guess. I think the painter must have been on drugs or something’ smiled Alec as he just stared at it again.

  ‘But when did someone paint me?’ queried Tom curiously.

  ‘This is the last known painting by the famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh’ replied the Pope.

  ‘But it can’t be’ puzzled Tom ‘didn’t he die years ago?’

  ‘Yes, in the year 1890’ interjected Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘Tom, we believe you are ‘The Prayerman’ as depicted in this painting, do you now know what you must do?’ asked the Pope cur
iously as he just smiled at him.

  Tom at first looked confused, but then as he just stared at the painting he just nodded his head.

  ‘The fate of the Human race may well be in your hands, young man’ stated Pope Paul as he made the sign of the cross gently on Tom’s forehead whilst giving him his blessing.

  ‘Bendictio Dei omnipotentis, Patris et Fili et Spiritus Sancti Descendat Super Vos et maneat simper.’

  (‘May the blessing of Almighty God, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit, descend on you and remain with you always.’)

  ‘Could I have my picture taken with you, You Holiness? Only my mum will never believe I’ve actually met you otherwise?’ asked Alec as Tom just shook his head and looked rather embarrassed.

  ‘Yes, certainly’ smiled Pope Paul as his face broke into a great beaming smile ‘why don’t you both join me’ he added cheerfully.

  Alec quickly shoved his camera into Cardinal Greco’s hands who looked somewhat surprised at first, but then he composed the picture and took a couple of quick photos.

  ‘You might need the flash on!’ suggested Alec as Cardinal Greco now looked somewhat bemused as Cardinal Moretti began to laugh a little.

  ‘Thank you!’ smiled Alec.

  He then quickly checked the picture had come out all right and looked delighted as Pope Paul then smiled and waved them goodbye as he turned to leave.

  ‘We’ll show you out again’ smiled Cardinal Moretti.

  ‘That was brilliant! I can’t believe we’ve actually met the Pope!’ Alec enthused now looking really pleased with himself.

  ‘I can’t believe you actually had the cheek to ask to have your photo taken with him’ smiled Tom as he whispered back.

  Once outside again, the two Cardinals asked if there was anything else the two teenagers needed.

  ‘Yes, I need to get to the border of Mexico and the USA just as quickly as possible’ replied Tom instantly as Alec just turned around and stared at him in disbelief.

  ‘Mexico? Tom, have you gone completely nuts?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll understand if you don’t want to come with me, Alec’ replied Tom.

  ‘Well, no, but Tom, everyone is trying to flee from that area at the moment, not try to get to it?’ queried Alec.