2021

  ‘I take it, he doesn’t actually sell many of his paintings then?’ queried Joseph.

  ‘Franz?’ replied the older man as the other artists all laughed ‘this, Monsieur, would be his first ever sale’ he smiled.

  ‘Well, how much do you think he would want for it then?’ Jacqueline repeated again.

  ‘What? You mean you still want to buy it?’ queried Joseph.

  ‘Well you never know, it could be worth fortunes some time in the future’ she insisted, as all the other artists just looked at each other and then burst out laughing again.

  ‘Which one was it again?’ asked the younger male artist as Jacqueline pointed to it again. ‘What’s it’s supposed to be exactly?’ he puzzled as he just stood there with his hands on his hips studying it again.

  ‘That’s what I said!’ laughed Joseph as Jacqueline just scowled at him. ‘Actually, it does look a bit violent doesn’t it, are you quite sure you want to buy it, Jacqueline?’ he queried.

  ‘Yes, well I like it!’ insisted Jacqueline. ‘Look, do you think he would accept five hundred Francs?’ she finally asked realising she was getting nowhere.

  ‘Madam, for five hundred Francs he would probably make love to you, for a whole week’ laughed the old man as the others all just chuckled away.

  Jacqueline just looked a little embarrassed now.

  ‘That won’t be necessary’ she replied soberly.

  ‘Can we trust you to give him the money?’ asked Joseph as she counted out the money into the older man’s hand.

  ‘We are a small community here, Monsieur’ smiled the girl ‘we all rely upon each other to be completely honest with one another, and anyway, Franz will notice the painting is missing upon his return’ she nodded.

  ‘That’s if he isn’t too drunk to notice’ the old man joked.

  ‘I reckon he was drunk when he painted it!’ giggled the girl. ‘I can’t wait to tell Franz he’s actually sold a painting’ she smiled.

  ‘Yes, he’ll probably go straight back to the café to order another bottle of wine’ laughed the older artist.

  ‘Oh, I hope not!’ commented Jacqueline disapprovingly ‘I hope I’m not just funding his drinking habit’ to which they all stayed quiet and didn’t comment.

  Jacqueline smiled as the older man then took the painting down and presented it to her.

  ‘Sold, to you Madam!’ he smiled bowing his head to her ‘although, I wouldn’t rely on it making you a millionaire just yet’ he commented before he began laughing with his fellow artists again.

  ‘Ah well, you’ve made them happy anyway’ smiled Joseph as they waved the artists goodbye as they began to finally walk away.

  ‘I don’t care what they say, I think it’s a great painting!’ Jacqueline smiled as she carried it proudly under her arm.

  ‘It’s complete rubbish!’ Joseph laughed.

  ‘Hey!’ she complained ‘just because he’s not a ‘proper’ painter’ she laughed poking fun at him.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  28th August 2037

  Lambeth Palace,

  London, England.

  Less than six months later, Jacqueline was dead, having died from a very quick spreading and incurable form of cancer and Joseph was absolutely devastated!

  There had even been talk of the two marrying they had become so close.

  A couple of weeks after Jacqueline’s funeral though, Joseph received the delivery of an unexpected package.

  He had only just taken up his new post as the new Archbishop of Canterbury and the package had been forwarded to his new address at Lambeth Palace.

  He wondered if it were something to do with his new job.

  When he opened up it up however, he soon discovered it had been sent to him from Jacqueline before she had died and she had written a short note to go with it.

  ‘Dear Joseph, I am sending you this painting as I feel it may remind you of that happy day we spent together in Paris. I still believe this painting has just ‘something’ special about it, despite your obvious misgivings. I hope it may drag you away from your stuffy ‘proper’ paintings like your favourites Turner and Constable, if only for a while anyway.

  Love Jacqueline

  Joseph had a tear in his eye as he read her letter and remembering that day in Paris, it did indeed make him smile and laugh a little as he remembered it again.

  He took the painting out of its wrapping and just stared at it.

  It was just as he remembered it that day, with its overly vivid colours painted in oil straight from the easel with no dilution, painted straight onto the canvas with bold and almost angry looking brushstrokes.

  ‘It still looks too violent to me’ he pondered as he studied it carefully.

  In honour of Jacqueline though, he had the painting placed above his desk in his office in Canterbury Cathedral, in the vain hope he might actually get to like it one day.

  ‘I wouldn’t count on it though, Jacqueline’ he smiled to himself as he stared at it once it had been mounted up on the wall.

  He could have had it placed above his desk at Lambeth Palace, but he wasn’t sure if he could quite face looking at it every single day.

  The painting remained above his desk at Canterbury Cathedral from that day on though, viewed by him whenever he visited Canterbury.

  Even though, he never got to like the painting itself, it did make him smile whenever he fondly remembered the day Jacqueline bought it.

  Chapter Thirty

  20th September 2037

  Canterbury Cathedral

  Canterbury, Kent,

  England.

  Alec and Jenny had got on so well, they married a year after Tom’s death.

  Like everyone else, they celebrated ‘Victory Day’ over the Migrators as it was commemorated every year, and they mourned for the huge numbers who had died at the hands of the Migrators on the ‘International Day of Mourning’.

  The happy couple eventually raised four children together, two girls and two boys. The first of the boys they named ‘Tom’ in Tom’s honour, just as he had asked them to.

  They occasionally got together with Jenny’s father Stuart, but not as often as they liked, as Stuart actually ended up marrying Joan, resulting in him permanently moving to America after he secured a post in the same university, Harvard, where she worked.

  They all kept in touch with Jack and Andre who ended up running scientific expeditions all around the world, by airship of course.

  Before they did that though, they were awarded the contract for delivering Migrator bodies to research facilities all around the world. They secured the contract as they were the only people with the transport capable of doing the job!

  All in all, life was good for both Alec and Jenny now though, if a little tiring at times looking after their four children.

  So when one day Alec’s mother insisted they take a short break together down on the coast, they accepted willingly.

  The weather itself wasn’t at its warmest, but the freedom to actually have a peaceful lie in was a rare treat for them both now and neither of them was that interested in sun bathing at the best of times, as they both much preferred to visit historic buildings and monuments instead.

  As they were in the Canterbury area it seemed ridiculous not to go and see the historic over 1,000 year old Canterbury Cathedral, so off they went to see it.

  Still keen on filming, Jenny took her camcorder with her, whilst Alec was keen on still photos instead.

  He obtained a special pass that enabled him to take a few pictures inside the Cathedral using his tripod, which rather delighted him.

  Rather infamously, Canterbury Cathedral was where St. Thomas a’ Becket was martyred (murdered) in 1170 but Alec wouldn’t hold that against it, as he was more interested in its impressive architecture.

  ‘It’s just amazing isn’t it, Jenny’ he enthused as he looked
all around him.

  Both he and Jenny were having a really relaxing time when just walking passed an open door something just caught the corner of Jenny’s eye.

  ‘Oh no, did you see that?’ she asked Alec as she suddenly grabbed hold of his arm.

  ‘See what? Jenny, I don’t even know what you’re going on about?’ he puzzled.

  ‘Through that door’ she insisted as she pointed back towards it ‘I just caught the sight of it’ she explained.

  ‘Caught the sight of what exactly?’ puzzled Alec.

  Alec just sighed as he walked back to take a look himself.

  ‘It’s an open door, so what?’ he moaned.

  ‘No, not the door!’ she complained ‘up on the wall, Alec’ Jenny told him just as someone walked passed them.

  ‘Is everything OK here?’ he asked cheerfully.

  ‘Yes, fine, fine!’ stated Jenny immediately as she just smiled back at him.

  The moment he had gone by she grabbed Alec’s arm again.

  ‘Will you just look up on that wall!’ she insisted as she pulled him around so he was in the right direction to see it.

  ‘But it’s an office, Jenny, I don’t understand what you’re making all this fuss about?’ he puzzled.

  ‘Oh, Alec!’ she just huffed ‘you’re driving me nuts!’ she complained ‘I told you, up on the wall!’ she pointed again.

  Alec now looked again and he immediately saw what Jenny had become so animated about.

  ‘Shit! It can’t be?’ uttered Alec as he now stared into the room.

  ‘Don’t swear! We’re in church, Alec’ she scolded him. ‘Go and take a closer look, just to be sure’ she then suggested as she shoved him forwards.

  ‘I’m not doing that’ he complained ‘it has ‘Staff Only’ written up on the door. I might end up like St. Thomas a’ Becket or something’ commented Alec with a grin.

  ‘Oh yes, like some knights are going to rush in and strike you down or something’ huffed Jenny in annoyance.

  ‘Well, it could happen’ he smiled as she nudged him in the ribs again.

  ‘You might end up like St. Thomas a’ Becket if you don’t do as I ask in a minute’ stated Jenny.

  Then she looked all around her.

  ‘Look, there’s no one about now, go in there and have a closer look’ she suggested as she shoved Alec forwards again.

  Alec quickly lent into the hall leading to the room and then he came out again.

  ‘You didn’t even go far enough inside to even see anything!’ Jenny complained again.

  ‘But it does look like it, Jenny’ Alec informed her ‘but how could it end up here?’ he queried.

  ‘Well I don’t know’ answered Jenny ‘I’ve never even seen the thing myself’ she uttered. ‘It just seems to depict exactly what I saw, that’s all I know’ she shrugged.

  ‘Maybe it’s just a picture of Jesus on the cross or something?’ pondered Alec as he just strained his eyes.

  ‘It’s nothing like that’ stated Jenny firmly ‘why it’s too colourful’ she criticised.

  ‘Well, why don’t you go in if it’s worrying you so much?’ suggested Alec.

  ‘I’m not going in on my own’ Jenny stated as she made out she was just admiring the Cathedral’s architecture as someone just walked by them.

  ‘Well, maybe the Pope gave it to them?’ suggested Alec as Jenny now put her hands on her hips as she just stared at him.

  ‘The Pope gave it to the Archbishop of Canterbury?’ queried Jenny ‘get real, Alec’ she smiled.

  ‘I see your point. Maybe it’s just a copy then?’ Alec suggested.

  ‘But I didn’t think anyone other than us and a handful of other people in the world even knew about it?’ queried Jenny.

  ‘They don’t’ agreed Alec. ‘Look, it may be something completely different for all we know’ he surmised. ‘Maybe it’s just someone’s artist impression of what happened?’ he suggested.

  ‘But only you, me, my dad, Joan, Andre and Jack even saw what happened’ shrugged Jenny.

  ‘Well let’s go in there and have a look then’ suggested Alec as he just looked around before grabbing Jenny’s hand and dragging her inside as they quickly made their way through the short corridor to the office on the other side.

  Before they could do anything else though, someone immediately spied them there and quickly followed them inside.

  ‘I’m very sorry, but this section of the cathedral isn’t open to the public’ a male voice behind them suddenly announced.

  Both Jenny and Alec had been quite startled.

  ‘Oh, I’m very sorry but we..’ Jenny’s voice suddenly trailed off as she just stared at the person now standing there. Then she nudged Alec as she whispered to him ‘it’s him!’

  ‘It’s him? It’s who?’ puzzled Alec as Jenny now just looked embarrassed.

  Fortunately the man just laughed.

  ‘She means I’m Joseph Brown, the new Archbishop of Canterbury’ he smiled broadly.

  ‘You’re joking, really?’ replied Alec.

  ‘Well I hope I don’t look that unlikely a candidate for the job?’ the new Archbishop laughed.

  ‘No, of course not’ nodded Alec.

  ‘I’m afraid this is my private office, so I’ll have to ask you to leave I’m afraid’ he suggested politely.

  ‘I’m sorry, yes, we will’ nodded Jenny ‘it was just that we noticed the painting you have up on your wall’ she explained.

  ‘Oh, that one, yes it was given to me by a very close friend’ the Archbishop smiled.

  We wondered, if it was all right, if we could we have a closer look at it?’ asked Jenny politely.

  ‘Why, it’s not worth anything is it?’ asked the Archbishop.

  ‘We’ve no idea’ shrugged Alec.

  Then Alec looked at Jenny as she was egging him on to explain.

  ‘It’s just that, that picture just seems to be depicting the demise of the Migrators’ Alec informed the Archbishop. ‘It was a friend of ours who became known as The Prayerman’ Alec explained.

  ‘Really? Well I’ve certainly heard of him!’ nodded the Archbishop.

  ‘We witnessed it you see, the very end of the Migrators and only a handful of people did. That’s why were so shocked to see this painting here. We thought we were just seeing things’ added Jenny.

  ‘Well that’s quite extraordinary’ exclaimed the Archbishop ‘well, by all means have a closer look if you like’ he nodded.

  Jenny and Alec both looked at each other nervously as they went around each end of the Archbishop’s large desk.

  They then held hands as they both nervously gazed upwards.

  ‘Oh Alec, it depicts exactly what we saw that night, but how is this possible?’ Jenny puzzled.

  ‘It’s not the same painting I saw before, Jenny, this is a different one’ Alec explained.

  ‘Then who painted this one?’ puzzled Jenny.

  ‘Oh, it was a painter in Paris’ smiled the Archbishop ‘a Dutch painter actually’ he explained.

  Both Jenny and Alec looked at each other again.

  ‘Dutch again’ they both smiled.

  ‘But how could he have painted this? Was he there or something?’ puzzled Alec.

  ‘I’ve really no idea’ shrugged the Archbishop.

  ‘Maybe he saw the other one, the painting in the Vatican I mean’ suggested Alec.

  ‘The Vatican?’ puzzled Archbishop Joseph Brown.

  ‘Yes, the original painting is by Vincent Van Gogh’ explained Alec, but hardly anyone even knows it exists, let alone has seen it.’

  ‘Well I don’t know of course, but I wouldn’t have thought the young artist who painted this has ever visited the Vatican. He’s just a struggling artist by all accounts, bit of a drunkard apparently’ smiled Joseph.

  ‘It’s so much like the other one, Jenny, it’s
uncanny’ gasped Alec.

  Jenny now put her hand to her face.

  ‘Oh my God, Alec, have you looked at the face?’ she asked as she just stared at the painting ‘but that’s Tom’s face’ she uttered.

  ‘It can’t be?’ questioned Alec as he leaned forwards to check it for himself. ‘Oh my God, but you’re only right’ he smiled. ‘Ah, but that says it all doesn’t it?’ he laughed ‘it just has to be genuine.’

  Then he just stood still.

  ‘This is the second time I’ve seen Tom’s face on a painting like this, Jenny’ he now pondered.

  ‘But last time it was predicting the coming of the Migrators. Oh God, you don’t think it could be doing the same this time do you?’ pondered Jenny, now looking quite scared.

  ‘No, of course not, that’s all in past’ Alec reassured her.

  Archbishop Joseph Brown now stepped forwards himself as he studied the painting.

  ‘You know, it’s funny, but my good friend always said there was just ‘something’ about that painting’ he smiled.

  ‘He could well be right’ nodded Alec.

  ‘Oh, it was a she’ smiled the Archbishop ‘she died’ he explained.

  ‘Oh, we’re very sorry’ now uttered Jenny apologetically.

  ‘Yes, we were very close’ the Archbishop nodded sadly.

  ‘This painting is just amazingly similar, Jenny’ smiled Alec as he just kept staring at it.

  Suddenly though, his smile turned to a grimace.

  ‘Uh oh!’ he uttered.

  ‘What’s up?’ puzzled Jenny.

  ‘It’s the date, Jenny’ he replied ‘see it in the bottom corner.’

  ‘What about the date?’ Jenny puzzled.

  Alec just paused as he leaned forwards and double checked it again.

  ‘The title of the first painting I saw was The Prayerman 2021’ Alec explained.

  ‘Yes, well, you’ve told me all this before’ Jenny puzzled.

  ‘Well don’t you see, Jenny? This one is entitled ‘The Prayerman 2037’ it’s saying the Migrators are going to return in the year 2037!