Edrich sat on the TGV as it sped through the French countryside

Zoo sat opposite her husband slowly drinking her coffee

Little did she realise that below the surface of the scalding drink that universes were being created and destroyed and that other life forms were developing colours not yet known to man

An English boy named Neil was daubing Freedom is Free onto the supports of the bridge that crossed the high speed lines

He heard the train approaching and stepped back to let it pass

For a moment Edrich saw the small boy and wondered why he was close to the track

Six hours later Edrich watched Zoo as she swam in the swimming pool at the villa that overlooked the beach

They had arrived three hours earlier and had slept for a while as the day was hot

But now they were refreshed and they had begun to relax and appreciate the beauty that surrounded them

From the gardens of the neighbouring villa a Greek gardener names Vassas was watching Zoo as she swam in the pool

He thought her the most beautiful woman he had seen that summer

He had lost his wife some years previously

He had loved his wife

Just over two hundred kilometres away Neil was trying to explain to his parents how he had managed to get blue paint on his shorts and shirt

His sisters Kate and Katherine were giggling as both were fluent in conversational French

From his chair Edrich was watching Vassas who was watching Zoo who was watching the changing light of the day

Within the hour the sky had become a vibrant mix of pinks and oranges which reflected on to the still waters of the swimming pool

As he watched Zoo walk around barefoot Edrich wondered why she worn her small brown leather boots for the train journey as the temperatures that day had exceeded thirty degrees

Enquires on the subject has been met with a polite smile

Although he did not admit it to himself this small mystery troubled Edrich

As he lay on his bed in the tent Neil was also feeling troubled

The reason was simple

When adding the slogans to the railway bridge he had used orange paint stolen from a shed on the campsite

However when questioned by his parents the paint on his clothing was blue

He had not discussed his with his sisters

As he ate his meal that night Vassas thought about the beautiful woman at the villa

He did not normally think about beauty when eating as he considered beauty to be transient