Mike and Pauline were sitting in a coffee shop in Marlborough High Street

They had nearly finished their coffee and were considering ordering replacements

Mike was reading a book about Wiltshire which had frequent references to Marlborough deep in its pages.

The book dated from 1951 and it emitted an almost undetectable smell of damp

Mike thought that that it might have been positioned on a damp shelf and this accounted for the feel and smell of the book

The book had been in his possession for nearly a year and it had travelled with him when he had visited Brazil

It was here that he had finally met Pauline

They had corresponded for over a year and occasionally they were able to contact each other via the internet

But here she was sitting opposite him in a coffee shop in a Wiltshire market town

Although the day was quite mild Pauline was wearing a thick grey sweater and light blue jeans

She had not become familiar with the damp air of the county

Mike placed his book on the wooden coffee table

Here listen to this it is rather interesting

In your book?

Yes

It is about a man a native of this town who died far away

In Brazil?

No in London

That is not very far

It is far enough if you are a man of Wiltshire

Read it to me

Is it a long passage?

Not really

Shall we have another coffee before we start?

Pauline walked the short distance to the counter smiling quietly at a new-born baby in a pram as she did so

Mike watched her in one of the many mirrors that had been retained on the brown wall

He noticed quite quickly that Pauline was struggling to make herself understood even though her English was good

I understood some of her English but her accent confused me

Mike knew the woman and was aware that she had a deep accent

I knew her family they originated from the other side of the county

What is her name?

Susan

Do other people understand her?

Yes

Is it because I am from overseas?

No

A visitor from the other end of the country might have problems understanding her

But you understand her?

Yes

It is because this is your county?

Partly

Did you notice the difference in the regional accents when you travelled with me in Brazil?

To some extent  

Pauline sipped her coffee

She was glad to be in England and felt refreshed

Her life felt less complicated as it had been in Brazil which seemed to her to be a trail of failed relationships

Mike was not trying to dominate her as many of her previous boyfriends had

He seemed uncomplicated

As she returned her wallet to her bag she caught a glance of her best friend Belen

A small hint of sadness passed by

Do you miss Brazil?

I miss Belen

Were you close?

I have known her since we were small

Mike did not continue with his questioning

When one pulls a fish from a polluted pond
Is this a kindness
Or an invasion?

A maroon bus stopped outside of the coffee shop

Where is the bus going to Mike?

To Salisbury I believe

I would like to visit Salisbury

Then we will quite soon

Will I like Salisbury?

Yes it is a stunning town

It has a great cathedral no?

Yes it has a great cathedral

With a high spire?

Yes it has a magnificent spire

How high is the spire?

I am not sure but it is the tallest in England  

The bus moved away and a gasp of sunlight suddenly lit up the tables nearest to the window

Ah that was a celestial bus

There was no light and now there is light

A few years ago an unknown man lay dying in a hospital in the East End of London

He had no friends

No visitors

No letters

No-one even knew his name

He was just a fragment of jetsam thrown up from the London docks

One day when the chaplain came to see him the man seemed restless

He tried to speak

The chaplain bent over him saying

Do you want anything?

At first there was no answer and then suddenly the light of memory lit up the mans dying face

He tried to speak

I do not understand you my son

The dying man’s slack lips moved and he quietly said

The Marlborough Downs in the rain

Then his light faded and he fell back and died

Michael closed his book

That was a sad story

It was a man of the fields forced from the land for a life at sea

Who was the man?

He was nameless

Are these Marlborough Downs special

Yes very much

Your book is quite beautiful

The man was a native of Marlborough you see

He knew the area in all its moods

But died far away

He did not ask for fine weather with his dying breath

Only that he might see the Marlborough on a day such as this when the mists are low and damp

An older man who was sitting at an adjacent table

I hope that you do not mind me interrupting you

No

And your wife

She is not my wife

I am his Brazilian visitor

Your English is good

I am of an English heritage

Many years ago English engineers came to my country to work on the railways

I am distantly related to them via my father

We speak both English and Portuguese in my house

I can see your European heritage in your face your eyes although Latin have a hint of an English day hidden in them

I stray though

Do you realise that Marlborough has a distinction from other towns

I think I know what you are going to say

You are a local boy

Yes Marlborough born and bred

Marlborough is one of the coldest places in the southern counties

It lies in a large depression you know

We are amongst the highest downs in Wiltshire

Pauline pulled her sweater closer as she for some reason felt cooler than before

When one approaches the town from the highest point a sense of quiet serenity can be sensed

An elderly woman walked through the door

Richard are you boring these poor people

I am sorry I was interrupting

Not a bit I welcomed your company

The man put on his light overcoat and with a precision placed a hat on his head

I must be going it was so nice to meet you both and do enjoy your visit my dear

Pauline had not thought about it at length but she was a visitor

She was an outsider in a Wilshire town

Do you know what these are?

Pauline rolled up her sleeve exposing a number of small scars which were hardly visible to the naked eye

Your past those are the minute scars of your past

I tried to drown myself once but chose the shallowest pool

Do you think that the elderly man knew of my addiction?

He only saw your beauty

Will you be like the old man when you age?

Maybe

When I age I will be an old hag

I do not think so

I will Belen and I have agreed to be old hags when we age

Do you think that Belan is beautiful?

That is an impossible question

She has a scar you know on her back the result of an automobile accident

She hates the scar

It is an imperfection

That is why she does not use the beach

I am proud of my scars they speak to me

Of the past

My past seems so far away when I am sitting here

You are in a different country

When you first saw my photograph what did you think of me?

The same as I do now

That being

That you were beautiful

Did you lust after me?

Yes

Even though I was an image or hidden many miles away

A year before I met you I could often be found on strange floors sometimes slumped in my own vomit

I was an addict

You thought you were an addict

Why do you say that?

You had a problem but it was like walking in the sea

You were still in the shallows

I tried to drown myself in the shallows

Not many people drown in shallow waters

But you will be as wet if you emerge from a shallow pool

I agree

Mike passed his book to Pauline

Read this passage to me

Richard the Lion heart had a foster brother named Alexander Neckham who wrote a poem which he called

The Praise of Divine Wisdom

It contained a couplet which related to Marlborough

Great Merlin’s grave
Its name to Marlborough in Saxon gave 

They towns motto contains the words

Where are sage Merlin’s bones?

I find these lines confusing Mike

Some do I did not understand them at once

In short the quotations obviously connect Marlborough Caste and Marlborough Mound

Marlborough Mound?

A similar earthwork to the one I showed you at Silbury

I am not aware of a castle in this town

It is long gone

It was in ruins even by Leyland’s time although rebuilt later

It later became an inn popular during the coaching days of this town

And then it became a school and is part of the college in the town

Did you go to this college?

No I just suffered a plain education as most boys born in this town endured

But you are so smart Mike

You have taken Brazilian girl away from the country of her birth and are showing her the beauty of your home town

I woke up this morning to the sound of the church bells

I get so used to them that I am deafened by familiarity

You showed me your home town

My home town is not beautiful

You have the beach

The beach is over an hour’s drive from my town

It is not part of my town

There are no beaches in Marlborough although like you we are around an hour from the sea

Pauline handed the book to Mike

That is a very wise book so poetical

Let us get ready the day is clearing we have some exploring to do

Will I need my coat?

You will need your coat remember Marlborough is a very cold town

 

For the second time that day Mike and Pauline had broken for refreshment

They were sitting at one of the many trestle tables that were conveniently placed in front of the Red Lion at Avebury

Unlike their visit to the lazy coffee shop earlier in the day they thought they deserved their break as they had walked from Broad Hinton

Pauline had taken a liking to the local beer exclaiming how superior it was to the cheap imported beer in Brazil

She was reading a book about the stones which she had purchased at the National Trust shop nearby

Mike as he normally did was watching the traffic pass

He could see the road to his right disappearing towards Devizes and to Swindon in the opposite direction

Marigold’s house was now empty as it had been for a number of years but little else had changed since his childhood

If anything the area attracted more love

It lacked the madness of Stonehenge and one could touch the stones

Everything was free

In this book it says that farmers are unsentimental creatures

They are

Why do you say that?

How many horses do you see apart from those with leisure riders?

In the fields?

Yes

There were no horses in the fields

Just over a hundred years ago you would have seen many horses in the fields

Where did they go?

It all changed after the First World War

As well as men many horses died in the carnage

And when peace returned some things had changed

Tractors were widely available

And the horses were not used greatly after that

What happened to them?

As I said farmers are not sentimental

A lot of horses ended up in the abattoir

How dreadful

We treat horses well now but it was a harsh lesson

Belen taught me to ride when I was recovering

We would take a tired but friendly nag out and explore the green areas outside of the town

Without Belen I do not think I would be sitting her talking to you

For a while Mike and Pauline stayed silent

They watched a smartly dressed woman park her car and make her way to the nearest stone

She photographed it once with an expensive looking camera and then returned to her car and drove away

Two German children were playing tag sometimes near the busy road whilst their parents chatted with friends

Two bikers were inspecting each other’s machines

This day will not be repeated Pauline

Explain

This day is unique as yesterday was unique and as tomorrow will be unique

If we sit here tomorrow things will not be the same

It is different in Brazil especially if you go to the beach

You will drive along the same road and visit the same beach and quite often you will see the same people

And these people will be doing the same thing

That being

Pauline smiled at Mike and for a moment he witnessed the divorce she had set in place

She was on the beach again

Wishing that Belen has accompanied her

But Belen did not visit the beach because of her scar

He had sat on the beach with Pauline

But he felt like an outsider

To Pauline the beach was a natural place

She would visit it often

It was part of her culture

Tanning swimming having a good time

Things will be slightly different each day

Taken

What would happen if Belen ignored her scar and accompanied you to the beach?

I would like that

But your day would be different to the previous day and if Belen did not accompany you on the following day then that would differ also

I do not see a beach in Avebury

There are no beaches in Avebury

After they finished their beer Mike and Pauline decided to explore the stones again

This was not their first visit but each visit was different

The light of the day whilst being acceptable was not bright and the sun was struggling to make an appearance

The wind was from the south west and was a little damp although the day was very mild

Mike was carrying his coat and felt quite warm in his light sweater

Pauline had not released the zip of her coat and had only when they had broken for refreshment taken her collar down

Do you know that up to about two hundred years ago these stones were the pride of the local downs?

They could be found quite often in the area

But they were good building materials

If you look at the churches you will see the use of these stones

I spotted one today where the base of its tower was made from these stones

But the church you said was much older

I agree but the original tower might have been faulty and repairs would have taken place

The use of these stones is everywhere

Look at the gateposts of the ancient cottages

Those that date from the seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries were made of the stones or possibly hard chalk marl

When we return to the village you will observe that a large number of the builders used the local stones

But these were temples or so my book says

Possibly no one has totally confirmed their history

People have different views

But as with farmers builders are not sentimental creatures

Even today most care little or at least this is my view

Although this will not be spoiled vast areas of land are now covered with housing

You notice this when you travel on trains

Where does London start and end?

On the local railway the countryside only really starts in the Hungerford area

We are much more enlightened these days but it is a constant battle

You are a very passionate man

A man who travelled all the way to Brazil to bring me to his own country

To show me this and cold Marlborough

Are you missing your home?

No I miss the sunshine and the heat but there are other things that I do not miss

There seems to be room in your county

Parts of England are quite crowded

But not like Brazil the world is well aware of the major problems we face

There does not seem to be as many in England

There are many but you do not always see them

Things get done but our progress is slow at times

In Brazil a clumsy quick fix is sometimes used

Sometimes they work and that is good

But like the major sporting events quick fixes were used

And some of them are now coming apart believe me

But why are we speaking about my homeland in this beautiful place?

Apart from small conversations Mike and Pauline said little to each other

They followed the paths above the ditches and finally ended up walking up the West Kennet Avenue

When we reach the top if we turn left and then climb up another slope you will see Silbury Hill

But this time from afar

Mike laid his coat on the ground

Here sit on this

No it will spoil you coat

It is muddy already

Just sit on my coat and close your eyes

Then I will not see anything

But you will hear much

You will hear the history of the area

You will witness the visit of a King

You will hear the archaeologists at work

You will hear the builders and the farmers

But most of all you will hear the rhythm of the seasons

Marigold once told me that

At first did not believe her

But as I grew older I began to see and hear it for myself

Pauline sat on the coat and closed her eyes

At first she felt nothing

She was on the floor of a bare flat

A man lay nearby

He was singing to himself

A hypodermic needle lay between them

She was fully clothed under a freezing shower

Belen had pinned her against the tiled wall

She was slapping her face and swearing at her

Belen was wearing her best dress which was soaking

She was walking along a beach

The beach was deserted

She was wearing Belen’s favourite dress

To her right was a shallow pool

She had memories of this pool

What have you seen Pauline?

My past I have seen my past

Possibly you are not yet ready

It took me years to feel the rhythms

Maybe it is too soon

But they will come to you

Pauline stood up

I am a little cold

It is your Latin blood

Remember I am a little English like you

Then soon you will not feel the damp and cold

Mike looked at the clouds building from the west

I think it will rain soon

In about an hour

We should return to cold Marlborough

That evening Pauline was trying to contact her friend on the internet

She was swearing quietly under her breath

Suddenly a connection was established and she returned to Brazil

They were speaking in their native language

Pauline suddenly clapped her hands together

The conversation continued for another hour and by the time it had ended Mike was deep in his book

Pauline sat on the arm of his chair

Guess what

What

Belen went to the beach today for the first time since the accident

What prompted her to do that?

My letter I sent Belen a letter describing this town

She said that I had changed so much that there was no reason that she should not change also

And she went to the beach

Her scar was unimportant as my addiction is unimportant now

Mike held Pauline’s hand

They kissed lightly

Time passes even in the countryside but you do not see it pass

You feel the passing of time that is all

Time was always going to pass for you and Belen

Wherever you are time passes at the same speed

Everything is relative

In the distance the church bells heralded a new day

Pauline went into the bedroom and readied herself for bed

Mike picked up his pad

He wrote

Time passes even in the countryside but you do not see it pass

You feel the passing of time that is all

Wherever you are time passes at the same speed

Everything is relative

He considered these words to be a good starting point for a story