Chapter 1

Nederlands
YOUTH IN NORTH-BRABANT (The south of The Netherlands)

Chapter 1. Remarkable event.
.
It was one of the last evenings in November 1979. The autumn gale clashed rain against the large windows of the Dutch pastorie house. From the hundred years old chestnut trees in the garden fell large drops of water in the wintry lawn. Every evening I closed the wooden shutters of the large windows. A daily ritual. It gave the feeling that we were living in a barricaded castle.
When I was busy, I had to think of the snowstorm of last year.

When I opened the shutters the next day, it was a complete surprise. The windows were entirely covered with snow. Fortunately, I could open the front door and saw that it was impossible to make the drive practicable. The wind of that night had blown up the snow on some spots up to meters high. The west side of the house was covered entirely. At some places, the snow lay even until the four meters high gutter. The car was not visible any more.
The general practitioner phoned Ingrid. He could not come to our village. The roads were not accessible. Before we married, she had been a nurse. He asked her to inject the diabetic’s patients. The patients had the needles and medicines in house, but did not dare to give themselves an injection. I stayed at home to take care of our children and saw Ingrid working hard until she had disappeared behind a snow dune. Hours later she came back home. She told that she had almost lost the way. The neighbours had helped Ingrid. She was very excited of this world voyage and rang the doctor that she, despite the severe excursion, had been able to inject all patients. In the afternoon, the sun started to shine, and we decided to go outside with our children to have a walk. For the first time everyone greeted each other pleasantly. It lasted three days before bulldozers from the city, thirty kilometres further on, reached our village and made the road practicable.

When I was busy to close the last shutters, Ingrid came in to room and said: ‘Some people of the hypnosis group are coming to pick me up.’

Some weeks ago, we had heard about this class from friends of Ingrid, the family Green from Hilversum. He was a dentist. His wife had been a nurse, just like Ingrid. They had followed their school in the same hospital. During our marriage, this contact was apprehended. They visited us regular in the high north, near the sea, and we visited them frequently in the Sophia Lane, in Hilversum. Their children and ours were approximately from the same age. I was intend to follow this class also and had let given me an explanation about the deeper meaning. It interested me especially because you would get an earphone on, of which I did not see the link with hypnosis. Even not after the explanation. The family Green insisted that it would be, however, once well that Ingrid would do something without my presence. I let myself persuaded and in the time that Ingrid went on course, I should take care of the children.

‘The children are already fallen asleep, you do not have to worry.’
One moment later, I heard a car on the drive and somebody ringing the bell at the front door. Ingrid disappeared for her weekly evening hypnosis course into the cold winter evening.
I must have fallen asleep on the sofa, because when I awoke by some jingling with the dinner-set in the kitchen, I saw on the Dutch antique clock, in a recess in the wall, that Ingrid has left the house one hour ago. Worried I went to the kitchen. Completely astonished I saw Ingrid busy.
‘I thought that you was gone to the class?'
‘I received a phone call of my brothers. They come suddenly, this evening, on a visit.’
‘Your brothers?’
‘Yes, my brothers. They would like to know if you are so wealthy as is claimed by everybody.’
‘How is that possible? Typically.’
I attempted to embrace her, but that she refused.
‘Do not touch me,’ she said resolutely.
‘Why you do not wear that golden bracelet, which I have given you a last week? Your brothers like it.’
‘That is not wise. In contrary, they really think that you have a lot of money.’
‘Why? I do not know anything and have to work hard for the money.’
‘All those stories, this novels which you write and the songs of which you make the text and music.’
‘Do not be ridiculously. Rich? Write stories? That is not true. I feel myself rich in my heart. That is everything.’
‘Now, go to the living room and twinge the candles. They can come very soon.’
When I once sat on the sofa, the door of the living room went open and the brothers came in. Astonished I stood up. I had not heard the front door bell. The eldest brother walked in front. They told that they had not enough time and came unfortunately for a short moment. They were occasional in the north and did not want to come home late.
‘For this reason we do not have time to socialize first,’ the eldest said. In addition, he started immediately to interrogate me concerning the money that I would have earned with writing stories and songs.
‘I do not understand you. Sometimes I write a short story, but more for fun and to distract me. That is everything. However, I dream to become a very famous writer. Only the circumstances do not fit with my dreams. I am married with your sister and we have three small children. I do not have enough time and it will not happen forever. Moreover, my work, my business, swallows me entirely.’
They started to giggle and after some small remarks out of politeness, they left. When I accomplished them to the front door I saw outside on the drive a well-known car.
‘That is the car of my brother,’ I said astonished. ‘What is this car doing here? My brother will never lend his car. Moreover, you do not even know each other.’
‘We recently met each other on a party in our hometown. He told us he had to be in the north for his work and we could drive with him.’
At that moment, my brother came out of the shadow of the chestnut tree, walked to me and shaked hands.
‘Come inside to have a drink,’ I asked surprised.
‘No, I do not have enough time.’
I insisted.
‘No, I have to be at home in time’
Astonished, I walked together with him to the car. On the back seat lay a golden earphone.
‘Where is the music coming from? Where is the installation?’
‘You can listen to the music, if you like. The quality of sound is of a very high standard. The installation is in the trunk.’
How it happens, how it was possible, I do not remember me but I awoke on the sofa in the living room. I heard nobody in the house, walked to the hall, saw that the front door was not completely closed and locked him. I walked with long steps to the kitchen. I was assaulted by an uncomfortable feeling. Something had happened. I listened carefully if I could hear strange sounds in the house. Minutes long I stood without any move in the hall. I ran to the bedrooms of the children, checking if they were sleeping. Everything all right. When I came back in the hall, Ingrid stood in the opening of the front door, totally wet by the rain.
Immediately I told her that her brothers and my brother had been on a visit.
‘And you have given me whisky and your brothers coffee.’
‘Undoubtedly you have had one of your special dreams,’ she said laughing.
Nevertheless, she felt uneasy and phoned with her eldest brother. He assured her that he had been at home the complete evening and certainly should not have come with his brother, because they had not a good understanding. Afterwards Ingrid phoned with her mother. In her opinion, it was an improbable event and told Ingrid that she was very sure that the two brothers were at home all evening.
‘You must really have dreamed it,’ Ingrid said once more to me.

The next day we were concerned about the typical event. Ingrid had become very uncertain.
‘Something has happened. My jewels were not laying in the same way as before. A dress, which I never wear, always lay under other cloths, was hanging at a coat hanger. Very remarkable.’

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