As Vincent lead Catherine into his chamber, she stopped for a moment as the ambiance of the chamber was stunning...
Her attention immediately was drawn to the magnificent window of stained glass that graced the wall along side of his gigantic chamber bed.
To which Catherine sighed, "Ahh, this room..."
Yes, Catherine was enthralled by what she saw, and knew she had so much to learn about all that encompassed Vincent's life, and his heart.
Catherine spoke softly as she conveyed, "I never could have imagined a more magnificent place if I had tried."
Vincent stood with his hands behind his back, as a humbleness overcame him, and replied, "I hoped you would like it here."
Catherine looked up, and around at all of the eclectic items Vincent had chosen to have there. These symbols, statues, and souvenirs from days gone by. Things, that for some reason, meant something to him.
She looked from item to item and all about in wonderment, and then turning to Vincent, she looked at him in amazement now too.
Slowly Catherine approached Vincent, and softly said, "Since the night you told me about your world, I tried to envision it. A sadness came over me, and I felt a homesickness for this place I had never been to, or even visited."
Catherine then searched for the words that expressed how she felt about his world, and of her desire to be a part of it, and so she thoughtfully continued, "I feel at home here."
Pleased this was so, Vincent with a tip of his head, offered Catherine his chair, and lit the candles upon his writing table.
Vincent with his back to Catherine, struck the flint, and as he lit the first of the candles he said, "During the days we were apart and uncertain of our united path, I would sit and watch these flickering flames. Although I would write about my dreams of a life with you, I also strove to exorcise those same dreams, and tried to let go of that lovely vision."
Turning, he continued, "Now as I look at you, and know our bond is real...the lifelong cries, which wailed within my heart...have been quieted."
Catherine with tears in her eyes, sat motionless, as she looked at Vincent, thinking he spoke the words she could not find.
He then explained, "I found a poem upon my return this morning. A poem by William Blake I had read long ago, but I had set it aside, as it had...for some reason, brought upward a painful longing in my heart back then."
Catherine sweetly requested, "I love William Blake. Won't you read it to me?"
Vincent made no move to retrieve the book, as he knew the poem by heart. He recited:
Thou fair-haired angel of the evening, Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown Put on, and smile upon our evening bed! Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes, And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon, Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide, And the lion glares thro' the dun forest: The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence Catherine could not believe Vincent had just recited one of her most favorite William Blake poems! She then softly said, "I have always loved that poem, and critiqued it in college. I am stunned you recited it to me just now."
Vincent looked downward and added, "It is I who is stunned, that you may look past my appearance...and care for me as you do."
Catherine with a touch of wonder in her voice, lovingly said, "I am not looking past your appearance, I do see you, I see your heart...I see everything..."
Vincent stood, and brought Catherine to him, and as he held her, he let go of a thankful sigh, savoring this moment of Catherine in his arms below in his world.
Vincent then suggested, "Come Catherine...I will take you to the Chamber of the Falls..."
Catherine nodded, and though she had no idea what this chamber was...she was of course excited to see. And so Vincent took her hand as he led her through the tunnels, and as they went, they passed many of the tunnel dwellers, who looked upon them, and smiled.
So as they entered the echoing falls chamber, Catherine gasped, and gingerly stepped in, following behind Vincent. The stupendous view was awesome to Catherine and the depth and splendor of this huge chamber was magnificent! It was so hard to fathom the existence of such a place...right here beneath her beloved city.
With wonderment, Catherine declared, "If I lived here, I would come here everyday!"
And then Catherine asked, "Do you?"
As Vincent prepared to answer, introspectively he remembered the feeling of aloneness he experienced there through out his life, daring to dream that one-day he would share this wondrous place with someone he cared for...
So softly, Vincent replied, "Not every day...but often."
Vincent then revealed, "It is a wondrous place to imagine what other parts of the world must be like..."
Catherine sat down beside Vincent, and listened as his voice was so full of passion and tragic wonder, and she tried to imagine what it was like for him, knowing the tunnels would be the only world he could know.
So softly she asked him, "Like where? What places?"
And so Vincent thoughtfully shared, "About the places Father would read books to me about...Harriot's rolling hills of Yorkshire, Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford Castle, The Great Wall of China, The Christ the Redeemer Statue on the Corcovado Mountain in Brazil, The Machu Picchu in Peru, Chichen Itza at the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, The Roman Colosseum in Rome, or the Taj Mahal in India. Yes, and because of imagining being at these places, I of course imagined a different kind of a life for myself as well..."
After sadly hearing Vincent say, a different kind of life, Catherine gently inquired, "How do you mean...a different life?"
To which Vincent shared, "I suppose to be like any other man...without limitations..."
And because she didn't want to discount Vincent's plight, Catherine acknowledged, "I suppose we all tend to imagine what if..."
Pleased to be understood, Vincent gave Catherine a look of thanks, and listened as she asked, "So because of your limitations, were you a happy child?"
With thoughtful pause, Vincent answered, "Yes...I was Catherine...afterall, I had a wonderful childhood. I had Father, and all my tunnel family. I had this wondrous place to visit...and although I knew I was different...I was happy. And though I never physically visited the places I told you I dreamt about, I feel as if I had...Father's words brought them to me, and his voice gave them life."
Catherine tearfully smiled as she said, "Jacob sounds as if he was a really wonderful Father."
Vincent answered thoughtfully as he said, "In many ways he was, especially to me. He was loving and protective, perhaps at times overly so...but he tried very hard to make my life a good one."
Vincent regrettably admitted, "At times it was at the expense of the other children. I fear they were slighted because Father gave me so much."
Thoughtfully, Catherine nodded, trying to fathom how it must have been...and as she leaned back, she placed her hand on something hard and pointy lying on the chamber's floor.
And as Catherine held the item up, and saw what it was, she noted, "Someone must have lost this hairpin here. I wonder how it fell out without knowing....it is so pretty, so ornamental...who ever lost it must be looking for it."
With a sinking feeling, Vincent looked at the hairpin, and knew it was Brigit's missing hair ornament, the one she thought was lost in the Chamber of the Winds! And Vincent also knew it must have fallen out when she tried to kiss him!
So Catherine speculated, and asked, "Do you think it could be Rebecca's, or Mary's?"
Feeling badly to admit it was Brigit's, Vincent lamentably informed Catherine, "No Catherine, not Rebecca's or Mary's...it is Brigit's."
Suddenly, Catherine's heart fell, realizing Vincent was here in this very spot with Brigit too.
So as Catherine handed the hairpin to Vincent she simply said, "I see."
As Vincent took the pin she gave him, without looking upward, he softly said, "I will send it to her Catherine."
Well finding the hairpin was sure a mood killer, and their blissful moment was now shattered, as Catherine's head was swimming with a million questions! But instead of asking them, she silently sat looking out over the Falls.
Vincent was quiet too, realizing how disturbing it sounded that he had shared this spot with Brigit too.
Yes, not to mention this was the spot where Brigit tried to kiss him! And even though it was Brigit who tried to take the liberty, Vincent still could not help but feel a twinge of guilt over the whole situation.
Meantime, as the seconds ticked away, evolving into minutes of uncomfortable silence, Catherine found herself waiting for Vincent, to explain the presence of a hairpin there, and how it had fallen out without Brigit knowing or caring!
Until finally, Catherine asked, "So you brought Brigit here too?"
To which Vincent truthfully answered, "Yes Catherine. I had."
So upon hearing Vincent's disclosure, Catherine found herself wondering, "What is this guy, some kind of an underground Svengali, and this is his Hot Spot where he brings everyone?"
And meanwhile, as Vincent took too long finding the right words to reassure Catherine, that when he brought Brigit there, it was just a sight seeing stop, Catherine grew more upset, wondering to herself, how does one just lose such a hairpin!
And so after a span of time, Catherine stood up to say, "Well, I think it's time for me to go."
To which Vincent stood too, and said, "Catherine...don't leave."
With her back to Vincent, Catherine tearfully said, "It just feels strange being here now..."
Vincent then responded, "Don't allow the fact Brigit visited the falls, taint how you feel about being here..."
Thinking she didn't want to jump to conclusions, Catherine turned to Vincent, and replied, "I don't want it to either, but the hairpin! And I'm not really hearing a reasonable explanation, of how an expensive bejeweled hairpin just falls out of one's hair without knowing?"
As Vincent splayed his hands out at this sides, he wondered how to explain! And once again, because of his guilty searching silence, Catherine had to say, "Vincent...please, all I really need to know, is that nothing happened here between you and Brigit."
To which Vincent quietly admitted, "In truth...something almost happened."
So what a pickle Vincent found himself in...he knew it would sound awful if he blamed it all on Brigit! But it was she who had tried to kiss him! So, just how does a gentleman handle this?