WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE BELGIUM PEER - THE PINK REBEL - By Luc Schrijvers - Part 4 - 3 March 2026.

 Just an extra step, behind me all the time. If I stop, “it” stops too! This was so scary –

I walked back to the group.

“What is it?” asked Father Johan. He saw that I was afraid. Father Johan organized these youth trips together with his monastic order. Mom subscribed to his mission magazine, which she had seen advertising the trip.

“I hear something all the time, Father Johan! As if someone is just walking behind me, but I don't see anything. If I stop, it will stop too!” “You are fantasizing, boy, there is no one there,” said Father Johan.

“No no, wait a minute,” said another monitor. “Come here, Luc!”

I walked towards him.

“Show me your shoe,” said the monitor.

I raised my foot.

“Ahaa, see!” said the monitor. He pulled a sticker from underneath my shoe sole.

“It's that sticker on your new shoes that made that sound Lucske, everything is fine!”

“Alé, go ahead,” said Father Johan. “To recover from the shock, you get one more ice cream!”

The monitor picked me up on his shoulders and carried me into the dining room. I felt so big, wow!

____

“What shall we call the play, Luc?” asked the uncle of a school friend.

“Gosh, I don't know yet…” I said.

The three of us had worked out quite a play! My boyfriend and I had a really nice idea, and other children in the class wanted to play along with it too. We had found a key to a small room at school. We could rehearse there! “The stolen necklace, maybe?”, I asked the uncle. “What a good title! Yes, that's what we're going to call it!”

We had so much fun rehearsing.

“You go and stand there,” I said to someone who was playing along. My boyfriend-in-law, his uncle and I directed it all – so cool!

Suddenly someone burst in, someone who wasn't part of our group –Oh no.

It was the blanket.

“What is all this here?!” he shouted. He scared me.

The uncle started to explain, but unfortunately.

“That's not possible, is it? No one from the school knows about this and you don't have permission to be here at all! Out! And give that key back!”

__________

For the umpteenth night in a row. I put on my homemade priest's robe! I really found joy in it. The garment over the head, Bible under the arm and juu, outwards.

I walked past the chapels on the Vest, crossed myself everywhere, blessing everything I encountered. People laughed and thought this was so much fun!

“Luc is already practicing for later!”, they said.

This evening I was walking around happily again – this game was so much fun. I walked on to the next chapel and passed a small street.

Suddenly I heard someone whistling! I looked around and saw an older boy standing against a tree. He whistled again and beckoned.

“Hey, come here!” he said.

I looked at him - he looked nice - and went to him.

“What's wrong?” I asked.

“Would you like to play a game with me?”

“Um, yes?” I said. I was very curious –

I wasn't really comfortable either, but I didn't run away.

“Come with me,” he said. He took my hand.

Together we walked a little further to a large tree; he led me behind it, into a dark shadow.