Page 7 of A Bridge Through Time (The Bridge Through Time #1)

" A shley, love." Grey Eyes was calling her.

"Where are ye? I'm waiting. Hurry." He held his hand out to her, his eyes telling her something was wrong. She struggled to make her way through the invisible wall which held her back, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get to him, and as usual, he disappeared.

Ashley jolted upright, with her heart pounding in her chest and a sense of urgency she hadn't felt before.

His appearance was different this time. It left her feeling uneasy and anxious.

Get a grip; it was just a…a what? What was it and why did it feel so real?

Why did she feel such a connection to this man?

As Ashley prepared for her hike, her mind kept returning to the same questions.

Could she possibly find him? Or had she gone completely stark, raving mad?

This is getting you nowhere, Ashley; you have plans for the day.

Besides, she'd have plenty of time to think about it on the hike, and she was anxious to begin.

She was experiencing the same urgent pull, which had brought her all the way from California to Glendaloch.

Downstairs, Edna greeted Ashley with her usual exuberance. "Good morning, dear. Would you like something to eat before your hike?"

"I'm not very hungry this morning. I ate too much good food last night." Ashley smiled and patted her belly.

"Well, I’ve packed you a bag to take with you, and as I promised, there’s plenty in there for you to snack on once you've walked off last night's dinner."

Ashley had expected a small lunch sack, so she was quite surprised to see a backpack sitting on the front desk instead.

"I know it seems a bit much, but I wanted you to be prepared for anything that might come up," Edna continued.

Ashley didn’t want to seem ungrateful, so she thanked Edna, grabbed the backpack, and walked to the door, with the older woman following close behind.

When they exited the building, Edna pointed down the street.

"Just past the last building down there on the left, is a path that goes out into the countryside.

Just stay on it and you won't get lost."

"Thank you, I'm excited to start exploring." Ashley was about to walk away when Edna grabbed her and pulled her into a hug.

"You're a very special young lady, Ashley."

Ashley had the distinct impression Edna was saying goodbye to her for the last time. She didn't know how to respond, so she gave Edna a small wave and headed off towards the edge of town, with a prickle of apprehension running up her spine.

***

It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly, an improvement over yesterday’s cold and dreariness.

From what Ashley had come to understand, the weather was quite unpredictable in the Highlands and it could go from sunny to stormy in a matter of minutes.

She was well prepared, wearing comfortable sneakers, black leggings, a tank top and she had a hooded sweatshirt tied around her waist. She quickly glanced through the myriad things Edna had packed for her as she stashed an extra t-shirt in the backpack, just in case she needed an extra layer if the weather turned cool.

The path was easily located and she was amazed by how quickly she left Glendaloch behind.

The trail wound its way downhill and towards a small stream.

Ashley heard the swiftly flowing water, long before she saw it.

The surrounding area was rugged, hilly and a verdant green, and as she walked she enjoyed the quiet and serenity of the surroundings.

This was something she would never have the courage to do back home, but she felt safe being alone here.

Ashley hoped being on vacation hadn't lulled her into a false sense of security.

Ashley wondered what was behind Edna Campbell’s strange behavior this morning.

The backpack was actually a little on the heavy side for a day’s hike.

What had Edna put in there? She’d seen a few items earlier, when she deposited her t-shirt in the backpack, but she’d give it a closer look when she stopped to rest. From what she’d learned about Edna since her arrival, she’d probably given Ashley enough food to feed an army and what about that crazy hug?

She smiled to herself, thinking about the older woman.

Edna seemed to have adopted Ashley over the last two days.

Instead of feeling as if she was staying at a hotel, Ashley found it was like staying with a warm and caring family member.

She wondered what had happened to Edna's daughter.

She hadn't wanted to pry, not when she could see how much it affected both Edna and Angus when the subject had come up.

Having suffered her own losses, Ashley understood completely.

She had been walking for about twenty minutes or so when the trail began to wind through a stand of trees, which blocked out the sunlight.

Ashley hurried to make her way through the shadows, to the warmth of the sunshine just ahead.

The sound of running water got louder. Stopping briefly to adjust the backpack, she noticed a stone bridge, recognizing it as the one from the book.

She was startled to see what looked like someone, standing just beyond the trees.

Ashley looked back, uncomfortable and not certain she should proceed.

Looking towards the bridge once again, she strained her eyes searching for the figure she was sure had been standing there, but was now gone.

My imagination is getting the better of me.

Don't be such a chicken, Ashley. Keep going.

Once back in the bright sunlight, she felt better.

It was probably an optical illusion; perhaps a tree, or something equally benign, she rationalized.

As she got closer, she noticed a misty fog on the other side of the bridge settling in amongst the trees.

It was moving across the ground, as though it were a living, breathing entity.

Ashley had never seen fog like it before, and it was a bit unsettling.

She was starting to think this hike might not have been the best idea.

I hope I'm not going to be walking in that for the rest of the day .

Ashley stopped in the middle of the bridge to watch the water rushing past beneath her and thought fleetingly about the legend of the bridge.

It was merely folklore, nothing for her to worry about.

She caressed the warm stones beneath her hands and enjoyed the sensation of the sun warming her face.

How could it be so sunny in this spot and so foggy over there?

Downstream, she could see woods on either side of the river.

All was quiet, except for the sounds of the water and the birds singing excitedly in the trees.

Ashley took a deep breath to calm her nerves and considered whether to continue into the fog.

With the sun shining so brightly in the spot where she stood, she decided the fog must only be in that one area, and would give way to sunshine again once she was through the trees.

She fought back the anxiety, which was threatening to make an appearance and ruin her day.

Ashley studied the swirling mass of grey for a few moments before making her decision to try it.

She hadn't taken more than two steps when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps behind her. Before she could turn to look, something hit her from behind, and she found herself falling face first onto the gravel path. Adrenaline surged through her veins as she struggled to get the sudden weight off her back. She’d been right, there had been someone standing by the bridge, and they had been waiting for her.

Ashley screamed loudly and shouted for help, before a hand covered her mouth.

She was able to bite it and the hand disappeared.

Ashley screamed again and managed to pull her arm out from beneath her body.

She elbowed her attacker in the head and he rolled away, grunting in pain, giving her an opportunity to scramble to her feet.

Her attacker was between her and the path back, with his face directed away from her.

Ashley made a split second decision to head into the fog, thinking she stood a better chance if her assailant couldn't see her.

She started to run for it, but he grabbed her ankle and tripped her again.

"No! No! Come back here!" she heard him yell.

Ashley screamed again and suddenly remembered she had pepper spray in her jacket pocket, if she could only reach it.

She managed to kick his hand away and got back to her feet.

She had to fight back against this madman, and pepper spray would level the playing field.

Ashley rummaged through her pocket and located the spray.

She didn’t get a good look at her attacker, but knew instinctively whom it was.

The only person it could be; the one man who had been turning up unexpectedly ever since she’d arrived in Glendaloch.

Suddenly he was right in front of her, grabbing at her arm and dragging her back across the bridge.

Ashley could see him clearly now and her instincts had been correct.

It was Teddy, and he had an iron grip on her arm.

She tried to stay calm and do what she’d learned in self-defense classes, saying a silent thank you to her mother for insisting she attend them for safety’s sake.

As Teddy pulled her towards him, she stopped resisting and flew into his chest, hitting his shoulder.

The combination of Teddy tugging on her arm and Ashley falling against him knocked him off his feet.

Ashley had the advantage now, but knew it was only momentary.

She sprayed him with the pepper spray and turned to run.

The only option available was to run straight into that crazy swirling fog.