Page 9 of All In Good Time

Edna left her to go make the arrangements and Sara sat and daydreamed about seeing Logan for the first time and what his reaction might be to seeing her.

* * *

“There will bea man with a wagon waiting fer ye on the other side of the bridge.” Edna would be escorting Sara to the bridge and was giving her instructions before they left. “Dinnae be afraid. The fog willnae hurt ye. Ye’ll quickly transition from this time to the past and when ye do, Wallace will be there waiting fer ye. He kens the way to Breaghacraig and so ye need nae have any fears about the journey.” Sara nodded and listened as Edna ticked off the list of dos and don’ts she’d need to be aware of. “I think that’s everything. Are ye ready to get started?”

Sara could hardly speak she was so excited and nervous about what was about to happen, so she nodded instead. She held tightly to the pouch Edna had given her. It contained things Sara might need on her journey, not the least of which was antibiotics in case she became ill. No lie, that was one thing that really frightened her. The thought of being ill in a time when people died from even minor ailments was perhaps the most terrifying prospect of this journey.

She tried to calm her breathing. The last thing she needed to do was hyperventilate so badly that she passed out before she even got started.

As they began the walk to the bridge, Sara felt as if she were in an alternate reality. Her legs were moving, but they didn’t feel connected to her body. It was like she was looking at everything from the outside in. She knew this was a coping mechanism for her. It happened whenever she found herself doing something out of the ordinary, like the first time she ever went bungee jumping. She had been terrified, but somehow that feeling of not being in her own body had helped her when she took that leap. She was doing the same thing now. Self-preservation was the name of the game in her mind.

Hardly a word was spoken between the two women as they walked. There seemed to be a silent agreement that neither of them would say anything that might scare Sara more. It was a clear and sunny day. The sky was a bright blue with a few fluffy white clouds slowly floating across and behind the massive fir trees that dotted the landscape they traversed. An ordinary day by most people’s standards. Anything but, for Sara.

“This is it,” Edna said, glancing around the bridge as if she were searching for something. “Be safe, my girl.” Edna wrapped Sara in a warm, motherly hug. “If ye wish to return, Ashley MacBayne will help ye contact me. I’ll do my best to keep an eye on ye, but as I’ve told ye, because this was initiated by ye, there’s little I can do.”

“I know, Edna. And I appreciate all you’ve been able to do for me.” Sara hugged Edna tightly. She would have loved a mother like her, but that wasn’t the hand she was dealt. In the few short days she’d known Edna, she’d grown quite fond of her and quite attached.

It seemed Edna understood this, as she wiped an errant tear from Sara’s eyes. “Yer a brave lass. Remember that and dinnae allow yerself to be waylaid by fear.”

Sara stood up taller, straightening her back and holding her head high. Edna led her to the center of the bridge and then walked back far enough to avoid being swept up in the wake of Sara’s leaving.

The fog began to swirl around Sara and she frantically looked to Edna for reassurance. “Ye’ll be fine, my dear,” Edna shouted.

“Goodbye, Edna!” Sara called out, waving to Edna as she disappeared from sight. The fog had completely engulfed her now and she saw bright pops of light in many colors as the fog swirled faster and faster around her. She was reminded of a tornado and prepared herself to be swept into it, but instead the fog cleared and she was standing on the very same bridge. Had she actually traveled through time? She checked to see if Edna might still be standing there, but she was gone. She took a moment and glanced around. Things did appear a bit different. The trees weren’t as big and the bridge seemed newer.

“Good morn to ye, lass.” A man jumped down from his wagon and walked towards her. “Me name’s Wallace and I’m here to take ye to Breaghacraig.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Wallace. My name’s Sara. How long will it take to get there?” She realized traveling by wagon was a lot slower than traveling by car and so, even if she knew the way to Breaghacraig, she had no idea how long any of this was going to take. It didn’t matter though. She was on her way to Logan and that was really all she cared about.

“’Twill take more than a day, but not quite two before we arrive. If ye’ll come with me, we’ll get ye all settled. Do ye have any belongings with ye?” The man looked all around her.

“No. Just me.” Sara was feeling quite unprepared as she made a list in her head of all the things she should have brought with her. She would apparently be sleeping outside tonight and she didn’t even bring a sleeping bag or a pillow. Edna had given her a cloak, so she imagined she could wrap herself up in that, but what about food? What would she eat. She remembered Edna had given her a small parcel for Wallace, which she’d tucked into the cloak. “Edna asked me to give you this,” she handed him the parcel, which had been neatly tied with string.”

“Ah, me! She never forgets,” Wallace beamed.

“What is it?” Sara was curious.

“A wee snack fer the two of us. Me favorite scones!”

Sara was relieved. She wasn’t going to starve after all.

They walked to the wagon and Wallace helped her up onto her seat and then climbed up next to her. “Walk on,” he called to the two large draft horses pulling the wagon and they were off.

“So, what brings ye to this time and place, lass?” Wallace glanced her way as he turned the horses. He seemed like a nice man, and clearly was someone that Edna trusted. She should probably just tell him what was going on.

“Love, I think.”

“Ye think? I’d say if yer here and ye’ve gone to such trouble, then love it must be, eh?” He smiled and winked at her.

Sara couldn’t deny it. “You’re absolutely right. Love it is.”

“Now, tell me about yerself and where ’tis yer from. I do this little errand fer Edna every now and again, but in exchange I like to hear tales of the places I’ll never see.”

“I’d be happy to share with you.” Sara smiled warmly at the man who would be her companion for the next day or so. He reminded her of her Grandpa. She missed him terribly. He had been the only sane person in her family, aside from her brother Zeke. When they were young, he was their rock. The person who played all the family roles – mother and father included. Her parents hadn’t been the most stable couple and disappeared from their lives while both she and Zeke were quite young.

Seeing her grandfather every time she glanced Wallace’s way, she found herself confiding in him about her years growing up in San Francisco, her life there now, her brother Zeke and how she met Logan. He was a very good listener and had lots of questions, which she happily answered. The time passed quickly. They ate lunch perched atop the wagon as the horses rested. Continuing on, he told Sara all about his life, which seemed pretty stress-free in comparison to hers. He told her he worked for a friend of Edna’s, someone he called Beira. He told Sara she was the Queen of Winter and Sara couldn’t help but laugh.

“Really? The Queen of Winter?” It seemed pretty incredible.