Chapter 3 #2
“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.
“Aye, lass,” Wallace assured her.
“What does she do when it’s not winter? Is there a Queen of Summer?”
The man chuckled. “She keeps quite busy, no matter the season and yes, there is a Queen of Summer.”
“So, I imagine your busy season will be coming up then.”
“Sooner than ye’d think.”
“It’s still summer though, isn’t it?” She wasn’t sure if the seasons in this time aligned with the seasons in her own time.
He laughed again. “The seasons remain the same, no matter the year. Winter is followed by spring and then summer, which is the current season, on to fall and then back to winter. I’m going to guess that our weather is a bit different than what yer used to.”
Sara was wrapped in her cloak, even though it was mid-summer. The temperatures were a lot like summer in San Francisco, where it could be quite chilly on any given day, even in July or August. “So, is this the usual summer weather? It seems a little cold today.”
“Well, we are in a heavily wooded area, so the sun cannae touch ye quite the way it might without the trees to block it.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Sara was enjoying her time with Wallace. He was funny and warm and she felt safe and comfortable in his company.
“We’ll stop for the night and I’ll build us a nice, big fire. I’ve got plenty of blankets to keep ye warm, so no need for concern.”
Surprisingly she wasn’t at all concerned, but she was a bit anxious about seeing Logan again. “Do you know Logan McPhail?”
“Nae. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him.”
“Oh … How will I find him?” she wondered aloud.
“I imagine if he’s at Breaghacraig, ye’ll find him soon enough. There are many there who will be of help to ye.”
Sara relaxed a bit. “Yes. I have a friend there. Helene. I can’t wait to see her again.”
“And how is it that ye ken this lass?” he asked as he pulled the horses to a halt.
“She came to my time. That’s how I met Logan as well.”
“It seems everyone is traveling through time but me,” he laughed.
“Would you like to go?”
“Nae. I’m happy here. I’ve nae need for adventure.”
“Everyone needs adventure,” Sara protested.
“I’ve had enough adventure in my life. Most of it when I was a younger man. Now I’m content to help Beira and Edna with small deeds. I’m happy in my little cottage in front of a blazing fire with a wee dram of whiskey. I dinnae need or want anything more.”
A simple life. Sara thought that might be just what she needed. It would be good to be in a place where she wasn’t checking her smartphone every five minutes. A place where life moved at a much slower place. I could definitely get used to this, she thought.
They made their camp for the evening. Sara helped as much as possible.
Wallace knew what he was doing and she simply did whatever he needed help with.
They got a fire going and had a nice meal together.
After dinner, he gave Sara some blankets and some tips on choosing the perfect spot to lay them so she’d sleep comfortably.
She doubted that would happen. She wasn’t much of a camper and sleeping outside was definitely not in her comfort zone, but it was only the one night, so she’d deal with it.
After searching and searching for a comfy spot, Sara decided she wanted to sleep in the wagon bed, so Wallace helped her get settled there.
“Good night, Sara. Sleep well. We’ll be off early in the morning.”
“Good night, Wallace. I’ll be ready.”