Page 43 of A Bridge Through Time
“Ashley, my parents are Edna and Angus Campbell. They own The Thistle and Hive,” Lena said patiently.
The color drained from Ashley’s face and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
“I’m sorry – did you say your parents are Edna and Angus Campbell?”Could there possibly be a sixteenth century version of The Thistle and Hive, owned by another Edna and Angus Campbell?
Lena grinned. “Yes, Ashley, I’m Arlena Campbell. About five years ago, I crossed the same bridge you did. I walked through the fog and straight into the sixteenth century. Ewan found me wandering in the woods, and brought me back here to Breaghacraig. Everyone here was so kind and accepting. At first, I thought I’d lost my mind. It was more than I could comprehend. Eventually, I realized that I belonged here with this family and especially with Ewan, who is the love of my life.”
Ashley tilted her head, regarding Lena with amazement. “So everyone here knows you’re from the future?”
“Only the immediate family and a few others. Irene sent word as soon as you got here, and I’ve been dying to get here to see you.”
“Irene knows about me?”
“Yes, they all do,” Lena chuckled.
Ashley considered what she’d learned for nearly a full minute before she spoke. “Wow. I’m shocked. I mean, I’m so happy I’m not alone in this, but why didn’t they say anything?”
“They wanted me to tell you. I think they were surprised it would happen a second time. Even though they knew it was possible, they weren’t one hundred percent sure you were really from another time. I guess I’m the expert on the subject.”
“You must have a million questions. I know I do. Have you tried to go back?”
“At first, Ewan tried to help me go home, but the fog seemingly has to be there at the bridge, in order for it to work. Each time I tried, it wasn’t there. Then I fell in love with Ewan and I was afraid if I went back, I’d never be able to return, so I stopped trying, and now I have even more reasons to stay here.”
Ashley considered her next words carefully, anxious about upsetting Lena. “Your mother and father are so sad to have lost you. They’re the sweetest people.” She smiled softly. “I almostfelt like Edna was my mother, the way she took care of me while I was there.”
Tears brimmed against Lena’s eyelashes. “I miss them very much, too. I think they may have sent you here, trying to find me. My mother used to tell me stories about the fog by the bridge, when I was growing up. As a child, it all sounded so magical and I believed in it completely, but as I got older, I lacked faith and needed proof. Mother was always warning me to stay away, and I did for a long time. Then one day when I was out for a walk, I saw the fog and I was…I don’t know,drawnto it.” Lena shrugged. “I honestly didn’t believe anything would happen, but it did, and here I am five years later.”
“So you think your mother guided me here?” Ashley asked in disbelief.
“Mother is an unusual woman; some might say she’s a witch. She’s got the magic, if you will. She knows things that she shouldn’t know and can do things that are beyond comprehension. I am my mother’s daughter and I share some of her abilities. I believe she’s been communicating with me all these years, usually though my dreams. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to communicate back. In my dreams she speaks to me and tells me things, which might happen.”
“Did she tell you I was coming?”
“Not you specifically, but I knew she’d send someone. How is it that you came to cross the bridge?”
Ashley inhaled deeply before she spoke. “I guess I should start at the beginning. I was visiting from America, I had gotten to a stage in my life where I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone. Do things I wouldn’t ordinarily do, you know? I guess this is a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’,” she chuckled.
Lena nodded in agreement and Ashley continued. “I started having visions of Cailin, only I didn’t know who he was at the time, and I thought I was going crazy. I needed to prove thatI wasn’t, so on some level this trip was about finding him. I became obsessed with Scotland and I found I was drawn to Glendaloch. I don’t know how or why, but when I got there, I knew it was the place I had been looking for. Your mother made me feel so special and cared for. It was as if she was looking at me and seeing you. If that makes any sense?”
“It does, actually,” Lena admitted quietly. “Now that I have children of my own, I understand the love only a parent can feel for a child. I’m sorry I’ve caused them such pain.” A single tear ran down her cheek as she spoke. “Tell me more, please.”
“There was a creepy guy named Teddy, who followed me everywhere I went in Glendaloch. Edna told me not to worry about him, she said he was harmless.” Ashley rolled her eyes, and Lena laughed.
“I know Teddy. He really is harmless. If he was following you around, it was probably because mother told him to.”
“Do you really think so?” Ashley asked, with a hint of disbelief.
“I’m sure of it.”
“You might not think so, when you hear the rest of my story.” Ashley paused a moment, gathering her thoughts before she continued. “I wanted to take a hike into the countryside. Back home I would never think of doing something like that by myself, but for some reason, I thought it was a great idea and I couldn’t wait to go. I asked Edna for the best route and she sent me towards the bridge. She packed a backpack for me and I was on my way.”
All of a sudden, things started to fall into place. Edna obviously did know.
Lena was smiling at her and nodding. “She did send you.”
“She did. It all makes sense now. That backpack had everything in it that I could possibly need. I should have realized sooner. It was almost…as if she knew what was going to happen.”
“And Teddy…” Lena prodded gently.
