“Didnae mean to scare ye, dearie,” she said with a wide smile, her voice soft yet vibrant, with an accent that suggested she came from the Highlands.
“You...you didn’t,” Anna said, clutching her chest to calm her racing heart. “Oh all right, you did. Scared the living bejeebies out of me, actually. I didn’t expect to find anyone here.”
“Oh?” the woman asked. “Then why were ye shouting, ‘hello?’ if ye didnae expect anyone to answer?”
Anna paused. That was a good question. “I...erm...well...I...”
The woman chuckled. “Dinna fash, my dearie. I should introduce myself. Name’s Irene. Irene MacAskill.”
“Irene?” Anna repeated. “I’m Anna.” She looked around at the ruined farmhouse with its peeling walls and sagging roof. “You...you don’tlivehere, do you?”
Irene laughed, a bright sound full of youthful joy. “Oh dear me, no! I might look a bit rough around the edges but this might be a bit too rustic, even for me! My old bones like a bit of comfort these days.”
“Oh. Right. So what are you doing here?”
“I might ask ye the same question,” replied Irene. “What brings ye to this old ruin?”
“I was looking for my friend, Lily.”
“Aye, well, we all need our friends when we’ve had a bad day, dinna we?”
How did Irene know she’d had a bad day? Was she really that obvious? She had often been told she wore her emotions plastered over her face, but still...
“But I wonder,” Irene continued, stepping forward. “Is it just yer friend ye are looking for? Or is there something else as well? Something ye’ve been looking for yer whole life but never known how to find?”
“Er...nope, definitely just looking for my friend,” Anna replied, taking a step back.
Who was this old woman? Where had she come from? And why did she make Anna feel so uncomfortable, like she was suddenly sharing the room with a thundercloud?
“I don’t suppose you have a phone charger do you?” Anna asked. “No, I suppose not. Do you live nearby? I could give you a lift if you like? My car’s just outside. It’ll be getting dark soon and you really don’t want to be wandering around out here then.”
Irene gazed up at her, dark eyes twinkling. They were so deep they looked like pools of spilled ink. “That’s mighty kind of ye, my dear,” she said, clasping her hands together. “But I’ll be just fine. As will ye, just as soon as ye find what ye are looking for.”
“Yes, my friend Lily.”
“That isnae what I meant. Ye are looking for something else entirely, Anna Webster, and until ye find it, yer restless heart will never be at peace.”
How did Irene know who she was? She’d given her first name but not her last. What was going on here? She suddenly felt uneasy. There was something about Irene MacAskill...something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Who are you?” she asked, taking another step back.
“Who I am isnae what’s important. It’s what I’ve come to show ye that matters.”
“And what is that?”
“Ah, now we are getting somewhere,” Irene replied. “The balance is out of kilter because ye are not where and when ye are supposed to be, Anna Webster. But now ye have a chance to change that. Ye have a chance to take a new path, if ye have the courage.”
“Okaaay. Well, it’s been nice meeting you,” Anna said, backing towards the door. Seriously? She had come all the way out here and run into the local crackpot? Just her luck. “But I really have to be going. There’s a bottle of gin with my name on it back at the hotel. Goodbye.”
She turned, heading to the door, but Irene was suddenly in front of her, raising an arm and effectively blocking her path.
“Ye should look behind ye,” the old woman said, her voice gentle but firm.
Turning, Anna saw the back door of the cottage. It hung open, forming an arch, and beneath that arch she could see...something.
Not the countryside she’d expected but a strange shimmering haze, as though the arch beneath the lintel was filled with a cascading waterfall.
What the—? Intrigued and a little baffled, Anna took a step closer.
As she squinted into the haze, she realized there were shapes moving inside it—not just shadows, but tangible forms visible through the warm distortion. She saw a high castle with many turrets, a group of people dancing and laughing on the grass outside, and then a man walking towards her, his hand outstretched. He wore a hood and she couldn’t see his face, but the sight of him sent such a shock of recognition and longing through her that she gasped.
