Bri had warned me that with the castle no longer being the ruins I had once known it as in present time that it had become a popular attraction with visiting tourists. Still, I had underestimated the number of people who would be in attendance once we arrived in the twenty-first century.
Mary and I had been able to make it out of the roped-off basement undetected, but the stares Mary’s clothing garnered as we made our way out were enough to rival an eight-legged horse at a zoo. Luckily, Mary remained so bug-eyed at everything she saw that she remained completely oblivious to the pointing fingers and stares.
Once outside, we began the several miles walk to the inn. Mary spoke for the first time, “Excuse me language, Adelle, but holy bugger. Me head hurts something awful. I knew that it would from witnessing both Bri and yerself come through, but I dinna expect it to hurt quite so bad.”
I scrunched my nose up guiltily. “Yes, I’m sorry. Morna will have something we can take, I’m certain. What do you think so far?”
“Well, I’m surprised to find that the castle looks much the same, but ’tis lighted much more and oddly.”
“Yes, electricity is amazing. All homes and buildings have it.”
“Is that so? As we walk along this path, it doesna look so different.”
She was right, besides the gravel road leading to the castle, this part of Scotland was still very much untouched by the conveniences of modern times. “Yes, unless you decide to accompany me into Edinburgh, your shocks will be less than they could be. Morna’s home will have many things to surprise you, but nothing like the city.”
“Aye, well I canna say that I doona enjoy the adventure of it. Perhaps, I will join ye when ye leave for the city.”
We walked in silence until we arrived at Jerry and Morna’s, and I was none too surprised to find both of them waiting for us at the front door.
“Ach, Mary! I canna believe it! I nearly spit up me food when me vision showed me yesterday morning that ye two lassies were on yer way to see us.”
Morna charged Mary, who blanched at the shock of laying eyes on the dear friend she’d thought lost forever. She pulled the cook into a tight embrace.
Jerry made his way over to me, wrapping his rail-thin arms around my neck. “Adelle, it is lovely to see ye again, lass.”
“You as well, Jerry. So Morna saw us coming?”
Morna’s voice answered me as she led Mary toward us, their arms laced with one another. “Aye, I did and I’ve no been so pleased by a vision in some time. I’m also thrilled to know that our dear Bri is with child, is she no?”
“Yes, and she’s close to popping. Only a few more weeks, and the child will make its appearance. I simply cannot wait.” I smiled, leaning in to give Morna my hug of greeting.
Morna waved us inside her home before speaking again. “I’m sure ’tis true, lass. I have something I wish for ye to take back with ye. It’s an herbal potion I’ve mixed, ’twill help her greatly with the pains of labor.”
“Oh, thank you so much. I’ve been worrying myself sick thinking about the ordeal she must go through. I thought I was going to die when I gave birth to Bri, and I let them drug me up with every medicine they had.”
Morna laughed. As we made our way into the sitting room, Mary’s eyes bulging at every odd trinket, Morna pointed at a box in the corner, and tears immediately swelled in my eyes.
“I also retrieved something else for ye, lass.”
I had to keep from running toward the large box of ornaments, each a special memory of the Christmases Bri and I spent together while she was growing up. Each year our collection grew, and each new ornament was a new, precious memory. “Morna!” I hadn’t a clue how to express my gratitude.
“’Tis what ye really wanted, is it no?”
I nodded in disbelief. “Yes, but it never crossed my mind that I would actually be able to get them. I just planned to go into Edinburgh and buy a brand new set. All of this was in the States, at Bri’s old place. How did you…how did you do this?”
She laughed heartily. “Did I no just make it possible for the two of ye to come here from hundreds of years in the past? Compared to that, ’twas a simple task to move these to us. Look in the other box, I also included a few other things I could sense were precious to ye.”
My hands trembled with excitement as I moved to open the lid of the next box. I opened it to find an old CD player that could be operated with large DD batteries, packs and packs of replacement batteries, and our entire collection of Christmas music. Bri’s baby blanket, knitted by my own mother, gently padded the Christmas items. Tears fell freely at the sight of it. “Oh my God, Morna. Are you a mind reader as well?”