The woman in my dream seemed so real, and I wondered who she was, this Vanora, and why her words actually made me feel safe. I wanted to be brave for her, to face my destiny. But what was my destiny? Would she come back and tell me?
Then I remembered that Roy was an expert in Scottish history and legends. I had discussed my first dream with him, and he was open-minded about it. Maybe he could help me decode this one. Disturbed by such a vivid dream, I lay awake for a long time, stewing things over in my mind.
Although I didn’t have anywhere to go in the morning, I got up early to talk to Roy. I wanted to get his opinion as soon as I could. When I went down to the kitchen, he was already sitting at the table, engrossed in his newspaper and slurping his coffee. The fantastic smell of baked biscuits was in the air, but Alison was nowhere to be seen. That was good because she was far more skeptical than Roy when it came to myths and legends. Without her practical influence, I could talk to Roy without any inhibitions.
“Good morning, Roy.”
I sat down next to him and poured myself a cup of coffee.
“Aye, good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“To be honest, no. And that’s exactly what I want to talk to you about. Do you have a moment?”
Roy laid the paper aside, pushed the plate with biscuits toward me, and leaned back in his chair.
“What’s up?”
I picked up a biscuit and broke off a little piece.
“I had another strange dream. It was similar to the one I had before. But this time, something else, something kind of weird, happened.”
Roy waited for me to continue, but suddenly I felt insecure. It was absurd to believe that a woman from my dreams had come into my room and put my pendant around my neck. My newly spruced-up pendant, no less.
“Sam, look, I’m from Fair Isle. A tiny island, far north, between the Orkneys and the Shetlands. There are things there that many people, including those here, would not believe. I have seen things that aren’t supposed to exist. But I did see them, aye? So you don’t need to worry. I will believe you, whatever you tell me.”
I could tell he meant what he said. And so I told him everything. In between sentences, I paused to put pieces of biscuit into my mouth. The warmth and sweetness of Alison’s baking felt like my connection to reality. Like a soft, safe anchor in this whole muddle of dreams.
When I had finished, Roy shook his head. “Astonishing. Really astonishing. Do you mind if I look at the necklace?”
He held the pendant with strong fingers, and brushed over the engraving.
“Cuimhnich air na daoine o’n d’ thanig thu. I know that motto, it’s the—”
“The Camerons’ motto, I know.”
“Aye, right. It means, ‘Remember those…”
“‘… you are a descendant of.’” I completed his sentence. Goose bumps covered my body, and I had to swallow several times to fight the lump in my throat.
Roy nodded. “But how did you know?”
“From my dream. There was a woman, and her name is Vanora. In my dream, she said that to me.”
Roy laughed out loud. “Aye, in your shoes I would also be feeling alarmed. But remember, it is only a necklace. Vanora means “white wave,” and that tells me she must be an old woman, one of the Island Folk. I am sure she is of no danger to you.”
“But Roy, how do you explain why I am dreaming of island women I didn’t even know existed?” I brushed up the last crumb from my plate and stuck it in my mouth.
“I think she wants to reveal herself to you. She wants you to understand what she is trying to tell you.”
Roy had a strange expression on his face. I didn’t know who I thought was crazier—me for telling him all this or him for believing me.
“Let’s assume you’re right,” I said. “How do you know this stuff?”
“For thousands of years, the people on Fair Isle have been living there in peace, without any influence from outside civilizations. The people are fishermen, simple people. The Wise Women of Fair Isle made sure everything was in order. They spoke the law. They were the leaders of the tribe. It was a responsibility they passed down to their daughters and granddaughters. And because everyone was so dependent on the sea and its moods, all the Wise Women were named in honor of the water. Like White Wave or Peaceful Current. But also Raging Lake.”
I leaned forward in my chair, nearly knocking over my coffee.
“These women,” Roy said, “could also connect to the powers of nature, or at least, so it is said. Their supernatural powers and abilities became famous. At one point, some of the mighty Scottish clan leaders sent ships to the island with the intention of stealing one of the Fair Witches—that’s what they called the Wise Women. They thought the witches could help bring them more power and wealth.”
I imagined how terrible it must have been, to be taken forcibly from your family and home, to face an unsure destiny at the hands of people who wanted to steal your powers.
“The Wise Women saw the warships coming,” said Roy. “And they gave the men of the island an order—to bid farewell to one of their daughters each. The men wanted to fight and defend their island, but they followed the instructions of the Wise Women, and soon eight girls stood waiting on the beach in their white gowns. As the heavily armed warriors streamed by the dozens onto land, they heard the voice of the eldest Wise Woman, a voice carried right up to them by the wind.
“Take these powerful children of our folk. To maintain the peace, they will obey you. Never again will you return to Fair Isle. The sea would devour you. Now go.”
This was something the warriors hadn’t expected at all, and there was disagreement among some of the men, who were determined to have a battle. Then the skies darkened. Lightning flashed over the wild sea. The clansmen took it as a sign. They grabbed the eight girls, dragged them to their ships, and left the island.”
“Wow, what a story!” I couldn’t wait to hear more.
Roy laughed. “I hate to do this to you, but I have to get going or I’ll be late to work. We’ll talk more later.” He got up, folded his newspaper, and put his jacket on.
I don’t know how he could so easily leave the story and return to the present day. I could still see the frightened girls in front of me, whose fate had been to leave their home to protect their families’ lives. Face your destiny. These girls had done just that. But if that’s what it had meant for them, I wondered, what could it mean for me?
Roy already had his bag under his arm. He stuck his head through the door and said, “I’m off, then. Have a good day.”
“Roy? What does mo luaidh mean?”
“Mo luaidh? That means ‘my darling’ in Gaelic. Just how many necklaces do you have?” he joked.
I blushed. “It wasn’t from a necklace.”
“Aye.” Roy grinned knowingly.
Then he was out the door, and I started grinning, too.