She gathered her belongings and he took her to a room that had a single bed and little more. Sarah was thankful it had built-in cupboards.
‘Thank you,’ she said at the door.
Troy went to his ensuite for a shower. After spending all day helping out his neighbour, he had not had the chance to shower and still smelt like the dam. He was going to freshen up before Sarah came over, but his stomach had been calling out for a feed. He also knew she’d be hungry. The authorities had detained them for hours and then he had helped her sort her gear out and his boat. They didn’t eat until three o’clock in the afternoon.
Troy usually watched the news at six, but he wanted to make sure his guest was settling in. He was prepared to abandon his routines for a short while, especially because he found Sarah’s company amusing. Single living was starting to be a drag. It was nice to have the scent of a woman roaming through his corridors, a woman other than Juanita.
Sarah sorted through clothes and slipped into her nightie, but she wasn’t ready to close the door and settle into bed. She wanted to wish her host a good night. She hoped he would come out of his room before retiring.
She went into the lounge room to wait awhile. She smelt him before she saw him and gosh he smelled good. She had to fight her urges when his muscular frame appeared in front of her.
Troy found her sitting on the lounge reading her phone messages.
Sarah’s parents had not answered her message. They were still making their way home from Yeppoon. Their phones were still turned off. But many concerned friends had left their messages and Sarah was busy letting them know she was ok.
‘Do you need this?’ Troy said, distracting her from the phone. He had an alarm clock in his hand.
‘No thanks, I can use my phone. I’m usually good at waking up on time, but this weekend I’m out of whack.’
Although it was only just becoming dark, they had both missed out on sleep over the past twenty-four hours. They were likely to sleep right through the night.
‘Ok, sweetheart. It’s a spare one, so I thought I’d use it for the spare room.’
‘You might need a bedside table to put it on.’
He looked at her, semi-amused. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Hey, I’m a bloke. I only need furniture for storing my car parts and tools.’
‘Yeah, I noticed your garage is well set up.’
‘Bedrooms are for sleeping in,’ he said, defending himself. ‘You only need a bed.’
‘Your spare room is so empty it echoes,’ Sarah said, amused. ‘What am I going to steal when I leave?’
‘The bed.’
Sarah chuckled. ‘I usually help myself to small items like complimentary soap and free coffee.’
‘Ah, free coffee I have. Help yourself to the coffee any time you like, love.’ Troy was glad to see her smiling after the trauma she had been through.
‘Thanks.’
‘Your phone didn’t get burnt then?’
‘No, I left it in the bedroom with my handbag, thank goodness. I lost my iPad, though. I’ll buy a new one tomorrow. I’m glad I have everything saved on cloud.’
‘Don’t we love our technology?’
She smiled. ‘Don’t we just?’
‘Well goodnight, sweetheart.’ He turned and walked down the hallway.
‘Goodnight,’ she said back to him.
‘It won’t take too much to repair your house.’ She heard him hollering down the hall. ‘We got to it pretty early.’ She heard a door close.
She smiled, thinking how he used a lot of endearments: dear, love, sweetheart. She didn’t mind, though. She climbed off the couch and headed for the spare bedroom. She could still smell his scent wafting along the hallway. She would remember his scent for the rest of her life. It smelt safe.
Before nodding off, Sarah thought about checking her messages on the phone. She browsed the list of unopened messages, but in the end she was too tired to bother reading them. She decided to answer them tomorrow in her break time. Amongst the inundated messages from friends, who were sure to be curious about the fire, she saw a message from Emily. She would open Emily’s message first thing in the morning.
Sarah’s phone alarm went off at seven in the morning. She climbed out of her blankets and headed straight for the bathroom with her clothes to freshen up.
When she was ready to go, she was surprised to see Troy at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee.
‘How are you today? Are you alright?’ His husky morning voice croaked. ‘I made you a coffee.’
She had planned to get one on the way to work, but seeing as he had gone to all the trouble, she joined him at the table. ‘I’m fine. Thanks for everything, Troy.’
‘That’s ok, love. Will you be right for work today?’
‘I need the distraction,’ she confessed.
‘I hear ya,’ he said, rubbing his eyes. ‘Would you like some toast?’
‘I’ll get something on the way to work.’
Sarah moved to place her finished cup in the sink.
‘Leave it there, love,’ Troy said. ‘I’ll sort it.’
She smiled and sat the cup back on the table. ‘Bye, Troy.’
Troy noticed Sarah had a beautiful smile. ‘Bye, hun. I’ll see you after work. We’ll talk about everything then. I really don’t mind you staying here until your house is sorted.’
He was truly a kind man, Sarah thought. Her last boyfriend had been so selfish.
Sarah hesitated at the front door. ‘Troy, when I catch up with you later, I’d like to tell you some strange things about me. You’ll think I’m weird, but I need to tell you.’
His blank stare had her turning cartwheels.
‘Sure,’ he said. ‘I’m all ears, sweetheart.’ She was able to breathe again. ‘And hey, my mother studies the paranormal and my father chases UFOs, so nothing is too weird for my ears. I’ve seen a lot of stuff, Sarah. Only, I don’t talk about it, especially around the guys I work with. They already think I’m a bit cracked in the head.’
She laughed. ‘I’ll catch up with you later.’
‘Have a good day, hun.’
Fifteen
Sarah was sitting out on her mother’s patio while making her private call. ‘I nearly died in a fire Sunday morning,’ she voiced into the phone.
There was no response on the receiving end. Sarah waited patiently for a reply.
‘What happened?’ For the first time in Kerry’s career, she was stumped.
‘I left the heater on in the lounge room and when I went to bed I threw my doona over the heater. The safety switch didn’t work.’
‘Oh dear!’ Kerry paused again. ‘I know you’re busy with work, but can you see me as soon as you can? I’ll move my appointments around. Based on the circumstances, your case is a priority.’
‘I’ve taken some time off from work. Well, they insisted I take some time off, dad in particular. My mind’s not on the job, as you can imagine. My father thought my dreams were rubbish. I think he got a hell of a fright when it almost happened.’
‘Oh, for sure, and I’m so disappointed the sessions haven’t worked. There’s obviously something we’ve missed.’
‘I’m staying with a neighbour at present. Well, I’m toggling between his place and my mother’s. My house needs some repairs.’
‘I bet it does. I’m just so glad it’s not you that’s in need of repairs. When would you like to come in?’
‘Tomorrow, if that’s ok. Today I’m doing things with my mother.’
‘How sweet. I hope it turns out to be one of the best days and I shall fit you in first thing tomorrow morning. Will eight-thirty be ok for you?’
‘That will be great. I’ll be too anxious to leave it any later.’
‘Indeed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. You have a great day and enjoy your time with mum.’
‘I will. Thanks, Kerry. Bye.’
Sarah put her phone down and started for the kitchen.
‘Well?’ her moth
er asked. She was making coffee, frothing up the milk. Her husband had bought her a new coffee machine and, as a result, she was serving cappuccinos at every opportunity.
‘Tomorrow morning, eight-thirty.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Her mother was finally taking her claim seriously.
‘No, mum. I’ll go on my own. You’ll make me self-conscious.’
‘Ok, then.’
Sarah noticed the disappointment on her mother’s face. ‘I’ll tell you everything about it afterwards and you can listen to my tapes.’ Her previously recorded tapes were at her place in her bedroom, undamaged. She decided to grab them later for her mother to listen to, now that she was open to her premonition.
While she was at it, she would grab the rest of her stuff from Troy’s house.
He was back at work. The sweet man had offered his place to her while she was sorting out her insurance and the restorations. The idea had appealed to her, but his house was too empty without him there and, to be honest, she needed her mum. Juanita had also been snooping around, keeping a close eye on the two of them. It had made Sarah uncomfortable.
Sarah had told Troy about her dreams and what the psychic had told her. She explained how she was having past life therapy and her belief that she had escaped her destiny.
She was glad Troy had taken her seriously and didn’t ridicule her. He had been deeply concerned to the point where he didn’t want her out of his sight. He had offered to take some time off work, but Sarah stressed she was a grown woman—albeit one who was desperately in need of time with her mum.
Besides, she didn’t want to disrupt his routine. He had already gone out of his way to help her. His duty as a caring neighbour had surpassed even her expectations. His kindness had shone through these past few days.
Sarah had promised to keep in touch by phone.
Her parents were the last to hear about their daughter’s plight in town. They received the news first thing Monday morning. The night before, they had gone straight to bed after arriving home from Yeppoon. Sarah’s father was hit with the news when he had gone to the newsagent in the early hours to pick up his daily newspaper. Straight away, he left a message on her phone to pop around their place before work.
The morning she caught up with her parents, all she wanted was a big hug from her mum. In that moment, everything had seemed alright.
The moment was short-lived. Later that day, Sarah received another blow. She found out her best friend was also going through a bad time. She opened Emily’s message while on her coffee break. Emily had bad news: her husband had been laid off from the mines but was offered a job in Perth working for his brother.
‘That’s not all,’ Emily wrote. ‘He’s met somebody and he won’t be back. He’s gay, Sarah!’
Sarah felt bad that she had not been there for her friend and planned to make up for it. She texted Emily immediately to explain her own situation and to arrange a time to meet up. She wanted Emily to know that she was there for her.
Sarah’s day out with her mother was a blast. In the morning they went to Bingo, where Emily joined them, before going to lunch at Bogey’s Café. There, they thought they’d check out if there were any chick flicks showing at the cinema as Bogey’s was in the same building. Seeing as there were no films to their liking, they decided to see how the sewing group was getting on.
Faye Larson was in a sewing club that made clothes and sent them off to poor countries. Participation was free, as everything was supplied, including the sewing machines and overlockers, and all the materials were donated.
Sarah and Emily were hesitant at first but found themselves having fun. The ladies were great company. The welcoming vibe in the air was contagious.
Sarah and Emily were rather pleased with their finished products and vowed to come again.
‘What else do you have for us, mum?’ Sarah asked on their way home.
‘Well, I have a pottery class on Friday. Why don’t you join me? It’s loads of fun.’
Sarah and Emily looked at each other and communicated with facial expressions. While Sarah raised her eyebrows, Emily nodded. It was confirmed.
‘Yeah, why not?’ Sarah agreed for them both.
The day ended on a positive note, with Faye’s famous cappuccinos and good conversation. For one day, they had all managed to put aside the problems affecting them of late, Emily in particular. When the time for confiding came, she let everything out and found the support she was seeking. She had thanked them for it.
The next morning, Sarah walked through the gardens to Kerry Bell’s office. Rockhampton was three hour’s drive from Emerald, so to make the early morning appointment she had travelled to Rockhampton in the late afternoon the day before and booked into a motel room.
Kerry had taken Sarah through all her past lives. There had been seven reincarnations since her time as Beatrice Clarke, including her time now as Sarah Larson.
At the end of the sessions, Kerry liked to give her clients the rundown of what had arisen. They had no memory while under hypnosis.
‘After your life as Beatrice, you have had seven reincarnations, including this one. Let’s see.’
1546
You were born to a lady of the court. Your father was a wealthy landowner and your mother came with a healthy dowry. The downfall was you were born on the same day King Henry VIII passed away. You were born within the hour of his passing, which was considered a bad omen.
The stigma stuck with you throughout your life. Your mother kept you in court until the age of five and everything that went wrong was blamed on you. Your name was Iris, but you were always referred to as ‘the Girl’.
Eventually, your mother sent you away to her Scottish relatives, where you lived until you were offered to a suitable husband at the age of nineteen. Your husband was a much older man and hated the attention you received from his sons. You fell pregnant and your jealous husband was convinced it belonged to one of his sons. In his jealous rage, he threw boiling fat over you and set you on fire. You had been cooking at the time.
1616
I’m afraid you were burnt as a witch a second time. However, this time was in Scotland, where it was a common practice to burn witches. You called yourself Maggie, but you did not give your surname. You were born in Perthshire, Scotland. You were a nurse and known in the community as a healer and prophetess. You moved to a different area and were considered an outsider and a major threat to the other locals who made a living from the craft.
1780
As Jayne Fisher, you were a freed convict living in Sydney, NSW. You were originally born in England in 1780 and came over on one of the convict fleets in 1790, aged ten. When you came off the ship, you were immediately assigned to work in one of the women’s factories in Parramatta to make textiles.
At twenty-six, you were weeks away from leaving the factory to become a wife, but one night, the factory mysteriously burnt down and its workers perished, including you.
1812
You were born Mary Stewart in Sydney, NSW. Both of your parents were freed convicts. Your father was sent there first and was a free man when your mother arrived. He knew her family back in England and had offered to marry your mother as soon as she was off the ship. She was originally assigned to work in the women’s factories, but the government decided women convicts were more useful as wives and mothers. Your mother accepted your father’s proposal and was effectively freed from servitude.
As a young lady, you left for Melbourne to marry a publican. Rum, at the time, was a prosperous endeavour. You had three children who were all close in age. You and your family members died in one of the most horrific Melbourne bushfires.
This was the only reincarnation where you ever had children. Ironically, you were not a good mother, but something inside, some part of you vowed never to mistreat children again.
I’m getting the sense your children were the Bennet children from the past. You were wreaking your revenge.
1888
<
br /> Ruby Phillips, Melbourne, VIC. You enlisted in the army as a nurse. You were shipped overseas into a major military hospital. While there, you fell in love with a young English soldier. One day, after having a picnic with him outside the hospital, you watched his car explode as he was about to drive off. You perished in the fire when you tried to pull him out of the burning flames.
1929
I found this rather interesting.
Your name was Kimberley Khan of Marree, SA. You were born into an intermarriage. Your mother was European Australian and your father was an Afghan camel driver. The intermarriage was illegal, but your parents were not arrested or executed. Rather, they were ostracised from the larger community. They had to enter the shops or walk through town at their own risk.
You had a double life during your upbringing. Outside your high tin walls, you functioned as an Australian citizen. At school you spoke English and did as any other student, but inside the walls you watched your father’s men praying up to five or six times a day to the east.
You were a part of a large family. Your Afghan grandfather and your uncles lived with you. There were no Afghan women as they had not been allowed to enter the country.
In 1939, your grandfather died. That same year, your father and uncles were recruited back to Afghanistan and never returned.
In 1955, you met your death. You were set on fire by a bunch of drunken racist hooligans.
1989
Sarah Larson, born in Emerald, QLD, and, of course, still living.
What you may find interesting is that your mother, Faye Larson, was your mother Cordelia Clarke from the past. She has returned to take on the motherly role a few times. She never recovered from losing you.
‘Right,’ said Kerry as she was going through her notes. ‘Every reincarnation, except for this one so far, you died in a fire at the age of twenty-six, which proves your dream was more than a past life memory. It’s a forewarning. This is serious, Sarah.’
She looked up at Sarah. ‘When I got off the phone with you yesterday, I took the liberty to talk to a good friend of mine. I’ve asked for extra help and she is very interested in taking this case on board.’ Kerry moved forward in her chair. ‘She is one of the best mediums around. Here is her card. Her name is Lisa McIntyre. I’m sure you’ve seen her on TV.’
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