Through the Looking Glass

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  Isobel was confident that there was no way Daniel would ever be able to trace her path that lead her to the top of the Earth. With each mile that had passed, she could breathe a little easier. An ocean now separated her from the man she once thought she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with. What had changed him so much to cause him to kill her parents? There hadn’t been any signs that she noticed or any odd behavior. She was totally puzzled by his actions and deathly afraid of him now. Not only had she lost both her parents, she had to run away from the only home she had ever known to a foreign country where she didn’t know a soul. Her life had turned into a living nightmare that she wished she could escape from permanently.

  The ride to Ackergill Tower went by in a flash and before she knew it the taxi was pulling up in front of the ancient stronghold. She opened the door of the taxi only to be hit square in the face with a burst of icy wind. She could even feel small pricks of ice as it hit her face then melted.

  “Haur ye ar, Miss Hyde.” The driver handed her the only bag she had with her. “I hope ye enjoy ye time in Scotland.”

  She smiled at the older man who gave a genuine smile in return. “Thank you so much for bringing me all this way.” She reached into her purse to pull out some of the money that Elizabeth had gotten for her out of her checking account back home.

  “Oh no! The ride is paid for, Miss Hyde.” The driver gently pushed her hand away from him when she tried to give him the money.

  “Paid for?”

  “Yes, Miss. I was told that your friend,” he paused for a moment, thinking, “your friend Elizabeth? Is it? Paid for it in advance.”

  She smiled thinking of her dearest friend. Elizabeth had thought of everything.

  “Please take this then for yourself.” She hand him several bills folded together.

  “Thenk Ye, Miss! I will be heading back now. Nice tae meit ye!” He gave her a wink then went to get back into his taxi.

  Isobel watched only for a moment as the taxi drove away. It was too cold to stay out much longer, so she headed inside the Tower to check in. The warmth of the inside immediately seeped into her chilled skin when she stepped inside. What she saw when she went in took her breath away. It was if she had stepped back into history. A large rug covered the stone floor then lead to a staircase made completely out of wood with intricate spindles gracing each stair as it ascended upwards to the second floor. Paintings hung on the walls of people long since dead but still greatly remembered. The smell of the castle was a mixture of old wood and the sea outside. She stood transfixed in the middle of the lobby staring at everything surrounding her.

  “Can I help ye, Miss?”

  A voice drew her attention away from the sights before her and over to the reception desk that sat off to the side of the room. An older woman stood behind the wooden reception desk that didn’t look quite as old as the castle.

  “Hi, I’m Isobel Hyde. I have a reservation.” She walked over to the woman as she spoke to her. “My friend made all the arrangements for me.”

  “Let me have a look, dear.” The friendly old woman flipped through a box of index cards then pulled out one. “Haur ye ar, my dear, Isobel Hyde from the United States.” She showed Isobel the card that had her name written on it.

  “That’s me,” she replied.

  “Hou lang will ye be staying?”

  “I’m not sure yet. Do I have to give you a date right now?” Her heart gave a little jump at the thought of having to return home too soon.

  “Oh no, dear. This is not our busy time of the year.” The woman filled out a check-in form then handed it to her to sign. “Haur ye go. I already have a credit card on file for you so there is no need for you to come down and pay every day. I will just run the card.”

  Elizabeth again had taken care of everything. The card on file had to be Elizabeth’s because there was no way she would chance Daniel being able to trace it.

  “Haur ar ye keys, dearie. I hope you enjoy your stay with us. I am Mrs. Bailey by the way, so if ye need anything just call down to the desk and someone will see to your needs. Your room is up those stairs behind ye and to the left.”

  “Thank-you, Mrs. Bailey.” She gave the woman a smile then headed upstairs.

  The place was rather quiet as she ascended the stairs. Each step she took brought into focus fascinating objects and pictures that were scattered around the stairs and upper floor. A portrait, which Isobel assumed was a previous owner, hung at the top of the stairs looking down on her as she passed by it. The hallway was carpeted so her footsteps caused no more noise than walking into a room that was completely silent. She passed several doors until she came to the one marked with the same number as on her key, 5B. She slipped the old key into the lock and twisted it until she heard the latch draw back into the door. The door eased open on its own to reveal a stunning room behind it.

  Isobel stepped into the room feeling as if she had been transported back in time. While the room had modern carpet, most of the furniture was antique. A large canopy bed sat in the middle of one of the walls that was covered with wallpaper. Her room was called the Daffodil room and it sat on one of the corners of the Tower facing the bay. The actual corner of the room was a small sitting area that had a large bay window that one could look out of and get a magnificent view of the water below. An antique cedar robe stood in front of the bed that was covered in an off-white bed spread. The canopy of the bed was covered with a plaid grey and white material that was tied to the four posts of the bed and could be untied to let the curtains fall and enclose the bed for added privacy. A fireplace sat between the cedar robe and a taller chest of drawers that had a flat screen television sitting on top of it. The bathroom, which was off to the left hand side of bed, had a large tub for soaking and a stand-alone shower. The walls in there were covered with white and green ceramic tiles that added to the overall look of the bathroom. A small desk sat on another wall close to the sitting area that faced the bay. Two night stands graced each side of the bed and each had a lamp sitting on top that matched the décor of the room. The last thing that caught Isobel’s eye was the tall stand up mirror that stood off to the side in another corner.

  She walked over to it and could immediately tell that it was quite old. She ran her hand down the side of the spindles that held the mirror up on its wooden frame. The reflection she saw in the mirror wasn’t quite the same person she was used to seeing staring back at her. Her long, wavy, brown hair was tied back in a ponytail that was windblown. Hints of auburn color sporadically lightened her hair to the point that it looked she had a head full of auburn hair when out in the sun. The emerald green eyes that stared back at her were very sad looking while her cheeks were tinted pink because of the wind outside when she arrived. She turned to the side to get a side view of her body which stood only five feet two inches tall. Her small stature had never bothered her until one night when Daniel had commented on it and made fun of her. It wasn’t as if she could do anything about it she told him in self-defense. She also had more than her fair share of curves which also made her self-conscious. Her mother had told her once that her hips were made for having babies and that she probably wouldn’t have any problems bringing a baby into the world. Of course she had been mortified by her mother’s comments especially since she had said it in front of her father. She took one last look at her appearance, shrugged then walked away from the image.

  “I need a bath,” she said out loud.

  The floor tiles of the bath room were cold under her bare feet but it wouldn’t matter much once she was in the hot water that was now streaming out of the faucet head. She quickly undressed than stepped into the steaming water, sinking up to her chin in its heat.

  “God, this feels wonderful.” She leaned her head back on the rim of the tub and closed her eyes. She could stay in this place forever and forget about everything that had happened to her recently. Her life was turned upside down and she didn’t have a clue on how to adjust to it. Never in a
ll her life would she have thought she would be in the predicament she was in at the moment. Images of her mother lying on the kitchen floor flashed under her closed eyes. The sound of the gun popping still echoed in her head. Each time she closed her eyes at night she could hear her parents’ screams. She relived it over and over again until she thought she would go crazy trying to make sense of it. Her parents were gone and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about. She would have to get herself through this one way or another. She wasn’t going to let Daniel rule the rest of her life.

  ******

  The days passed quickly for Isobel and before she knew it she had been at the Tower for a week. Everyone at the Tower were extremely nice and welcoming to her and soon learned of her story. Mrs. Bailey told her she could stay for however long she needed to stay without any worries. Isobel was kind of happy and sad at the same time when Mrs. Bailey had taken her under her wing. She made sure Isobel had everything she needed and that she ate the food sent up to her room. A couple of evenings the older woman had come to her room and ended up staying for hours, just talking with her. It felt so good to have someone to talk to about what had happened and who would understand what she was feeling. The older woman even held her as the tears she tried so hard to hide finally fell without reserve.

  Isobel’s only concern at the present time was letting Elizabeth know that she was okay. She didn’t want to call her incase Daniel would be able to trace where the call came from. One evening Mrs. Bailey suggested she send her friend an email from the Tower’s email address that way no one would know it was coming from her.

  “Do you think that’s a good idea though?” she asked Mrs. Bailey who was sipping her tea.

  “Why not, my dear? You could send it somehow as a coded message to your friend.”

  “That might just work,” she said as she tapped her index finger on her lips, thinking how she could do it.

  “Come down to the desk in the morning and ye can use the computer.” Mrs. Bailey’s accent was thick with the local dialect, but she was getting used to it.

  “I think I will!” She was excited about contacting her longtime friend. Elizabeth must be going crazy wondering if I am alright, she thought to herself.

  “I need tae be goin. It’s getting late and ye, my dear, need your rest. Guidnight!”

  “Goodnight, Mrs. Bailey. Thanks for everything.” She smiled when the woman turned back around to face her.

  “Ye’re welcome, Isobel. Everything will work itself out. Don’t you worry now,” Mrs. Bailey said as she walked to the door then waved goodnight, closing the door behind her.

  Isobel sat back in the cushioned chair that she had turned to face the window. The sun was quickly setting and soon the night sky would be lit up with thousands of stars that weren’t possible to be seen in the city. Ever since her first night at her temporary home she would sit in the chair looking out the window. It was a sight that never got tiring to look at. But, this night the sky was different looking. As the sun was setting off in the distance bright colors of pinks, oranges, and yellows lit up the horizon while the opposite side of the sky was dark and foreboding with clouds that were racing towards the Tower. Flashes of lightening could be seen lighting up the dark sky with low rumbles of thunder following close behind.

  “Oh well. Looks like a storm is coming,” she said to herself. “My first Scotland storm.” She rose up out of her chair and went into the bathroom to change into her more comfortable night clothes. A pair of old, gray, baggy sweat pants was her favorite thing to sleep in. She slipped her long sleeved t-shirt over her head then pulled on a fresh pair of green poke-a-dot socks. Her room got chilly at night with the winds constantly beating at the window, so she had started to wear socks at night while she slept.

  She went back to her chair to watch the storm as it approached. The setting sun was now gone and what was left was dark and eerie. The winds howled and rattled the window as she pulled a flowered blanket over her lap that Mrs. Bailey had given her. The book she had been reading earlier in the day lay open on the small table that stood between the two chairs in the sitting area. Isobel wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue reading the book or just sit there and watch the storm.

  The thunder and lightning drew closer and closer each minute and it wasn’t long before the first drops of rain splattered against the window. As the lightning flashed across the Scottish sky, she could see the waves of the bay crashing against the shore right below her room. The loudness of the thunder that followed each flash rattled the windows and doors of her room causing her to jump.

  “You are being so silly, Isobel.” She curled up in the chair and laid her head on the soft arm rest and stared out the window. Her body and mind was so tired that it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, especially when the rain started to pour down in buckets.

  It must have been hours later when a huge crash startled her awake with a jolt. The storm was still raging outside and the lightning was popping all around outside at a consistent rate. With her mind foggy with sleep, she moved out of the chair to go climb into the big bed that offered more warmth than the blanket she had drawn around her.

  The power in the Tower must have gone out because the lamb she had left on was now sitting dark on the night stand. It wasn’t too much of a problem to make her way over to the bed with the bright flashes of light that lit up the room every few seconds. She was sitting on the edge of the bed when suddenly she heard voices coming from behind her. Turning her head in the direction of the voices she saw no one in her room. She immediately thought the voices had to be coming from outside her door. Maybe it was the maintenance men trying to get the electricity back on before the few guests the Tower had started to complain.

  Sighing, she shifted again to get into the bed. The sheets of the bed were cold at first as she pulled up the thick bedspread. The underneath of the canopy lit up as yet another lightning flash bolted across the night sky. A roll of thunder soon followed as the rain continued to beat on the window. Closing her eyes, she listened to the rain and thunder, hoping it would lull her back to sleep. A momentary break in the storm brought silence to the room, a silence that just about hurts her ears. But, before the rain could pick up again another strange sound came from somewhere near her. This time though it wasn’t voices she hears but rather the sound of horses running.

  “What the hell?” she said as she sat straight up in the bed. The room was dark without the flashes of lightning or the lamp but there was definitely the sound of horses running. The sounds only get louder as she strained her ears to try and find where the sounds were coming from, but it was too confusing. It sounded as if the horses were surrounding her in the room even though she couldn’t see a thing out of the ordinary.

  Her heart started to beat wildly in her chest with the thought that it could Daniel trying to scare her before he burst in and killed her. He’s found her! She slid out of the bed and crossed the room to go look out the window.

  “There’s nothing there, you fool. Your mind is playing tricks on you,” she mumbled to herself. Without warning a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder came at the same time. It almost sounded as if a bomb was set off it was so loud. The sound of the horses’ hooves were still in the room as she turned around and caught a glimpse of the lightning flashing in the mirror on the other side of the room.

  She noticed that the mirror was not the same as it had been everyday she been there so far. Taking a tentative step closer, she saw that the mirror appeared to be wavering, almost like the ripples in a small pond. A few steps closer brought her directly in front of the shimmering mirror. Burst after burst of light came into the room, lighting up the mirror to reveal it was definitely moving.

  “I know I shouldn’t do this but…” she answered her own question that her mind is sent out to her. Don’t touch it! Her mind screamed but she was unable to resist the urge to touch the ripples. “Something bad always happens in the horror movies about this type of thing.” Sh
e jerked her hand back for a fraction of a second then without thinking, she reached out to touch the mirror. Her hand disappeared somehow into the mirror.

  “I have got to be dreaming!” she said as she watched her hand then her wrist disappear. “Enough of this crap!” She tried to pull her hand back but whatever was on the other side wouldn’t let go. “Shit! Let go!” She used her free hand to pull on the trapped hand but with each jerk backwards her body was jerked forward, closer to the mirror. “No! Let go of me!” A desperate feeling surged through her as she fought with an unseen force. Her feet slid across the carpet as she was pulled right up to the mirror, with her nose practically touching it. For a moment she thought whatever had her let go until one last hard jerk pulled her into the mirror and into the darkness behind it.

  Chapter 3

  “Bring the horses around to the other side of the river!” Jakar ordered his men.