A Circle of Time

by Marisa Montes

  “I told you I saw danger in Becky’s future. I do not know when that danger will strike or where. But Becky must have known when she met you. It must be that danger she wants you to prevent. To do this, I think you must not only live in her body, you must walk in her footsteps. Becky would not have had the courage to run away from her mother.”

  Allison let out a slow breath. Magda was right. It was what she herself had suspected. If she didn’t help Becky by doing what Becky would do, she might never return home.

  “I have to go, then.” Allison rose from her chair.

  “No, wait,” said Joshua, grabbing her arm. Allison sat back down. “I don’t understand. How could Becky know about some danger that hasn’t happened yet? Does she have powers like yours, Magda?”

  “I do not think so.”

  “And another thing I don’t understand. How could Becky travel ninety years into the future and leave her body here? And why did she choose you, Allison?”

  Allison shrugged. “As far as I know, this could all be a dream—some parts horrible, some parts nice.” Allison felt her color rising again. “But if this isn’t a dream, the only thing I can think of is that Becky chose me because my spirit is somehow accessible to her while I’m in the coma. But how she can make her spirit or soul or whatever travel to the future, I haven’t a clue.

  “We have some incredible inventions in the future. You wouldn’t believe half of them, Joshua. But time travel is still science fiction—like Jules Verne’s novels. And this isn’t even science fiction. It’s some kind of supernatural, mind-over-matter, hocus-pocus type of thing.”

  Joshua shook his head. “It just don’t make sense. Except for her spells, Becky’s always seemed so normal. Sure she’s quiet and shy, but considering what she goes through every day, it don’t seem unusual.”

  “I don’t know, maybe the spells hold a clue,” said Allison. “If she’d only told me what she wanted. All she said was something like ‘I helped you, now you help me.’ I wish I could communicate with her somehow. But I can’t seem to go back on my own.”

  “How did you go back before?” Magda said.

  “I was drawn back. I’m not sure how.” Allison thought about this for a moment. “My mom—I’d hear Mom’s voice calling me. But the last few times, it was getting harder to hear her. It was as though I was slipping further from her, maybe falling deeper into the coma—I don’t know. This last time, I fought to stay, but Becky was stronger. She forced me from my body and sent me through this wind tunnel...”

  When Allison looked up, Joshua was staring at her as if she had just told him she swallowed live snakes—whole—for breakfast. She sighed, frustrated.

  “I’m not making it up, if that’s what you’re thinking. I know it sounds bizarre, but I can’t help it. That’s what happened. The last thing I remember before the wind tunnel is Becky saying, ‘Don’t worry, Allison. I’ll stay here and keep your ticker tickin’. I’ll help you, and you’ll help me.

  Joshua nibbled thoughtfully on a fingernail. “So as long as you’re here, Becky has to stay in the future.”

  “Well, I’m sorry you don’t have your precious Becky, Joshua,” Allison snapped, annoyed that Joshua appeared to be more concerned with Becky’s welfare than hers. “I don’t like this any more than you do!”

  For the first time since they’d arrived at the cottage, Joshua took Allison’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just trying to make sense of things, is all. I don’t mean to make it harder on you.”

  “Oh,” was all Allison could think to say. She suddenly felt stupid for losing her temper. She had no right to feel jealous of Becky. Becky had been Joshua’s girlfriend long before Allison arrived on the scene. But how do you compete with a girl whose body you’re wearing, for Pete’s sake?

  Joshua squeezed Allison’s hand and gave her one of his knee-buckling smiles. “I promised I would help you, Allison, and I never break a promise. If you like, I’ll take you to Becky’s cabin.”

  When they arrived at the edge of the forest, Joshua stopped. Ahead of them, the poppy-filled meadow stretched for several hundred yards, at the end of which sat the Thompson cabin. In front of the cabin stood a white stallion, saddled and grazing on nearby grass.

  “Wait, Bee—Allison.” Joshua pulled her back into the shadow of the trees. “Someone’s there.”

  “So what?”

  “The Thompsons aren’t what you’d call neighborly. People don’t just drop by to pass an afternoon. ’Specially people like this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Before Joshua could answer, the door opened and a tall figure strode out, slamming the door behind him. The wild white hair and arrogant tilt of the head answered Allison’s question. The visitor was Don Carlos Cardona Pomales. He grabbed the horse’s reins, leaped into the saddle, and galloped off.

  “What do you suppose Don Carlos was doing there?” she asked.

  Joshua shrugged and led her farther into the trees. “Your guess is as good as mine. But he didn’t seem happy with his meeting. Let’s wait a bit longer. See if anything else happens.”

  A few minutes later, the cabin door banged open and a shrill voice pierced the air. “Rebecca Lee! Rebecca Lee, where are you, girl?”

  Sadie Thompson marched down the front steps, heading their way. From her voice and the way she was stomping toward them, Allison could tell she was angry.

  Very angry.

  “Rebecca Lee! Are you out there?”

  Allison took a step backward and bumped into Joshua. He put his hands on her shoulders. “You can’t go there now,” he whispered. “It would be like walking into a stirred-up hornet’s nest.”

  “But ... I have to walk in Becky’s footsteps, and she would have returned to the cabin.”

  “No, wait!” Joshua eased Allison farther into the shadows.

  Sadie yelled Becky’s name once more and glanced around, scanning the surrounding meadow and trees. She waited another moment, then turned and stomped back into the cabin.

  “I have to go, Joshua.” Allison pulled away from him.

  “I can’t let you,” Joshua said, turning her to face him. “I’m afraid for you.”

  Allison rubbed her arms, trying to rid herself of a sudden chill. “I’m afraid, too, but what else can I do? Maybe ... maybe we could try to think things through some more ... before I go.”

  “Like what?”

  Allison thought for a few minutes. “Let’s try to figure out what danger could possibly be lurking in Becky’s future. Has she ever mentioned anything she’s afraid of?”

  The moment she said that, Allison realized there was one thing—or person—that Becky was definitely afraid of. The look on Joshua’s face told her he was thinking the same thing.

  “Her mother!” they said in unison.

  Just then, Sadie Thompson stepped out carrying a small white bundle. She glanced around, scanning the meadow once more, before she rushed down the front steps and disappeared into the forest.

  “C’mon!” Joshua took Allison’s hand and started running. “Let’s get out of here before she comes back. We’ve got to get to Magda’s. We’ll figure out what to do when you’re safe.”

  Chapter 11

  Alison spent the night wrapped in a feather-filled comforter on the floor of Magda’s cottage. Joshua had left her with Magda and gone back to his waterfall cave. Allison tossed and turned, unable to rid her mind of Becky and her mission. After what seemed like hours, she finally fell into a fitful sleep.

  Images from the past few days flickered in and out of her consciousness. She was in the meadow, walking toward the cabin, and Joshua was calling to her. He seemed to be running in place, yelling to her, begging her to stop, but she couldn’t keep her legs from moving toward the cabin.

  Then she was crashing through trees in the dark, running for her life. Someone was chasing her, breathing hard. Branches were snapping, cracking. She reached a clearing and stopped. For a moment, she looked
down. A thin stream of moonlight illuminated the calico dress.

  It was smeared with dark stains. She held up her hands. The same stains. They felt sticky. She gagged. Blood. She was covered in blood.

  Allison opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her body convulsed, emitting a silent scream. The sound of labored breathing, the thump-thump-thump of heavy feet hitting earth, joined by the crackling of dry leaves and the snapping of breaking twigs filled the darkness. Allison tried to run, but her legs would not move.

  As her heart pounded against her ribs and throbbed in her ears, another sound took over. A weeping voice—the voice of a girl, crying, “Help me! Help me, someone. Help! Joshuaa-aaaa!” Then, she was flying through the air, down the cliff of Devil’s Drop, and onto the rocks below. Screams pierced her ears, permeated her brain, shot through her senses. She felt as if her whole body would burst from the screams.

  Someone grabbed her shoulders. The screams became unbearable. She tried to pull away, but strong arms held and shook her body.

  “Allison! Wake up, Allison. Por favor, niña, wake up!”

  Allison opened her eyes. She was struggling, pushing away the arms, and screaming. They were her screams.

  “Shhhh, shhhhh, Allison. It is all right. You are safe. Cálmate. Shh-shh.”

  At the sound of the soothing voice, Allison relaxed. She gazed around the dark room lit only by a few embers in the fireplace.

  The arms held her close, comforted her. “You are safe now, Allison. It was only a bad dream, una pesadilla. You are safe.”

  “Where am I?” Allison was still dazed, confused by the dream.

  “You are in my cottage, Magda’s cottage ... in the forest...”

  Allison looked up. “Magda? Oh,” she said, remembering. “I’m in the past ... Becky’s past.”

  “That is right, the past. Go back to sleep now—rest.” Magda settled Allison on the comforter and covered her as though she were a child of three, then stroked her forehead and cooed to her in Spanish. “Shhhh, duérmete.”

  As Allison’s mind drifted back into darkness, Magda’s voice became another voice, whispering, insisting: “It’s time, Allison. It’s your turn now. I helped you, now you must help me. Go ... into the woods ... go ... I helped you ... now you help me...”

  When Allison awoke once more, Magda was gone, the embers had died, and the room was shrouded in darkness. The whispers persisted, “Go, Allison. I need you.”

  As if in a trance, Allison unwrapped herself from the comforter and went to the door.

  “Hurry, Allison. It’s time.”

  With the tiniest creak, the door opened and she stepped into the yard. Her way was lit only by a sliver of moonlight and a sprinkling of stars.

  “Into the woods, Allison, go.”

  Like a zombie, Allison lumbered across the yard.

  “This way, Allison. Follow the path.”

  Allison stepped onto the path and into the woods. Her feet seemed to have a life of their own. Her mind was on automatic pilot, listening to the whispers, following the whispers.

  “Hurry, Allison, go to Joshua. Hurry. Joshua can help.”

  At the sound of Joshua’s name, Allison’s pace quickened. Soon she heard the crash of the waterfall in the distance. The ground felt softer, more moist.

  “Hurry, hurry! Joshua can help.”

  Allison began to run. She believed the voice: Whatever the problem, Joshua could help. When she reached the edge of the forest, she stopped. The waterfall and pool beyond gleamed like mercury in the moonlight. Tall pines surrounding the pool loomed ominously, stretching upward and disappearing in the star-sprinkled blackness.

  “Go, Allison. Go to Joshua. Hurry!”

  Allison picked her way over the rocky path, behind the waterfall, and to the cave. The thundering water was deafening.

  “Joshua!” Allison called. “Joshua, are you awake?”

  She poked her head into the cave. “Joshua?”

  The moon reflected off the sheet of cascading water and illuminated the mouth of the cave, bathing it in silvery light. Joshua’s tiny cot was empty.

  Allison stepped past the cot to the back of the cave. “Joshua?” The cave wall continued a few yards and stopped. Allison looked back at the tiny shelter. The blanket on the cot was neatly tucked in at the corners; the cot did not appear to have been slept in that night.

  Allison ran to the mouth of the cave. “Joshua, where are you?” she screamed. But her cry was swallowed by the crash of the waterfall.

  What if something had happened to him? What if he were lying somewhere, injured? The image of the bloodstained calico dress filled her mind. Allison swallowed, trying to rid herself of the bitter taste of fear that tugged at the back of her throat.

  “Help me, Allison. I’m running out of time,” the voice whispered in her ear. “Hurry, hurry! Find Joshua. Joshua can help.”

  Yes, find Joshua. That’s what I have to do, she thought. Joshua will help us.

  For more than an hour, Allison meandered through the forest, following the whispers. The farther she went, the more urgent the instructions. “Faster, Allison, faster. I’m running out of time. Hurry! ”

  The deeper she went into the woods, the more dense the trees and the darker the night. She could barely see branches that reached out and scraped her face. She was beginning to pant. A twig snapped somewhere behind her.

  “Run, Allison, run!” The voice screamed in her ears. “Save me, Allison. Run!”

  Panic spread through her like wildfire. Blindly, Allison tore through the forest, arms stiff in front of her, trying in vain to protect her face from the outstretched branches that ripped her skin. Her lungs burned. Her heart thundered. She began to slow.

  As her bare feet slapped dead pine needles and crunched dry leaves, Allison became aware of another pair of feet, thump-thump-thumping behind her. Heavy, labored breathing grew closer.

  “Oh, Allison, help me, please. Save me!”

  The air around her seemed electrified. Drawing strength from it, Allison caught a second wind. She tucked her head and rammed through the branches. She sprinted along the forest floor. The trees appeared less dense. Moonlight filtered through the branches. On a narrow path, Allison picked up her pace. Her foot hit something. She tripped and fell forward. Her arms stretched out to break her fall.

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl. She fell onto a soft mound, the wind knocked out of her, and her hands slid forward in something thick and sticky. Gasping for air, Allison pushed herself up and sat back on her heels, wiping the slimy goo on the front of the calico dress. Still in slow motion, she poked the mound before her. It was covered with cloth, and beneath the cloth was a squishy mass. Slowly she looked from one end of the mound to the other.

  In the dim moonlight, empty white eyes stared up at her. A wave of nausea swept through her body, leaving her limp with fear. A scream stuck in her constricted throat. Behind her, the thumping footsteps grew closer.

  “Run, Allison! Save me!”

  Lightning shot through her limbs. She scrambled over the lifeless mound. Her hands and bare feet slipped on the thick slime that surrounded it. The last thing she felt as she stumbled away was the stiff, cupped hand she stepped on when she bolted from the body. As Allison veered off the path and crashed into the unmarked forest, her brain reeled with the image of the face she had seen in the moonlight: the death mask of Sadie Thompson.

  Allison broke through the branches and stopped, panting heavily, at the edge of a clearing. Her throat was dry and her lungs felt as though they were on fire. Her limbs trembled. Becky’s body was simply not in the athletic condition hers was in and could not take the stress. Allison’s spirit alone had willed it onward.

  She bent over to ease the painful stitch in her side. As she did, she noticed dark stains on the front of the calico dress. She looked down at her hands and feet. They, too, were smeared with dark stains.

  Oh, God, no ... it can’t be happening again! Not again!

  Te
ntatively, she lifted her hands to her face. The smell was unmistakable.

  Blood.

  She was covered in Sadie Thompson’s blood!

  Behind her, an explosion of twigs cracking and branches snapping made Allison duck beneath a clump of bushes. She peered out in time to see a figure crash through the branches and halt a few feet away.

  In the moonlight stood a man, barefoot and shabbily clad in tattered shirt and pants. His back stooped, making him appear shorter than he was, arms dangling below his knees like those of an ape. He wheezed as he breathed. His head oscillated back and forth, scanning the clearing.

  He turned toward Allison. She bit her lip.

  The man’s head was like that of a lion: A matted mane of dark hair stuck out past his ears and fell to his shoulders. A black beard that hung below his neck covered most of his face; the rest was hidden by unkempt strands of long, dark hair. The whites of his eyes, round with emotion, stared from behind the matted strands.

  As the man turned away, something cold slithered over Allison’s bare foot. She gasped and bit her lip harder to keep from screaming. But the man whipped around and lunged toward her. Before his arms could reach her, Allison sprang up and tore into the clearing. She could hear the man’s footsteps close behind.

  “Wait!” the man yelled. “Stop! Stop, I say. Come back!”

  The louder the man yelled, the harder Allison ran. When she reached the other side, she plunged into the woods. All the while, another voice screamed in her ear: “Run, Allison. Save me!”

  Allison stumbled through the dense cluster of branches. She tripped on roots and over logs on the forest floor. But each time she’d pick herself up and keep going. It felt as though she had been running for hours. Becky’s body was ripped and scraped and bruised, but Allison ceased to feel pain.

  She didn’t know how long she could keep Becky’s body moving. But if she was tired, the man had to be tired, too. No matter how out of condition Becky might be, the man was older and seemed to have a breathing problem. She had to keep going. Her life and Becky’s depended on it.