Awakening

by David Munro

  “How much do I owe you?”

  The driver smiled. “Enough for a few beers, miss.”

  Taking two silver coins out of her trouser pocket, Victoria handed them to the driver. “Will that cover the fare?”

  The driver laughed. “One half-crown will suffice for two nights of beer, miss.”

  Half-crown?

  Meanwhile, James had approached the two horses, and both of them moved their long necks up and down. The driver looked at James, then Victoria. “They appear to like the young lad.”

  “Is this your full-time job?”

  “Yes, miss, I bought the coach, plus both horses from a previous owner of this property. Some of the properties around here now have automobiles, but people still enjoy a traditional coach ride.”

  “You may become a tourist attraction.”

  The driver frowned. “Tourist attraction, miss?”

  “For visitors to the area.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, the coach will now be parked every day in the main street.”

  “Thanks for the lift, what is your name?”

  “Walter, miss.”

  As the coach departed, Victoria approached James, bent down and then smiled. “Ready to go home?”

  “Where is your car, Victoria?”

  “We are using a different way of getting home.” Victoria glanced at the coach house. “The same way that brought you to this time.”

  James stared at Victoria. “But how?”

  “First, we have to go into the coach house.”

  James looked at the coach house.

  Victoria led him into the building, and as she closed the door, James looked at her. She smiled. “Don’t worry.”

  As they went upstairs to the coachman’s quarters, Victoria held James’s hand. After entering the room, she placed James in front of a Gothic mirror. Again, he stared at Victoria.

  “Don’t be afraid, James.” Victoria placed her palm on his head. “When you return to your great-aunt, and parents, it will be as if nothing had happened.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s for your own good.” Victoria smiled. “Do you trust me?”

  “Are you an angel?”

  “No, but I’ve been given the power by someone to help you.”

  “Who?”

  “It’s a secret.”

  “Will we see each other again?”

  “One day.”

  Victoria bent down, hugged James, and stood. “Look into the mirror, James, don’t be afraid.” She held his hand.

  James gripped it.

  Heading back to Ardrishaig, the coach driver dipped into his jacket pocket, and took out both silver coins. After examining them, he raised his white eyebrows. His perceived two half-crowns were £2 coins, dated 2014.

  Victoria opened her eyes, blinked, and steadied herself. She shivered, and looked around the coachman’s quarters. Daylight did not shine through the window, therefore, she presumed an early winter morning or late afternoon. Victoria reached for her coat, put it on, and looked at her watch. Whilst tapping it, she began to ponder about her important task ahead. To prevent James’s death, she would have to arrive in Edinburgh before mid-day on the 3 November. Walking carefully cautiously down the staircase, and upon departing the coach house, a brighter sky greeted her. She entered the villa, collected her case, and locked the door. Whilst heading to the coach stop, a man walking his dog approached Victoria and tipped his cap.

  “Excuse me,” said Victoria, “what’s the time?” She pointed to her watch. “The damn thing has stopped again.”

  The man looked at his wrist. “Almost 7.30, miss.”

  “Is this Monday, 3 November?”

  The man stared.

  Victoria sighed. “It has been one hell of a weekend.”

  He grinned. “Yes, it’s Monday, and you also have the correct date.”

  “Is there a coach due?”

  “Should be one due any minute.”

  At that moment, the sound of an approaching heavy vehicle could be heard and Victoria turned her head. As a single decker came round a bend, she held out her hand, and the coach slowed down. When it came to a halt, the entrance door opened, and Victoria boarded. After finding a seat close to a radiator, she reflected on recent events, and started to feel drowsy.

  “Excuse me miss, miss!”

  Victoria opened her eyes, gazed upwards, and yawned, whilst putting a hand over her mouth.

  The coach driver grinned. “You’re in Glasgow.”

  Victoria stood up. “I’ll have to stop burning the candle at both ends.”

  The driver laughed.

  “What time is it?”

  The driver glanced at his watch. “9.47.”

  “Thanks.”

  Lifting her case, Victoria, got off, and departed Buchanan Bus Station. Whilst walking towards Queen Street railway station, it started to rain, and her steps became quicker.

  Slightly damp, Victoria purchased a ticket, made haste for the platform, and watched as a train moved off. “Damn!”

  “Don’t worry, the next one is in fifteen minutes.”

  Victoria turned around.

  A uniformed male railway employee grinned.

  “Thanks.”

  After a train pulled in and passengers got off, eastbound travellers quickly boarded. Following a guard’s signal, the Edinburgh-bound service left for its forty-five minute journey.

  Victoria left the train at Haymarket Station, walked up a staircase to an exit, and emerged into the noise of heavy traffic. She looked at her watch – it had started to tick. Observing a large circular clock on a building, Victoria set her watch to the correct time, and pondered. It’s 10.57, the incident will occur in just over an hour. Victoria spotted a coffee shop opposite and used the pedestrian crossing to get there. Upon reaching the other side, she stopped, and looked back to view where the incident happened. Victoria entered the coffee shop, and an assistant clearing a table looked her way. “Can I help you, miss?”

  “Just a white coffee, please.”

  “Find yourself a table, and I’ll bring it over.” The assistant smiled.

  “Thanks.”

  Victoria sat down at a table looking onto Haymarket Station. Outside, all types of vehicles passed in both directions heading and leaving the city centre. When the assistant came over with a coffee, Victoria looked up. “Thanks.”

  “Would you like something to eat?”

  Victoria shook her head.

  After the assistant departed, Victoria lifted her cup, and took a sip. She gazed out of the window, set her cup on the saucer and looked at her watch. Victoria finished her coffee, and once more, looked at her watch. A short time later, the assistant returned and lifted the empty cup and saucer. “Same again, miss?”

  Victoria nodded. “Please.”

  Several minutes later, the assistant brought another coffee, and departed. Victoria lifted the cup, and whilst sipping, gazed at people passing. Moments later, the assistant returned with a newspaper. “It’s today’s edition, should you want something to read.” The assistant laid it on the table.

  Victoria looked up and smiled.

  Finishing her coffee, she picked up the newspaper, and browsed through it. Twenty minutes later, Victoria looked at her watch, and put the newspaper aside. She picked up her small case from the tiled floor, and went to the counter. “Excuse me, where is the toilet?”

  The assistant pointed. “Downstairs, and first left.”

  Victoria walked down a narrow bright staircase, and several minutes later, returned with her long blonde hair in a ponytail. “How much do I owe you?”

  “£1.50, please, miss.”

  She handed a £2 coin to the assistant, who took it and then gave Victoria change.

  “That’s okay.”

  “Thanks.”

  Victoria stared at a clock behind the counter. “Is that clock fast?”

  The assistant nodded. “About five minutes.”

  Victoria sigh
ed.

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  Victoria nodded. “An important one.”

  “Hope it goes well, good luck.”

  “Me too.”

  Victoria exited the shop, and took out a pair of dark glasses from her coat pocket. After putting them on, she surveyed the vicinity. Minutes later, a teenage boy approached the nearby pedestrian crossing. Whilst he waited for a signal to cross, Victoria approached him. “Excuse me.”

  The teenager looked at her.

  “Can you tell me where the Afton Hotel is located?”

  “In Eglinton Crescent.” The teenager pointed. “Two streets back.”

  As the signal changed, a man with a small suitcase standing behind spoke. “The Afton Hotel is in Grosvenor Crescent, one street back.”

  The teenage boy looked at him.

  Victoria stared at the man.

  A speeding motorbike roared past the three pedestrians, followed by a chasing police vehicle. The man looked at his two younger fellow pedestrians, and relieved that neither had crossed at the green signal. As Victoria left the scene, the coffee shop assistant stared out the window, and a colleague approached her. “I heard a police siren.”

  “A police vehicle was chasing a motorbike.” The assistant turned to her colleague. “The young woman sitting at the window.”

  “Long blonde hair?”

  The assistant nodded. “If she and two other pedestrians had crossed at the green signal, they would have been hit by the motorbike.”

  “Why didn’t they cross?”

  “They appeared to be having a discussion.”

  “A well-timed one!”

  “Wasn’t it just.”

  Standing near the loch, James admired a scenic view of lush green hills and a clear blue sky. If this had to be his final place of residency, then it was an idyllic one. He spotted Abbie walking across the field, and as she approached, put her hand on his arm.

  “What’s wrong, Abbie?”

  “It would appear your time has not yet come.”

  James frowned. “Not yet come?”

  Abbie smiled. “Intervention from a special source.”

  “I don’t understand.” James gazed around the vicinity, then at Abbie. “What about the higher plain?”

  “You still have much living to do, James.” Abbie hugged him. “Stop complaining, you’ll arrive here eventually.” She smiled, and stood back.

  “At least I know what to expect.”

  “You won’t remember this experience.”

  “When will we meet again?”

  “Goodbye, James.”

  “Your image is fading.”

  As Abbie continued to fade, so did the setting all around James. He started to feel dizzy, then lost consciousness.

  James crossed the road, entered Haymarket railway station, and bought a ticket to Glasgow. Before going down a staircase to the departure platform, he checked the time on his watch. At the platform, James put down his suitcase, took off his watch, and examined it. After tapping it several times, he shook his head, and put the timepiece into his jacket pocket.

  A short while later, the Glasgow-bound commuter service emerged from a tunnel, and stopped. James boarded, found an empty double-seat, and put his suitcase on the overhead luggage rack. After sitting down, a tall elegant young woman wearing joined him. “I didn’t expect to meet you again,” she said.

  James stared. “Your change of hair colour threw me.”

  “I decided to become brunette.”

  “And a shorter style.”

  She nodded.

  “Still in demand?”

  “Yes, very busy.”

  I’ll bet.

  “I’m on my way to meet someone for a lunch appointment.”

  “An invitation?”

  “Myself, and several men.”

  James raised his eyebrows.

  “My appointment is accompanying a businessman to meet with former colleagues.”

  “A reunion?”

  “He wants to impress them.” The young woman smiled. “I’m half his age.”

  “Lucky guy.”

  She laughed, then looked at James. “Are you returning to Ardrishaig?”

  James nodded.

  “Pity there’s no station in that part of Argyll.”

  Don’t I know it.

  “Are you married, or have a partner?”

  “I did have a partner, she passed away.”

  The young woman touched James’s arm. “I’m sorry.”

  A pause ensued, and a uniformed rail employee came into sight inspecting passengers’ tickets.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Linlithgow.” The young woman glanced at her trim gold watch. “The train should arrive in about ten minutes.” She brought a ticket out of her handbag.

  When the rail employee approached, she presented a ticket, and he moved onto another passenger.

  “Either you are invisible, or have an honest face.”

  “It’s the second one.”

  The young woman laughed.

  As Linlithgow Station came into view, James’s companion looked at her watch, then him. “Bang on time!” She stood up. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Have a good day.”

  “And hopefully, my client will too.”

  James grinned.

  The young woman left the train, made her way to the station exit, and got into a shiny black BMW. After the train departed, James fell asleep.

  “Wake up pal, you’re at Queen Street.”

  James opened his eyes.

  “Last stop.”

  James looked upwards at a man standing over him with black rimmed spectacles and dark wavy hair.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem, pal.” The man walked towards the open exit doors.

  Following a yawn, James stood up, lifted his suitcase off the luggage rack, and left the train. After inserting his ticket into a mechanised barrier, he could not walk through. After another attempt failed, an observant rail employee came forward, and opened a nearby gate.

  “Much obliged.” James showed him his ticket.

  “Fine, sir.”

  Leaving the station, James headed for Buchanan Street Bus Station and when rain started to fall, walked faster. At the bus station, he studied a timetable display, and noticed a bus for Ardrishaig was about to depart. James hurried to the stance, and joined a queue. After paying his fare, he took a welcome seat, and placed the suitcase on an overhead rack. After the coach moved off, James laid his head on the rest, and reflected on experiences in Edinburgh and Jersey. He glanced at his watch, which had started ticking. A woman sitting behind him moved forward on her seat. “Excuse me, young man.”

  James turned around.

  “Your watch is slow.”

  “Can you give me the correct time, please?”

  The woman showed James the face of her watch.

  James set his watch to the correct time, turned round again, and thanked the observant woman.

  “Are you visiting someone?” she enquired.

  “Returning home, how about yourself?”

  “I’m visiting my sister.” The woman coughed. “I’ve travelled down from Aberdeen.”

  “Aberdeen?”

  “It’s a trek to Inveraray.”

  James nodded.

  “I left Inveraray for the Granite City fifty years ago.”

  “Before the oil boom.”

  The woman nodded. “In those days, Aberdeen was known primarily for fishing.”

  “And a football team.”

  The woman raised her white eyebrows. “Eventually.”

  “Also an abundance of pubs and hotels.”

  “My family owned a hotel.”

  “In Aberdeen?”

  The woman shook her head. “Inveraray, however, that was many years ago.”

  “What was the name of the hotel?”

  “My memory isn’t good.” The woman paused. “Mother inherited it
from my grandmother.”

  “What is your mother’s name?”

  “Julia Banks, she passed a long time ago.”

  “Then, your grandmother was Nora Banks?”

  “Yes! How do you know?”

  James recollected when in 1930, the rumours which surrounded Nora Banks, and her attempts to obtain a competitor’s hotel in the town. When Nora Banks failed, the owner of the hotel was subjected to a character assassination, and later died of a stress-related illness.

  “A relative who mentioned her name.”

  “It must have been an elderly relative.”

  “Or a time traveller!”

  The woman laughed.

  “Is the hotel still owned by your family?”

  “No, my mother sold it to the person who owned the town’s Burgess Hotel. A rivalry existed between the two owners, and our mother lost.”

  “To her main competitor.”

  “It broke my grandmother’s heart, and soon after, her health started to deteriorate.”

  “A sad end.”

  The woman nodded.

  James looked out the window.

  “Where are you headed?”

  He looked at the woman. “Ardrishaig.”

  “I detect an Edinburgh accent.”

  James nodded. My neck’s getting sore.

  “My sister’s grand-daughter now works and lives in Edinburgh.”

  “What does she do?”

  “According to my sister, she has a marketing position.”

  “Marketing covers a wide range of roles.”

  “My sister thought her granddaughter was destined for a career in modelling.”

  “Oh?”

  “She’s tall, slim and blonde.”

  “Ideal for agency work.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

  “She is ideal for marketing agency work.”

  The woman nodded. “Definitely.”

  CHAPTER 16 - JOURNEY’S END

  James opened his eyes, lay for several moments, then looked at the bedside clock. Since returning from Jersey, waking up during the night had become a regular occurrence, reminding him of when he was a boy. Not long after visiting his great-aunt in 1967, James suffered visions of being without his parents and amongst strangers in a remote Scottish village. Although, this image of sharing a warm sunny day beside a loch with past family was not unpleasant, it did appear real. Once more, James looked at the bedside clock, and closed his eyes.