The Gift: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Read online

  Cassie looked her in the eye, preparing to tell her that, and simply couldn’t. This seemed important to the woman and hearing her out was a very small thing. She smiled. “All right.”

  “Thank ye.” Gertrude removed what appeared to be a pocket watch from her purse and laid it on the table. It had a long, thick, circular chain.

  “That’s quite lovely,” said Cassie. “It looks very old.”

  “It is very old and I’ll tell ye more about it in a minute. First, I’d like to chat with ye for a bit.”

  Cassie nodded. “Sure.”

  Gertrude fixed her with a penetrating gaze. “Ye have a very deep faith.”

  Cassie shook her head. “No, I don’t really go to church.”

  “I didn’t say ye went to church. I said ye have a deep faith. Ye believe that there is a loving God, a Creator. But ye also believe that the Creator’s love is best shown through human hands. The kindnesses that people do for each other are the finest way for that love to be revealed. So, nay, ye don’t go to church, but ye elect to show compassion to everyone.”

  “I don’t know about that—”

  “But I do. I can see what’s in yer heart, Cassie. I can see the blessings ye bring to others, both great and small. Some so seemingly inconsequential that ye forget them as soon as they’re done.”

  Cassie smiled at her. “Even if it were true, how can you possibly know all of that? We’ve only just met.”

  “I know it, lass, because I’ve watched ye. I have seen yer entire life.”

  Oh no. Had this woman figured out who she was? “Uh…do you know who I am? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” If she needed financial help, Cassie would try to do what she could.

  The old woman chuckled. “In fact, I know exactly who you are and I don’t need any financial assistance, but it’s kind of ye to be willing to help. Nay, I’m not talking about your name or the family into which you were born. I know who you are down to yer very soul.”

  That was the most outrageous thing anyone had ever said to her, but the instant the words were out of the old woman’s mouth, Cassie felt enveloped in a warmth she had never experienced before. She knew Gertrude believed those words. Cassie just didn’t understand how they could be true. “How is that possible?”

  “I quite like the fact that ye didn’t say, ‘that’s impossible’ or ‘no one knows me that well’ or something similar. Ye’ve left room for the chance that it’s true and that’s another thing that makes ye unique. So, given ye’ve both a gentle heart and an open mind, I’m going to tell ye who I really am, and why I know so very much about ye.”

  “Okay. Who are you?”

  She sat a little straighter, folding her hands on the table in front of her. “I am an immortal spirit.”

  Chapter 2

  Whoa, whoa, whoa. Cassie couldn’t possibly have heard that correctly. “I’m sorry, a what?”

  “Ye didn’t mishear me, lass. I said I’m an immortal spirit. I have existed since the dawn of time, from the first moments of creation.”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

  “Most people have a bit of trouble with that. Humans like to name things. They feel they understand much better when something has a name. So throughout history we have been given different names. Among them are: angel, fairy, muse, spirit guide, messenger, elemental spirit, one of the ancients, or a servant of the Divine. And we are all of those things, and yet none of them because all human language is painfully imprecise and human understanding is limited. There is no one word that sums up our true nature. So feel free to choose the name that works best for ye.”

  Cassie frowned. “I’m not sure I know what some of those are and I don’t believe in many of the ones I do understand. But I do believe in angels. Or at least I want to.”

  “Angel it is then. However, more important than being able to give something a name is having the capacity to understand its purpose.”

  “I always thought angels were protectors.”

  “Aye, and in some ways that is part of it. But it doesn’t really capture the grand scheme of it all.”

  “Then what is your purpose?”

  “It’s rather simple really. Our purpose is to guide humans in helping them to discern the Creator’s will. We are each given unique skills and tools to aid us. Ye’ve already seen two of mine. I can come and go unnoticed—essentially I’m not always visible to everyone. People only see me if they need to. Mike thought ye were using the ‘royal we’ because he couldn’t see me.”

  “Oh.” Cassie wasn’t sure what to say to that. But it certainly had seemed as if Mike hadn’t known she was there. “What other gift have I seen?”

  Gertrude smiled. “I am aware of details I need to know, when I need to know them. Your thoughts and reactions to the things I’ve said are often among those.”

  Cassie had trouble believing what she was hearing and she was firmly convinced one of the two of them was nuts—and it might be me.

  “Nay, lass, ye certainly aren’t nuts and neither am I.”

  “Wow. You really do know what I’m thinking.”

  “Aye, I do. At least, sometimes I do.”

  “And you can just go around listening to people’s thoughts?”

  “Nay. I only know things when I need to know them. If I don’t need to know someone’s thoughts, I don’t hear them.”

  “But why do you ever need to know someone’s thoughts?”

  “Well, as I said, our goal is to help humans understand what the Creator desires for them. Sometimes knowing their thoughts helps me accomplish my mission. Generally, I know and can do whatever is required, as long as I follow three rules.”

  “What are they?”

  “I cannot lie. I cannot break a promise. And, above all else, I cannot interfere with a human’s free will.”

  Cassie frowned. “So what if you can’t adhere to one rule without breaking another?”

  “Give me an example.”

  “Well, what if you promised to keep someone from harm, but then that person chose to throw himself off of a bridge? If you saved him, you’d be interfering with his free will and if you didn’t, you’d be breaking your promise.”

  She smiled. “That’s a good question with a very easy answer. I am simply incapable of making a promise that I will not be able to keep. The words couldn’t pass my lips. And in fairness, I don’t make many promises. As ye can clearly see, they’re dangerous.”

  Cassie shook her head, a little bewildered. “I don’t really understand any of this, but for whatever crazy reason, I believe you.”

  Gertrude’s face split into a smile so filled with love that once again Cassie felt surrounded by warmth.

  “I’m glad ye believe me. I knew ye would.”

  Cassie smiled. “Thank you for visiting me. It didn’t start out to be such a great day and you definitely made it better.”

  “My darling lass, my visit was not the gift.” She chuckled. “Although the fact that ye thought it was is simply lovely.”

  Cassie couldn’t stop herself from asking. “Why did you pick me to give this gift to?”

  “That is a very good question. And almost no one asks it. But I’m glad you did. The fact is, sometimes lights shine so very bright, I can’t ignore them. As I’ve said, ye have a kind, gentle nature. I know, in spite of yer own heartache, ye freely open yer heart and give to others. Ye wanted to chivy me out tonight and get some much-needed rest. But ye didn’t.”

  “How do you know that?” Cassie smiled and gave a little laugh. “Oh, right, it’s one of your gifts.”

  “Aye. But the point is, ye always put the needs of others first and ye always will. It is simply who ye are. That is why yer soul shines so brilliantly. And yet, many of those who are meant to love ye are completely blind to that. As a result ye’re a wee bit battered at the moment. I usually have a reason for offering someone the gift I’m going to give ye. Very often it’s because there is something they must discover or do w
here they will be going. But that isn’t the case with ye. I’m offering ye this gift, solely because I want ye to have it. Simply giving ye the gift is enough. I want ye to have a break from the sorrow that surrounds ye.”

  Cassie was speechless. She blew out a long slow breath. “Wow.”

  Gertrude laughed. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Cassie felt herself blush. “Those are really, very kind words. Honestly, just hearing someone say those things is a wonderful gift. Especially when that someone is an angel who can’t lie.”

  Gertrude laughed again. “Ye are truly gracious, Cassie, but that wasn’t the gift either. My gift to ye is time.” She slid the pocket watch across the table.

  “It’s lovely. But it looks very valuable and I really don’t need it.”

  “Actually, it’s priceless. And it isn’t exactly what it appears to be.”

  “It isn’t a pocket watch?”

  “It is, but it’s so much more. It is a conduit for time-travel.”

  “Time travel?” That was about the last thing Cassie was expecting to hear. “That’s possible?”

  “Aye, time travel is possible. Time can loop back on itself and people can cross from one time to another. Or more precisely, souls can. When someone accepts the watch, they have the opportunity to exchange souls with another person.”

  Cassie was amazed. “How?”

  “It’s simple really. The person who accepts the watch tells it a word before going to bed. This word will be used to return to their own time. Then the time traveler puts the pocket watch ’round their neck or in a pocket, and they go to sleep. They will awake in someone else’s body but with their own soul and consciousness, and they’ll have up to sixty days to experience that life.”

  She opened the watch. “As ye can see, the pocket watch has only one hand. It moves forward one second every day a soul is in the past. That person can return to their own body at any time during the sixty days by saying the word. They don’t even have to have the pocket watch with them.”

  Cassie frowned. “What happens to the other soul?”

  “As I said, it’s an exchange.”

  “So that person gets sixty days in my life? I’m fairly certain they won’t like it.”

  Gertrude smiled. “Nay, that’s not what happens. It’s an exchange, but not an equal exchange. Specifically, time is not equal in both places. For each day the time traveler experiences in the life they assume, only a second passes in the one they left.”

  Cassie’s frown deepened. “Oh. So, after they change back, the other person wakes up sixty days later with no memory of what happened?”

  Gertrude shook her head sadly. “Nay, lass. Ye see for the exchange to occur, the other person will normally have done something that would bring about their own death. The time traveler will do something to change that, at least temporarily. However, the other person’s life was over. When the time traveler returns to their own time, the other person’s body will die and their soul will move on.”

  “But what if the time traveler doesn’t want to return? Is there a way to stay?”

  “Aye. Everyone who uses the watch makes three choices. They must decide whether or not to accept it. And if they do, they must elect to use it. That is, to tell it a word and keep the watch on their person as they go to sleep. And finally, they must consciously decide to say the word to return home within the allotted time. If they don’t say the word, they have essentially chosen to stay in the other life.”

  “If they do that—if they decide to stay—what happens to their body? I mean the one they left.”

  “Ye remember I said time isn’t equal? For every day where the time traveler is, only a second passes where his or her body is?”

  Cassie nodded.

  “That means for every year the time traveler is away, only three hundred and sixty-five seconds pass in their own time. That’s a little over six minutes. So, if the time traveler lives for even eighty more years in the other person’s body, barely eight hours will have passed—a normal night’s sleep. And their body will not awaken during that time. Essentially, that means when the person who accepted the pocket watch reaches the end of their life, and the body they are in dies, their own body will die as well and both souls will move on.”

  “I see. So if the person who uses the watch decides to stay, their body in their own time will be dead by morning.”

  “Aye.”

  Cassie frowned. Quiet for a moment.

  “That disturbs ye?”

  “A little, I guess.”

  “Every mortal is given time and free will. They make choices every single day. Thousands, millions, billions of choices in a lifetime. And even if they don’t realize it, every single choice has consequences—good and bad.”

  Cassie sighed sadly. “And even a good choice can end one’s life.”

  “Indeed it can. So ye see, one life is over, one isn’t. The gift someone who uses the pocket watch has is time. The chance to experience the other life.”

  “I understand.”

  “So ye also understand the basics of how the pocket watch works?”

  Cassie nodded. “I think so.”

  Gertrude gave the watch another little shove towards Cassie. “Then would ye like to try it?”

  “Do I want to travel through time?”

  “Aye.”

  “I’ll only be gone from here a minute at most?”

  “Aye, unless ye decide to stay.”

  “I don’t think I could do that. Poor Mike. He’d come in tomorrow and find me dead. No, I wouldn’t want him to have to handle that.”

  “Ye can return at any time during those sixty days.”

  “Can ye tell me where I’d be going?”

  “If ye choose to accept the watch, I will tell ye some details. I don’t normally, but this time it’s a bit different and I have some leeway.”

  “And even if I accept the watch, I don’t have to use it?”

  “Nay, ye don’t. The choice is completely yers.”

  Cassie stared at the watch. Travel to another time. Experience another life. It would be an adventure. And maybe when she returned enough time would have passed.

  Maybe her heart wouldn’t ache so much.

  Maybe she could move on.

  Finally, she sighed and looked up. “Thank you, Gertrude. I’ll accept it.”

  Gertrude smiled and placed the watch in Cassie’s hand.

  “Excellent. Now I’ll tell ye a little about where ye’ll be going. I almost never do this, however yer case is…unique. But in so doing, if ye decide to use the watch, I want yer promise that ye’ll go straight to bed and ye won’t do any Googling to find out more than ye already know.”

  “Okay. I promise.”

  “You’ll be going to Scotland in the year 1342.”

  “Wow. The medieval period? Just…wow.”

  Gertrude chuckled. “Aye, the late medieval period.”

  Cassie frowned. “Oh no. I thought maybe I’d be going back to Colonial times or something, but I can’t go back that far. I couldn’t talk to anyone. They spoke Gaelic in Scotland then. Even if I went to England, the language would be Middle English. That may as well be German. I couldn’t communicate.”

  “Ah, don’t get ahead of yerself. Ye will have yer soul and consciousness as I told ye. But ye’ll still be in the other person’s body, brain and all. Ye will have some bits of her memory from the start, language for example. If she speaks Gaelic or any other language, ye will understand it and be able to speak it. It will feel no different to ye than English. Other memories may come to ye over time too.”

  Cassie sighed with relief. She wanted to do this. She really wanted to do this.

  “So, as I was saying, ye’ll land in Scotland, in the year 1342, in the body of an eighteen-year-old lass named Claire Morrison. Claire was the daughter of Tyree Morrison, Laird of Clan Morrison, on the Isle of Lewis. She had three brothers, two older and one younger. Her mother died of childbed fever after givi
ng birth to Claire’s youngest brother, Darach. At the time, Claire herself wasn’t quite a year old yet.”

  “That’s very sad,” said Cassie.

  Gertrude arched a brow. “Ye were close with yer own mother when ye were a wee lassie?”

  Cassie shook her head. “No. Not really. She was very busy. I had a nanny.”

  “Well, so did Darach and Claire. But when Claire was eight, her father married again. Unfortunately, Gavinia, his new wife, didn’t want to raise his children. Gavinia convinced Tyree to send seven year old Darach into training. You understand what that means?”

  “I think so. He was sent to another noble household to learn to be a warrior?”

  “Aye. He was sent to live and train with the MacLeods on the mainland. And, at Gavinia’s urging, Claire was sent to be educated by nuns at an abbey, also on the mainland.”

  “Oh. I was sent to an all-girls, Catholic boarding school when I was nine. I can’t imagine what being sent to a medieval abbey was like.”

  “Well, in fairness, Claire grew to love it and the nuns loved her. It was probably infinitely better than her life would have been with Gavinia as a stepmother. But as a result, Claire has not seen any of her family in ten years. Her father and Fearchar, her oldest brother, died several months earlier, but that’s another story. Her brother Darach is still in training with the MacLeods, and her remaining brother, Coll, has become Laird of Clan Morrison.”

  “Is that a good thing?” Cassie asked tentatively.

  Gertrude smiled. “Aye, he’s a good leader. However, he was not happy about Claire simply being tucked away at an abbey and forgotten. He has tentatively arranged an advantageous marriage for her.”

  Cassie was shocked. “Oh my goodness. He is planning to pull her from a sheltered abbey and marry her off?”

  Gertrude laughed. “Not exactly. Initially he just wanted to know her wishes, to know if she intended to join the order. She responded saying that she hadn’t made that decision yet. That being the case, he sent another letter asking her to come home for a while. He believed she should experience a little life outside the abbey before making such a commitment. And promised that if she spent several months at home, he would allow her to return and join the order if she wished.”