LOCH MORAR, SCOTLAND
The Past - Greystone Castle
They say all good things come to those who wait, but this was getting ridiculous. I was tired of being alone, even though I wasn’t really alone. I had Elvis for company, the love of my life was just a few feet away, and yet, I felt more alone now than I had ever been.
Walking over to the bed, I sat down and stared at Gavin.
His arms were still restrained and even though I wanted to untie him, I didn’t want to chance him waking up and freaking out on me again. Or trying to burn me alive, I thought morbidly.
Twisting my hands together, I thought about what I might do if he actually woke again. It was a habit I had gotten into lately, to preoccupy my mind from the feelings of loneliness.
Tired of sitting in one place, I stood and walked across the room to the door and looked out. The hallway was cloaked in shadows and looked pretty scary, even though I had walked down that same hall hundreds of times since I had been in the past.
I suddenly missed home.
The creature comforts of my house and making art with my clay—but I wouldn’t have Gavin, I thought.
Stepping out into the hall, I looked down at the spot I had occupied on the floor and remembered with clarity how for a moment or two, I could have sworn someone was there, right next to me, but of course, that couldn’t have happened.
“Maybe this place is haunted.” That would be just my luck. Not only was Gavin off in la la land, dreaming about who knew what, I was now entertaining notions of ghosts inhabiting Greystone. Surprisingly enough, I didn’t find that notion that far reaching.
Shaking my head, I started down the hall. “I really need to get a hobby.”
Lifting my skirts, I descended the stairs. Once I got to the bottom, I stopped and looked around the hall, noting it still looked pretty clean.
Obviously, I could have dusted again and or swept the floor with the crappy broom I made from a tree limb, but I wasn’t in the mood to clean.
Walking down the hall, I made my way towards the kitchen. I wanted to check on Elvis and see if I needed to dump the pots of water I had set out from the storm.
If it wasn’t still raining, I would have liked to go outside, take a short walk around the courtyard but with the thunder, lighting, and torrential rain, I didn’t think that was a good idea.
Elvis was sprawled out in the corner on a pile of blankets and didn’t even bother lifting his head when I entered.
“Well, hello to you too,” I muttered, noting the only response the dog had to me entering the room was his eyes flicked open and he listlessly watched me move from one side of the room to the other as I emptied the full pots of water.
Placing the pots back around the room to catch the water, I quickly wiped down the table and swept up the herbs I had knocked on the floor the previous day.
Tossing the rag over on the far counter, if you could call it that, I pressed my hand to my back and walked over to the door. A wave of relief passed through me when I saw the bolt was still in place.
I was tempted to open the door and look outside but then decided it was probably better just to wait until the rain stopped.
Instead, I walked over to the corner and crouched beside Elvis. “How are you doing, old boy?”
Not in the mood for company, Elvis promptly shut his eyes.
“I’ll remember that the next time you want some company,” I complained.
Standing once more, I left the kitchen and headed back out to the main hall.
Tossing some wood on the fire, I pulled out the chair from the wall and another from the table and sat down.
Leaning over, I lifted the book I had been reading off the table and propped my legs on the opposite chair. I wished there was a sofa to sit on, a nice big comfy one, like I had back home. And my sweats—those would be amazing… oh, and some yummy food…
I stopped myself, and opened the book because if I didn’t I would just end up getting more depressed than I already was.