And are you ready for this, Constance? I had three wonderful children with Kenneth. I have been so blessed. Tommy returned to live in England after he finished college, and he married a nice girl there. They live in Cheltenham, a town in Gloucestershire, and Tommy is now retired and enjoying his three grandkids and working in his garden. I don’t see him as often as I’d like, but he calls and writes regularly.
So you can see, Constance, that your kindness, generosity and support generated a wealth of happiness for many people.
I had to find some way to repay you, didn’t I? I shall explain. Do you remember the night you told me about your daughter, Ashley’s, terrible murder? You shared the day, the hour and the location of the event in Central Park. You even took me to the place where her body was found.
In March 1993, three days before Ashley was to be murdered, I traveled alone to New York, and booked a room in a hotel. I ventured by your building several times to “scope it out” as they say. I even saw you leave the building once and waited, while the doorman hailed you a cab. Seeing you there brought tears and a rush of warmth and love. Why didn’t I show myself? I had a job to do, and I didn’t want to chance it, playing with fate any more than I already had. There was another reason. As strange as it sounds, you wouldn’t have known me. I didn’t enter your life until October 2008. And there’s more.
The day Ashley was to be murdered in Central Park, I was standing outside your building, waiting for her. It was a cold morning for that time of year and, believe you me, I was shivering when Ashley finally appeared in her jogging attire. Of course, I knew her from the photos you’d shown me in 2008.
When she emerged from the front door, I sprang into action, shuffling toward her, grimacing. I called out in pain just to make the scene even more dramatic. And then a strange thing happened that I cannot explain. When I reached out to Ashley and she turned to me, sparks shot out from my hand, and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through my body as if I’d touched a live wire. Then I really did cry out in shock and pain.
Being concerned, Ashley approached. I watched, absolutely stunned, as she passed through a dancing, shimmering veil of blue light that seemed to separate us. For a few brief seconds, she and I were suspended in time and I could not move. Not one finger. And then the veil shattered, and Ashley and I shared the same space.
A moment later, Ashley was before me, and she asked, “Are you alright? Can I help you?”
I was genuinely frightened, and I did indeed feel my pulse racing and my heart pounding. I struggled to speak and said, “Oh, my. I believe it’s my heart. Can you help me to the emergency room? I’m in great pain.”
The doorman suddenly appeared, offering to help, but Ashley waved him away, saying she’d take care of me.
Well, Constance, your lovely daughter hailed a cab, helped me inside and traveled with me to the ER. She remained with me until I was examined and released.
Ashley didn’t go jogging that day, Constance. She was with me at the time she would have been killed.
So, dear friend, you saved my life, and I saved Ashley’s.
You may ask, “Why didn’t you ever come to see me?”
Again, you would not have known me. I did not exist for you then. And it seems that for only the briefest moment in time, a couple of months in 2008, you and I lived in a different world from the world I helped to create by saving Ashley. I do not understand it, but I’ve had years to think about it, haven’t I?
Perhaps when I saved Ashley from being killed, a separate world was born; a new world was born. When I reached for Ashley and those sparks shot out from my hand, perhaps I pierced a new world and another time. Maybe our two separate worlds somehow became connected, then merged, to form a new and different world. Can I say it? A better world, because Ashley was not murdered, and you did not have to suffer her loss.
Well, Constance, that’s the best I can come up with. Of course, I have never told another soul about this. I suppose a physicist or psychic might have a different theory about it all, but I’m satisfied to know that Ashley is alive and well, and you and she will have a happy life together.
And so, my dear friend, enjoy your life with your lovely daughter, Ashley, and I will remember you in my thoughts and my prayers for as long as I live. You and I truly experienced something extraordinary but, ultimately, I became a better person; a more loving and grateful person, and for all I have been given, I am so thankful.
I hope you and your family are blessed with a full, rich and loving life. That is my daily prayer for you.
With deepest gratitude and love,
Anne Billings Taylor
September 29, 1998
Constance lifted her wet, blurring eyes from the page and stared ahead. Her emotions were running riot, and she couldn’t stop the tears that spilled out and ran down her cheeks.
She carefully folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. Later, she’d place it in her home safe and keep it secret. Eventually, she’d burn the letter, but not now. Not until she’d read it a few more times. No one would believe the letter anyway, would they?
When Ashley wandered in, sleepy and hungry, Constance swiftly left her stool, reached for her daughter, and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“Well… good morning, Mom.”
Ashley pulled back and held her mother at arm’s length, searching her watering eyes. “Why are you crying? It’s not like you. I can’t remember the last time you cried.”
Constance wiped the tears. “Can’t a mother cry when she sees her daughter in the morning?”
Ashley smiled warmly. “Of course. It’s just so sweet and, let’s be honest, mother dear, you’re not the most sentimental of women.”
Constance snatched a tissue from the box on the counter and blotted her eyes. “So today, I’m sentimental. And, anyway, I was remembering an old friend.”
“Anybody I know?”
Constance gave her a long look, and then thought better of reminding her daughter about the woman she’d taken to the ER fifteen years before.
“No, no one you know.”
Constance turned and moved toward the coffee pot. “Want some coffee?”
“Please... Jon and the kids will be here soon. I’m going to need it.”
After the coffee was poured, Constance went to the stove. “How about some eggs?”
“Will you have some?”
“Of course. Scrambled okay?”
“Perfect, with cheese and onion,” Ashley said.
“I didn’t know you liked onion in your scrambled eggs.”
“Jon turned me on to it.”
Constance nodded and went back to work. “By the way, did you give me that jade statue of Guan Yin?”
“You know I did. Three Christmases ago. Why do you ask?”
Constance shrugged. “No reason. I love it.”
“So you said, when you opened the box.”
Constance felt the tears come again, but she stopped them. She’d cried enough for one day. “You know, Ashley, I can’t remember the last time we had breakfast together,” knowing it was over fifteen years ago, at least as she remembered it.
“Well, you look much better this morning,” Ashley said. “Your color is back, and you’ve got that determined look in your eyes again. You really had us worried.”
Constance reached into the refrigerator for the carton of eggs and placed them next to a yellow bowl. As she cracked the eggs, Constance felt a quiet, rising joy spreading in her.
“Well, don’t you worry about me anymore. I’ve never felt better in my life. Now sit down and let your mother make her daughter breakfast on Christmas Eve morning. I have so many things I want to ask you.”
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read Time Stranger. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend, and it is much appreciated.
Thank you,
Elyse Douglas
&n
bsp; Other novels by Elyse Douglas that you might enjoy:
The Christmas Diary
The Summer Diary
The Other Side of Summer
The Christmas Women
Time with Norma Jeane (A Time Travel Novel)
The Christmas Eve Letter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 1
The Christmas Eve Daughter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 2
The Christmas Eve Secret (A Time Travel Novel) Book 3
The Christmas Eve Promise (A Time Travel Novel) Book 4
The Lost Mata Hari Ring (A Time Travel Novel)
The Christmas Town (A Time Travel Novel)
The Summer Letters
Time Change - A Time Travel Novel
Daring Summer - Romantic Suspense
The Date Before Christmas
Christmas Ever After
Christmas for Juliet
The Christmas Bridge
Wanting Rita
www.elysedouglas.com
Subscribe Here for Updates
Editorial Reviews
THE LOST MATA HARI RING – A Time Travel Novel
by Elyse Douglas
“This book is hard to put down! It is pitch-perfect and hits all the right notes. It is the best book I have read in a while!
5 Stars!”
--Bound4Escape Blog and Reviews
“The characters are well defined, and the scenes easily visualized. It is a poignant, bitter-sweet emotionally charged read.”
5-Stars!
--Rockin' Book Reviews
“This book captivated me to the end!”
--StoryBook Reviews
“A captivating adventure...”
--Community Bookstop
“...Putting The Lost Mata Hari Ring down for any length of time proved to be impossible.”
--Lisa's Writopia
“I found myself drawn into the story and holding my breath to see what would happen next...”
--Blog: A Room Without Books is Empty
Editorial Reviews
THE CHRISTMAS TOWN – A Time Travel Novel
by Elyse Douglas
“The Christmas Town is a beautifully written story. It draws you in from the first page, and fully engages you up until the very last. The story is funny, happy, and magical. The characters are all likable and very well-rounded. This is a great book to read during the holiday season, and a delightful read during any time of the year.”
--Bauman Book Reviews
“I would love to see this book become another one of those beloved Christmas film traditions, to be treasured over the years! The characters are loveable; the settings vivid. Period details are believable. A delightful read at any time of year! Don’t miss this novel!”
--A Night's Dream of Books
Editorial Reviews
THE SUMMER LETTERS – A Novel
by Elyse Douglas
“A perfect summer read!”
--Fiction Addiction
“In Elyse Douglas' novel The Summer Letters, the characters’ emotions, their drives, passions and memories are all so expertly woven; we get a taste of what life was like for veterans, women, small town folk, and all those people we think have lived too long to remember (but they never really forget, do they?).
I couldn’t stop reading, not for a moment. Such an amazing read. Flawless.”
5 Stars!
--Anteria Writes Blog - To Dream, To Write, To Live
“A wonderful, beautiful love story that I absolutely enjoyed reading.”
5 Stars!
--Books, Dreams, Life - Blog
“The Summer Letters is a fabulous choice for the beach or cottage this year, so you can live and breathe the same feelings and smells as the characters in this wonderful story.”
Time Stranger Page 20
