The Pocket Watch

by Ceci Giltenan

  Maggie’s chin began to tremble and in spite of her valiant attempts not to, she started crying again. “Today I w-went to Elliott’s w-wedding.”

  The woman clucked and gathered Maggie into her arms, allowing her to cry. “Attending the wedding of an old flame is hard at the best of times. It’s doubly hard when ye have never stopped loving him, and I know ye haven’t.”

  “No, I haven’t, and it hurts so much.”

  “I’m sure it does, pet.”

  “I’m tired of hurting and even though I know I made the right choices, it was at the expense of all of my dreams. Sometimes…”

  “What lass?”

  “Nothing. I feel selfish saying it.”

  “Please tell me.”

  Maggie hesitated before saying, “Sometimes I wish I could have someone else’s life—just for a while. I wonder what it would feel like just to be away from the rubble of broken dreams.”

  The old woman cocked her head. “Whose life would ye choose?”

  Maggie sniffed. “Amanda’s.”

  The old woman chuckled. “Ye don’t want her life, lass. She married an idiot.”

  Maggie gave a little laugh and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  The old woman looked at her pointedly. “What would ye say if I told ye I could give ye that.”

  “What?” Maggie was confused.

  “Someone else’s life.” She cocked her head and furrowed her brow. “If I could give ye someone else’s life for a while, what would ye do?”

  Maggie supposed the woman was trying to make a point about everyone having troubles. Still someone else’s troubles might be a relief for a while. “It isn’t possible, but I guess I would try it if I could.”

  “Och, but it is possible.”

  Maggie smiled. “No it isn’t.”

  “That’s a very closed-minded opinion for a lass whose father researches multiverse theory.”

  “Do you truly believe you have the ability to temporarily give me a different life?”

  “Well I don’t personally, but I have something that does.”

  The nurse inside Maggie tugged at her, this poor dear lady is ill. But the theoretical physicist’s daughter asked, “How does it work?”

  The woman pulled what looked like a small gold pocket watch on a chain from her purse. She opened the cover and handed it to Maggie. It was a plain, rather ordinary looking timepiece except there was only one long, slender hand, which pointed at twelve and didn’t appear to be moving. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

  “When ye go to bed tonight, put it around yer neck or even in the pocket of yer pajamas. When ye wake ye will be…elsewhere.”

  “Elsewhere?”

  “Aye. It will pull ye into someone else’s body, someone else’s life.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, I am. It is called soul exchange.”

  “Soul exchange? So whoever’s body I get, her soul comes to my body?”

  “Briefly, aye. But the person whose body ye assume will be about to die. Ye will do something immediately which will change that.”

  “I’ll save her life?”

  “Not precisely, but I’ll explain that in a minute. When ye wake in that person’s body, ye will find the watch still around yer neck or in a pocket. If ye open it, ye will notice that the hand will advance one second for each day ye’re there. Ye must come back before the hand reaches twelve again.”

  “How very Cinderella-like. So…I would have sixty days in another life.”

  “Aye, more or less.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means ye can come back at any time. Ye will only have to say one word. Ye don’t even have to have the watch with ye for it to work. The watch always manages to be where it’s needed.”

  “What’s the word?”

  “Ye decide and tell the watch before ye put it ‘round yer neck.”

  Yes, this poor dear was delusional. “I tell the watch?”

  If the old woman recognized her skepticism she ignored it. “Aye, and it has to be something that ye would have no reason to say accidentally. We’ll make the word…cellphone.”

  “Why? That’s a word I use a lot.”

  “Aye, ye use it now. But ye will be going back in time and ye have to go back far enough so ye can’t have an impact on yer own life.”

  “Like telling one of my parents the results of every super bowl for the last twenty years.”

  “Sweetling, do ye know the results of every super bowl for the last twenty years?”

  “Um…no.”

  The old woman chuckled, “Well, I guess we don’t have to worry about that then. But aye, that’s the concept. What would ye do if ye arrived, say, twenty-five years ago?”

  Without missing a beat Maggie answered, “I’d find my mother.”

  The old woman gave her a sad smile. “And how do ye suppose yer mum would react?”

  “I wouldn’t tell her who I was. She’d be about my age. I’d just make friends with her and spend a little more time with her.”

  “And ye wouldn’t tell her to go see the doctor earlier than she did? Perhaps catch the cancer earlier?”

  “Would that be so wrong?”

  “Maggie, think about it. If ye told yer twenty-something mother she needed to make sure she sees a doctor thirty years later, what would happen? At best, she would forget it and at worst she would spend the next thirty years worrying about dying instead of living. Yer mother is at peace now. Her time was up and she is where she needs to be. Besides, ye wouldn’t be experiencing a different life. Ye would be trying desperately to regain the life ye had. Nay, ye will likely go back at least a hundred years, perhaps a good deal more.”

  “A hundred years?” Maggie was incredulous.

  “At least. So ye will have no need to say the word “cellphone” but if ye are in trouble or ye just want to come back, ye just say cellphone and ye’ll be back in an instant.”

  “I just say ‘cellphone’ and come back instantly no matter where I am.”

  “Aye, lass, ye cellphone home so’s to speak.” She laughed merrily at her own joke.

  Maggie couldn’t help but smile. “And if I don’t cellphone home, if I stay the full sixty days, I just pop back into my own body when the time runs out?”

  “Nay, lass. Ye have to decide to come back and say the word when ye’re ready.”

  “What if I want to stay longer?” Even as she said it, Maggie could scarcely believe she was having this conversation. The woman was delusional.

  “Ye can stay longer if ye wish, but after sixty days ye won’t be able to return. Ye will stay in the other life forever.”

  “So I have the choice to return, but whoever assumes my body here is at my mercy. I’m not sure that’s terribly fair. What if she likes it better here?”

  “She won’t have time to know. Ye see while sixty days pass for ye in the past, only sixty seconds will pass here.”

  “Oh.” Maggie thought for a moment. “But, how will this work? My soul and consciousness will be in someone else’s body. I won’t know anyone. Her friends and family will think she’s lost her mind. Do I pretend to have amnesia or something?”

  “Aye, that’s usually the best explanation, but it isn’t quite that cut and dried. Ye will have yer soul and consciousness as ye say, but ye will still be in her body, brain and all. Ye will have some bits of her memory from the start, language for example. If she speaks another 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.”

  Maggie knew she shouldn’t feed into the woman’s delusions but she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “How is that possible?”

  The old woman smiled. “I have just told ye, ye can travel back in time. Ye are fully convinced that I am delusional, but ye have trouble believing this one detail?”

  How could the woman possibly have known what Maggie was thinking? “I-I, well I don’
t think…what I mean is…”

  The old woman’s tinkling laughter bubbled up again. “Tis all right, lass. I know it’s all hard to believe and I’d worry if ye weren’t skeptical. But I assure ye, I am not delusional. And if ye truly want to see what another life would be like, ye’ll try it. The worst outcome is that ye wake up in the morning and nothing happened. I’ll meet ye here tomorrow at noon and ye can return my timepiece to me. Ye may have a fascinating tale to tell, but if nothing happened, feel free to bring the mental health care professional of yer choice. Truly, ye have nothing to lose and perhaps the opportunity to do a bit of good.”

  Maggie looked at the odd timepiece in her hand. She really didn’t have anything to lose and if the old woman returned the next day, maybe Maggie could find some help for her. “I suppose you’re right, but let me make sure I understand. I put the chain around my neck and go to sleep as usual. When I wake up, I will have switched souls with someone from the past just in time to stop that person from dying.”

  “Aye.”

  “I will be able to speak and understand whatever language the other person speaks. I can stay for up to sixty days and come back to my own body at any time simply by saying the word ‘cellphone’ but I must say it before the sixty days are up or I will stay there for the rest of my life.”

  The woman smiled and nodded. “Ye’ve summed it up nicely.”

  Maggie puzzled over the idea for a moment before asking, “If sixty days wherever I am is only one minute here, a whole year there is only about six minutes here.”

  “Aye, that’s right.”

  “So that means if I stayed there and lived another seventy years only seven hours will have passed here during which time she will have been simply sleeping soundly in my bed. What happens then?”

  “When her own body dies, she will pass on just as she was intended to and having come to the natural end of yer life, so will ye.”

  “But if I have saved her life, she will pop back into her body sixty days later without knowing what happened?”

  “Nay, child, she won’t. Her time is up, very likely through her own folly. Ye will have extended her life only so long as ye are in her body. When ye return to yer own body, her body will die and her soul will pass on.”

  Maggie examined the timepiece again as if it held some answer for her. “And you promise to let me get you some help tomorrow.”

  “Only if it doesn’t work.”

  “Okay…uh…” Maggie paused, she had just unburdened her heart to this stranger, who in return had offered her a trip to the past but Maggie had never even asked her name.

  “It’s all right, Maggie. My name is Gertrude.”

  Once again Maggie was astounded that the woman, Gertrude, seemed to hear her thoughts. “Okay, Gertrude. I will try it. I should be going now but we’ll meet back here tomorrow.”

  Gertrude smiled. “Until tomorrow then.”

  Maggie gave her a little hug and rose to leave. “Until tomorrow.”

  As Maggie was walking away, Gertrude called, “Sleep well, Maggie.”

  “Thank you, Gertrude. Same to you.” Maggie reached the top of the stairs before she realized she had never given Gertrude her name. She turned back around, “How did you know my…”

  Gertrude was gone.

  Chapter 2

  Perhaps Maggie was the delusional one, because she spent the whole evening thinking about traveling back in time and swapping souls with someone. At least it was better than crying over Elliott. Maybe that was all the old woman was doing, giving her a distraction on this most difficult day.

  Still, she decided to call Paige for a chat. Although she hadn’t intended to, she found herself telling her little sister the whole story. Only, she didn’t mention the way Gertrude had vanished.

  Paige was fascinated by it all. “Well if it is a delusion, she has certainly developed it well. It is more likely she’s just having one over on you, but it is fun to think about. I wonder how many times she has given that watch away.”

  “I don’t know. She seemed very serious. She promised to let me help her find psychiatric help when I meet her tomorrow.”

  “Are you going to do it?”

  “Get her help? Of course.”

  “No, are you going to try it? Wearing the watch to bed, I mean.”

  “Well I have to if I am going to shed light on her delusion.”

  “What if it works?”

  “Oh, Paige, come on. It’s not going to work.”

  “Magdalena Mitchell, you have absolutely no sense of imagination.”

  Maggie laughed. “All right. If it works, I will have a fascinating story to tell you in the morning.”

  “Unless you fall in love and decide to stay.”

  “Oh please.”

  “I know you think that the old woman is delusional but I want you to listen to me—I mean really listen not just smile and nod. If by some crazy chance it works—”

  “It won’t work, Paige. It’s impossible.”

  “But if it does, and if you do fall in love…stay.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t think you have to worry about that.”

  “No, Maggie, please listen. I know you. I know you will worry more about me and dad but don’t. We can manage without you and I want you to think of your own happiness for once.”

  “Paige, you’re being ridiculous.”

  “Well my darling sister, I may be. On the other hand, if you don’t wake up in the morning, while I’ll be sad and miss you forever, I will know someone worthy earned your heart.”

  “Paige stop it. This isn’t real, there is no such thing as soul exchange and even if there were, the chances of me falling in love are nil.”

  “Because you’re still brokenhearted over Elliott? Maggie, you’re hopeless. He didn’t deserve you. Oh gosh, I didn’t know how late it was. I have to go now, hon, I have to get ready for my date.”

  “Have fun.”

  “I will. Hey, how about taking Dad to the diner for dinner. If you get stuck in the past it’s your last chance to have their cheese bread.”

  “I said, stop it.”

  Paige laughed. “Love you lots, Maggie. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Love you too.”

  As silly as she felt doing it, Maggie took her dad out to the diner for dinner as Paige suggested. She did love the cheese bread.

  Before retiring, she gave him a hug and kiss goodnight.

  He was in his chair watching the news. “I’ll see you in the morning, honey. Do you mind if we go to an early Mass? I need to work in the lab for a while.”

  “That’s fine, Dad. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Maggie.”

  When she was ready to get in bed, she got the watch out and held it in her hand. “Okay, here goes nothing. Remember, my ticket home is the word cellphone.” She slipped the chain over her neck, feeling a little silly, and went to sleep.

  ~ * ~

  It felt as if Maggie had awakened instantly, and she was absolutely terrified.

  It had worked.

  She wasn’t in her bed in New Jersey. She was on the back of a horse, in a flat out run no less. Other than a sedate pony ride as a girl, she had never ridden a horse. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” she screamed pulling back hard on the reins. That was supposed to stop a horse wasn’t it?

  It stopped him all right. The animal seemed as scared as Maggie at suddenly having a screaming crazy woman on his back yanking at his reins. He snorted and reared on his hind legs throwing Maggie backwards. She landed flat on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Perhaps from instincts she had honed in a self-defense class, she had tucked her head forward as she fell. This kept her head from hitting the ground harder than it might have otherwise. The horse ran forward about twenty yards or so, dancing, snorting and tossing his head just as another rider arrived.

  Maggie lay on the ground struggling to draw breath, but the other rider, a man who appeared to be wearing a dress,
dismounted and went to calm the frightened horse without sparing her a glance.

  “Easy, lad, easy now. Ye’re all right.” His voice was gentle and soothing.

  The horse tossed his head and pawed at the ground.

  “Wheesht now, lad.” After a few moments the horse calmed a bit and the man was able to catch the reins. He stroked the beast’s neck, continuing to croon to him.

  Once Maggie was able to draw shallow breaths she did a quick mental assessment of her injuries. Her whole body hurt but she could move her extremities without pain. She rolled to one side and pushed herself onto her hands and knees. Her head swam a little and she groaned in pain. She stayed in that position for a moment, waiting for the discomfort to subside. She suspected she had a cracked rib or two and perhaps a mild concussion, but she didn’t think she was seriously injured.

  The man strode toward her, leading the horse.

  She felt like she should say something, but as she looked up from her kneeling position and saw his face, all conscious thought fled. He was gorgeous. Dark-haired and well over six feet tall, every inch appeared to be solid muscle. However, the feature capturing her attention was his stormy gray eyes. Eyes which, at the moment, held nothing but contempt, his gaze piercing her like daggers. He was clearly livid—with her.

  “What in the name of all that’s holy do ye think ye were doin? Ye haven’t been here long, we’ve never ridden this direction and ye know nothing of the terrain. I only asked ye to slow down for yer own safety and that of yer mount. But instead of heeding me, ye kicked the poor beast into a gallop.”

  She had never been the brunt of such intense anger. “I-I’m sorry.” Her voice sounded strange to her. Well of course it does Maggie, it’s not your voice.

  “Ye’re sorry?” he growled through clenched teeth. “Ye have no idea how close ye came to killing yerself and the horse, do ye? That wee rise ye were charging up there drops sharply into the river on the other side. If ye had topped it going at that speed ye both would have been killed. While I’m not sure ye would have been any great loss, this is a fine horse who doesn’t deserve to die by the actions of a foolish, defiant woman.”