Shasta Summer

by Teresa Geering

  May walked up her path to the front door whilst Merlin rubbed against her legs, almost tripping her. She couldn’t wait to hear what had happened, but was concerned to see that Merlin had returned to being a cat. Oh well, she would just have to be patient and wait until later tonight when they had gone to bed. She didn’t dare take the chance yet of letting her sister and George hear Merlin talking. They would realise straightaway who he was and she wanted to prepare Iris slowly. Having finished their evening meal, George and May settled down for the evening in the cosy chintz settee, whilst May favoured her rocking chair as usual, but this evening she had Merlin on her lap. He had eaten his fish and was settled purring happily as May stroked the back of his coat. He feels so thin, she thought to herself, I can almost feel his ribs. My poor Merlin what has happened to you and where can mistress Shasta be I wonder? Well not long to wait now before I find out, she thought.

  George sat reading the paper whilst Iris and May discussed the following morning’s work which would be to continue making up potions for the villagers. Iris had really got the hang of it and sometimes May left her to experiment on her own.

  Eventually, and much to May’s delight, Iris suggested they went to bed. George, agreeing, pulled Iris playfully from the settee. With his arm round her waist, they said goodnight to May and retired, closing the bedroom door behind them. May indicated for Merlin to be quiet for a while until she was sure that they were asleep.

  “Please, Merlin, tell me all that has happened, and what news of Shasta?” May asked.

  “Oh May it was so wonderful to lead a normal life as a human again.” Then slowly he began to relate all that had happened up until his death. To suddenly become a cat again, though, was as upsetting to him as it was to May.

  “I feel doomed to stay being a cat whether I like it or not, and I miss Shasta so much, May,” he said, feeling very sorry for himself.

  “Well at least you’re still alive, Merlin, even if you are a cat. We’ll have to ensure that Iris and George don’t realise that you can speak for the time being, I think it will cause complications. So just remember that when they are around. In the meantime I am just pleased that you are back with me.”

  That evening, after May had retired to bed, Merlin lay curled up in his favourite chair in the kitchen revelling in the warmth and comfort. He thought about all that had happened from the time that he and Shasta had left this lifetime. He was not aware of leaving Shasta during this transition, only that he was suddenly living with May in his previous lifetime, and then finally of his death at the hands of Erasmus. Oh yes, it was him. At first he was shocked and startled to see Seth’s face change into Erasmus’, but he was instantly recognisable. He had been so shocked that he had been unable to defend himself. It was strange also that he couldn’t remember the exact time that he had turned back into a cat again, only that he had suddenly arrived back at May’s cottage. The last thing he remembered was seeing Shasta in a vision and knowing in his heart that they would meet again.

  As he began to fall asleep, he wondered when that would finally be and would he remain a cat indefinitely?

  So the past cannot be changed then, thought May, as she lay in bed going over all that Merlin had told her. What of this other Erasmus, though, that Merlin had spoken of, she wondered. Surely it couldn’t be her Erasmus, could it? Yes, she admitted to herself, that was how she now thought of him. Her feelings were getting stronger for him and she was sure that he felt the same. However, she hadn’t seen him for a couple of weeks, which was unusual. In fact she had made discreet enquiries in the village and no-one had seen him. Slowly she drifted into a fitful sleep, her imagination conjuring up unusual dreams about her imagined past life. Perhaps she was better off living in the present after all.

  Chapter 41

  The past

  As Shasta sat talking to May one evening, she realised that she had been putting off her return to her own time. She had failed in what she had tried to do and had to accept that, but she still found it difficult to leave.

  “Perhaps you should ask the question of Erasmus,” said May.

  So far she had been reluctant to ask him anything. Lifting the book from the shelf, Shasta set it down between them on the table. As Abelia had instructed, she thought about the question she needed an answer to, and waited while Erasmus came up with the expected rhyme.

  The only words on the page were:

  He waits for you, in pastures new.

  “I wonder what that means,” she asked May, at the same time trying not to get too excited.

  “Perhaps he is waiting for you in your own time, mistress. I will miss your company but I feel the time has come for you to return.”

  “Oh, May, I will miss you so much, even though you will be alive in my time.”

  “Can you tell me what I’m like, mistress? Do I look any different? There are so many questions that I have wanted to ask you.”

  “You dress very similarly to what you are wearing now and you still make up potions for the villagers. In fact nothing about Shasta in my time is very different. Shasta Day is still celebrated on the green and we dress up in the clothes of today. In fact you meet a man during the celebrations and fall in love. I won’t know what happens until I get back, but I believe you will marry.”

  “What’s his name” May asked full of curiosity.

  “Erasmus.”

  May’s hand had been resting lightly on the book until she heard this. Hastily she withdrew it as if she had been burnt.

  “Surely not, mistress. You must be mistaken.”

  “No, there is no mistake I assure you, May. In my lifetime he is a very pleasant man. Perhaps his time spent as a book has mellowed him and maybe, just maybe, he has learnt his lesson. I think I will spend one last night with you and then I must go.”

  The following morning Shasta went to the field to collect her horse. Recognising his mistress, he galloped towards her. Giving him a rub on his nose, she took hold of his reins and walked him back to the caravan which she had prepared ready for travelling. The hardest part was saying goodbye to May and eventually she suggested that she rode beside her into the village where she would say a final farewell to her and the other villagers.

  As she approached the village green, she was startled to see that the whole of the village had turned up to say goodbye. Part of her was tempted to stay but realistically she knew that she had to leave. Saying a final goodbye to May she headed the horse out of the village and onto the road she had originally come in by. As the horse trotted slowly through the country lanes, Shasta noticed how much brighter everything seemed to be. The strength of the sun on her face made her feel very sleepy and taking an old wide-brimmed hat she placed it on her head so that it shaded her eyes. Listening to the birds as they sang sweetly, she began to close her eyes, knowing that her horse would be her guide.

  How she would get back to her own time would be entirely left to chance.

  Chapter 42

  Shasta was aware of laughter in the distance. Unsure at first whether she was dreaming or not, she kept her eyes closed and just listened. Eventually curiosity got the better of her and, opening her eyes, she could only see blue sky with a few puffballs of cloud here and there. Realising that she must have been asleep she was at first startled.

  She raised her head slightly from the hayrick she appeared to be resting against and looked around her. In the distance the men were haymaking whilst smaller children were throwing handfuls of chaff over each other and rolling in any that fell to the ground.

  Raising her arms and stretching, she wondered how she came to be there.

  She stood up, brushed off the bits of hay that had stuck to her dress, and walked towards the men. As she approached them, one by one they stopped talking and nudged each other until finally there was silence. The children, sensing something was wrong, also fell into silence but looked bewildered at the woman who had caused it.

  “Good day, mistress Shasta, you be back then?” said o
ne, incurring a dig in the ribs from his companion.

  Not understanding his comment, she asked him what he meant.

  “Begging pardon, mistress, I be talking out of turn,” he said, taking his hat from his head in respect and hoping to be questioned no further.

  Confused, Shasta walked away from them towards the forest and May’s cottage. What a strange thing to say and where have I supposed to have been she wondered as she walked to the edge of the forest. Picking up a flower that had been broken from its stem she began to straighten the petals and held it to her nose to inhale the perfume. As she walked deeper into the forest, she once again marvelled at nature as it surrounded her. The silence engulfed her. Very rarely were birds heard this deep in the forest. Even the sun struggled to shine through the thickness of the tree branches. This allowed the floor of the forest to remain cool and encouraged the moss to stay moist. Sometimes the sun in Shasta village was exceptionally fierce and the coolness of the forest made a welcome change. Seldom did the gentle night rain penetrate through the trees in this part.

  Reaching the edge of the forest, Shasta decided to walk across the village green. As she did so she was aware of startled looks from some folk and smiles of acknowledgement from others.

  “You be back safely then, mistress,” said one doxey as she left the tavern much the worse for drink.

  When Shasta looked at her blankly the woman hurried on.

  The quicker I get back to May’s cottage the better, she thought.

  Hurrying through the rose arbour at the front of the cottage, Shasta saw May engrossed in tidying up the geraniums.

  “May,” she called out, “hello.”

  May was so startled to see Shasta she keeled over with shock and lay on the ground getting her breath back.

  “Whatever is wrong, May, are you ill?” she asked.

  “Mistress, you’re back. I have been so worried for your safety.” Merlin came back a couple of days ago looking very thin but I have started to fatten him up with some juicy fish,” May said as she stood up with Shasta’s help.

  “What on earth are you talking about, May, and why does everyone keep telling me that I’m back when I haven’t been anywhere?”

  “Don’t you remember how you and Merlin went back in time to try and change the past?”

  “I was asleep in the hay field and have just awoken. I keep being told that I‘m back. I just don’t understand,” she said completely confused by now. “Can we go inside and talk, May?”

  “I think we had better,” May said.

  Fortunately Shasta’s parents had taken a walk into the village and, as they had only just left, wouldn’t be back for some time. Entering the cottage she noticed a black cat curled up on the chair in the kitchen. Absentmindedly she stroked him, commenting on the fact he looked at home in the cottage. Merlin, in a deep sleep, jumped and let out a loud meow. Recognising Shasta’s scent his eyes flew open and he jumped into her arms, much to her shock and amusement. She only just managed to hold onto him.

  “Goodness me, you’re a fine cat and what are you called, I wonder?”

  “Oh mistress you’re back at last,” said Merlin with relief licking her face.

  Startled by his voice, Shasta dropped him and backed away, her face white with shock. The cat had spoken to her and called her mistress, and yet again she was being told that she was back. Falling into the nearest chair, she asked May what was happening to her. Was she perhaps going mad? Admittedly she couldn’t remember what happened before she had fallen asleep by the hayrick, but everyone had lapses of memory at some point.

  “Oh, mistress Shasta, can you really not remember anything of what has happened?” she asked.

  “No, May. Will you please tell me what’s going on?”

  Gradually May told her all that had happened from the time she had come to visit her. How she had matured into Shasta and the fact that Merlin had become human again, why they had gone back to the past to try and change the future, and how finally Merlin had appeared at the cottage as a cat once again.

  Fortunately her parents weren’t here which gave her time to try and make sense of all that May had told her. She decided to go outside to the garden to think over all she had been told, which also gave May time to prepare her explanation for her sister. As she left the cottage, Merlin trotted by her side. He did not intend to leave her again for any reason, whether cat or human. Shasta thought about all she had been told whilst Merlin had curled himself around her in the garden seat, snuggling as close as he possibly could. It was no wonder everyone in the village had remarked about her being back. Slowly her mind allowed her to remember what had happened in the past. She cuddled Merlin closer and tighter, protectively, causing him to meow in discomfort. With tears dripping into the fur of his coat, she said, “I’m sorry, Merlin. I’m just so pleased that you survived. I’ll always love you, whatever happens.”

  “Thank you, Shasta, and I’ll always love you too,” he said.

  Merlin raised his head and brushed it lovingly against her face. As she rubbed gently behind his ears, he snuggled back down on her lap again with a deep sigh. If this was the closest he could come again to heaven, then so be it. At least he was still alive.

  May had made herself a cup of camomile tea whilst she mentally prepared herself for the return of Iris and George from the village. What a shock it was to suddenly see Shasta appear from nowhere. Oh well, she thought, at least they were both back safely and, if truth be known, she didn’t mind at all if Merlin had to remain a cat. He was company for her now that Erasmus was not around. In fact she hadn’t seen him for several weeks now and no explanation was forthcoming either.

  “Hello, May, we’re back,” said Iris coming though the back door into the kitchen.

  George was following her. Sitting at the table they both conjured up a cup of tea. Iris had Earl Grey and George decided on camomile, the same as May. His taste buds had changed since being in Shasta.

  “You look preoccupied, May. Are you all right?” George asked.

  “I had a bit of a surprise earlier, and if you will put your cup down, Iris, I will tell you both about it.” When this was done, May said, “Shasta is back again”.

  “Shasta! Where? Summer where are you?” said Iris, in her confusion rising and looking around the rooms, eager to see her daughter.

  “Before I tell you, I need to explain what has happened to her and Merlin. Shall we go and sit in comfort in the other room?”

  Leading the way, May settled herself into her rocking chair whilst Iris sat on the sofa holding George’s hand expectantly.

  May started at the beginning and finished with Shasta’s recent return.

  “Oh my poor daughter and poor Merlin,” Iris said with what sounded like genuine concern for him. “What an awful thing to have happened, isn’t it, George?”

  “At least she’s back safely,” he said quietly and put a protective arm around his wife.

  “Yes, they’re both back safely at least, but where are they?” Iris wondered out loud.

  “They’re in the garden taking everything in and coming to terms with it all,” said May. “Can you bear to give them a little bit more time, Iris, before seeing them?” asked May. The look on Iris’s face answered her. “Very well, I will go and tell her you have returned. She must be just as eager to see you both.”

  Telling Shasta that her parents were back and waiting to see her, May saw a look of hesitation on Shasta’s face.

  “Come, mistress, it will be alright. They are so eager to see you and are aware of all the changes you have gone through since you came to Shasta.”

  Shasta put Merlin onto one of the cushions she had been laying on and, with some trepidation, stood up. Slowly she made her way up the garden and turned and waited for May, feeling excited at seeing her parents again but at the same time nervous. May, sensing this, put a comforting arm around her and together they made their way towards the cottage and Shasta's parents.

  Walking into the
kitchen, Shasta looked at the back of both her parents who were seated at the table. They didn’t look any different at all and yet she had expected them to. So much had happened to her since they had left her here as an eight and three quarter year old girl. She had lived another lifetime and known true love. Without realising she had done it, Shasta sighed deeply, which caused her mother to turn around.

  Iris took in the beautiful young woman standing in front of her and was at a loss for words. Could this really be her daughter, Summer, the long blonde hair in a plait similar to May’s, the gold and silver bracelets adorning her arms but, more than anything else, looking wise beyond her years and her eyes expressing such tragedy? She held her arms out to her daughter in anticipation. Shasta, hesitant at first, then ran to her and held on fiercely, reluctant to let go. George watching this could never believe that this was his young daughter. He had imagined the changes from the description that May had given him, but she was far more beautiful than he had expected. Standing up, he pulled his wife and daughter apart so that he could hug her. Finally releasing her, he was aware that his face was wet with tears, as were Shasta’s and Iris’. May looked on with joy knowing that everything would be all right. Merlin becoming human again was unlikely, but at least he was alive. Having given her parents her own version of what had happened to her and Merlin, Shasta suggested they celebrate with a fine meal where Merlin was to join them. May and Shasta couldn’t wait to see George and Iris’ face when they heard Merlin talking to them. Shasta went out to tell Merlin the good news but he had gone. She didn’t have to look far. He had wandered away to the edge of the forest.

  “What are you doing here, Merlin?” she asked when she eventually found him.

  “I felt a bit left out, Shasta, so I decided to go for a walk,” he said sadly.

  Picking him up and hugging him to her breast, she carried him back to the cottage, whispering endearments to him all the way.