Nanny to the Shifter

by Leela Ash

  Andrea screwed her eyes up as she looked more closely at the paper.

  “Surely you’re not saying that those stones can bring about the end of the world?”

  She looked incredulously at the old woman.

  “The runes that our families have been protecting are very powerful. They are used to channel the positive energies of the universe and are more powerful than we have yet to see. The Universe is a balance of good and bad, yin and yang. Somehow they work in harmony, but if the power falls into the wrong hands then the balance of the Universe could be at risk.”

  “But why should Helen want that power; what on earth would she use it for?”

  “Helen, like the rest of us, is a mere pawn of the Gods. Day follows night, but what if the sun failed to shine on this great world of ours? Games are being played out among the Gods, Andrea. Up to now there has been relative peace, but have you not noticed the increase in bad news over the past few years, the wars and the famine and the pain? The positive forces around us are stretched to their limit maintaining a status quo, and something will soon have to give.”

  Andrea sat down on one of the wooden dining room chairs. Everything seemed to be so normal, so ordinary here, and yet she knew; she had seen, but it was still hard to believe.

  “But surely you don’t believe that all of our fates are in the hands of an ancient god?”

  “God or Gods, Creator or whatever people put their faith in, there is more to this world and the universe than we can ever comprehend. Why there is always a constant struggle between good and evil, I do not know. But the time is coming, I can feel it close, something is in the air: The Beginning and the End.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Andrea’s mind was reeling.

  “Much of the truth has been lost over thousands and thousands of years, but the words on the Great Scrolls that are said to have been written in fire by the Gods themselves at the very start of the creation of the Universe, have been passed down over the centuries. No doubt some of the words will have been changed, in both translation and the telling, but the meaning has always been clear. It is said that at the Beginning of the End there will be a great battle between the Gods; a battle that will not only be the end of time, but also the start of things to come. The battle will decide what shall happen at the End, the fate of the Universe some say.”

  “So what’s the point of all this, our future, what does it all mean?”

  Geraldine put her arm around the shoulder of her young friend and her eyes twinkled.

  “There is more. The scrolls tell of two children; a brother and a sister born across Time to save Time – our Universe and all that we are and ever will be.”

  Andrea wrinkled her nose “You mean Elizabeth?”

  Geraldine smiled.

  “Elizabeth and a younger brother perhaps, only time will tell. Helena thought it was she; her and Alexhander, that were the brother and sister foreseen in the scrolls. But Alexhander and Helena were not true kin. Helena liked to think that she was the chosen one and when she found out that she was not, well that was when things started to go wrong. She looked for power in another place and that is when she turned to the dark side; to evil and destructive forces. Of course she was jealous of you and the idea that you would bear the children of the scrolls, and as such would try anything to stop you. The runes have kept us safe until now. Helen has the sacred stones of Hades and will be gathering her power; it will not be long now.”

  “Are we safe; and what about Alex, should I tell him?”

  Andrea looked anxiously across to the sleeping form of Elizabeth, blissfully unaware in her Moses basket.

  “I will know what to do when the time comes. You have nothing to worry about; for the moment at least. There is no use alarming Alex, he would not believe you anyway. The time will come for you to tell him.”

  Andrea did not feel safe; the mere thought of Helen gave her goose bumps, but she said no more; enough had been said for one day. Geraldine looked tired and she feared she had worn her old friend out with all of her questioning.

  3.

  Summer started to fade and towards the end of September, as the Autumn Equinox approached, there came a change in the weather. The once clear skies were now filled with dark and angry looking clouds and the wind whipped up from the west, blowing in from across the ocean and bringing a chill to the air.

  Geraldine woke up with a start. Her heart was beating fast and she knew the day had finally come; the day of her destiny and she had been waiting. Her old and freckled hands shook as she dressed and she tried to compose herself. She had known this day would arrive; had prepared for it in her head, and yet now it was here she was full of doubts and hesitation.

  ‘I know how Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane’ she mused, glancing at her reflection in the mirror.

  She had the temptation to go back in time; to go back to her ancestor and breathe life into the younger Geraldine, whom she knew lay dead on a spot not far from here yet hundreds of years in the past, and cause the still heart to beat once more. Perhaps she could fight back if she were younger; had the energy?

  But she knew that it could not be so, it was not the way of things, her fate had been sealed and her path would end here, today.

  It was only a matter of Time.

  Sitting at her usual table at the hotel, she drank her usual coffee. Andrea would be dropping by later that morning and she hoped she wouldn’t be too late. There were many things she had left to say.

  The door to the lounge opened and a cool chill entered into the room. Geraldine sat unmoving while a figure approached. She did not need to turn around to see who it was; the feeling of evil in the air told her everything that she needed to know.

  4.

  It was 11:00am when Andrea entered the lounge to see Geraldine sitting alone. Usually her friend was looking out of the window, ready to greet her and the young child, but not today. Geraldine did not even look up when the door opened into the lounge.

  As Andrea approached she could tell something was wrong. The old woman was hunched over the table with her eyes closed, and parking the buggy, Andrea rushed to her side.

  “Geraldine, whatever has happened, should I fetch a doctor?”

  The old woman was still and yet managed to raise her eyes slowly towards her young friend before closing them again. Andrea could see the pain behind the old grey eyes and immediately wrapped her arms around the old woman's shoulders.

  "What on earth has happened Geraldine, what's wrong?"

  Sitting down opposite her, she took the old and wrinkly hands in her own, they were cold and unresponsive.

  She shouted louder, wondering if she had been heard.

  "Geraldine?"

  Opening her eyes she looked intently at Andrea as if trying to focus on something that was too far away in the distance.

  Her mouth trembled as she tried to speak, but remained silent.

  Andrea could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes at the sight of her usual spritely friend.

  "Oh Geraldine, let me fetch the doctor?"

  The old woman's grip tightened as Andrea tried to stand.

  "No."

  The voice was frail and almost inaudible.

  Andrea remained, her eyes fixed on Geraldine's face.

  "It's too late, now listen…"

  The words were broken and sluggish. Her mouth was slack and she had difficulty in speaking. Geraldine had suffered a stroke.

  "Try not to talk Geraldine; look let me get you a doctor."

  The weak hands squeezed her own as tight as they were able and Andrea remained.

  "Listen; there is something I need to tell you…"

  The old woman leaned closer and lowered her head.

  "Helen was here. You are in danger and must return."

  "Helen?" Andrea could feel the panic start to rise in her chest.

  "She is gaining power and must be stopped, the only way..."

  Geraldine s
topped mid sentence and closed her eyes, unable to continue. Her mind was active but her body was slowly breaking down.

  Andrea stood to leave. She could not bear to see her old friend suffer, and she felt helpless.

  "Wait!"

  Geraldine summoned her remaining strength to call back her friend.

  "You must listen, I haven't much time. Helen is powerful. So powerful that I did not realize she had come for me until it was too late. This morning I sensed her presence and knew the time was near. She has defeated me and will look to end your life and that of the child's. You must return to the past. Take Alex and the child, but go soon. This is the Beginning and the End."

  The words were spoken in a quiet whisper and Andrea strained to hear the slurred speech.

  "Helen took one of the Runes from me - I knew she would and had to safeguard the other two. She has returned to the past to try and save her brother, Alexhander. You must take the two remaining stones and return with Alex immediately. They are hidden safely in my room, look in the old Gideon's bible - the only place she would not look. You must take Alex first and then return for the child. She will be safe. You will know what to do when the time comes."

  Helen had been there that morning and no doubt had been the cause of Geraldine's sudden attack. Andrea felt the bile rise in her throat at the thought of the beautiful yet evil face. If only she had been here earlier, would she have tried to kill them all?

  "It is the Beginning and the End, Andrea."

  The grip on her hands slackened as the old careworn hands slipped out of her own and flopped lifelessly onto the table. Geraldine was dead.

  At first she didn't know what to do and sat helplessly with large tears rolling down her cheeks. Geraldine had been her one ally and only sanity during the last year, and she suddenly felt weak and lost without her old friend.

  She touched the soft grey head as it slumped gently onto the silent breast. They were the only customers in the cafe and the one waiting staff was busy in the kitchen preparing for the lunch orders. She wondered what to do.

  A cry from the corner brought her back to her senses. She had almost forgotten about Elizabeth in the buggy. Rushing over to pick up the child, Andrea hugged her tightly. Life and death, birth and rebirth, the continuing cycle; that was something Geraldine always told her.

  Andrea walked back over to the body of the old woman and kissed her gently on the forehead.

  "Have a safe journey Geraldine, wherever you might be going."

  It seemed callous to leave her alone, but Geraldine had warned her to leave immediately. She would have to find the runes and then somehow explain all of this to Alex.

  The door to Geraldine's hotel room was unlocked. Someone had already been in there before her. Stepping quickly inside, she looked first on the bedside cabinet before opening the small drawer underneath. There was an embroidered handkerchief and a packet of mints. Andrea smiled as she picked up the folded handkerchief and brought it to her face. The faint aroma of rosemary and lavender still lingered in the white cotton weave; it was the scent of Geraldine, the smell of the past.

  Soon she was outside and pushing the buggy towards the Abbey. Glancing back towards the hotel she could still see the tiny figure of Geraldine slumped in the window, and pitied the poor waitress who would eventually find her. It would be a great shock.

  But now she would need to find Alex and tell him the whole story and she didn't have a clue where to start.

  The day was still dull and all was quiet outside the Abbey. Andrea always felt a sense of deep calm in the shadow of the old stones and even today was no exception. There was something unearthly, some ancient wisdom in this sacred ground, now filled with the secrets and whispers of the dead.

  The main doors were wide open and she wheeled the buggy up the disabled access ramp and into the ticket office cum gift shop.

  Alex was standing drinking coffee at the back of the counter and gave her a surprised smile as she approached.

  As soon as she reached him, the tears started to come and would not stop; the shock of Geraldine dying had just started to hit her.

  Alex made her a coffee and made her sit down on a wooden pew in the Abbey until she quietened down. She could almost feel the presence of the dead saints as she sat quietly for a moment, gathering her thoughts and wondering what to say.

  The two runes in her pocket seemed to be burning into her and they gave her the courage to continue.

  At first Alex was incredulous and wondered if she were ill. She mentioned Geraldine but not the fact that she was dead. He loved his grandmother and it would be too great a shock for him, and it would make it almost impossible for him to return with her.

  Holding out her hands she presented the runes, the curious little stones that wielded such power.

  He took one in his hands and rolled it in his fingers.

  "So, you're telling me that this little rock can transport me back in time, where I will embody and bring back to life the dying form of my ancestor Alexhander MacDonald and you will be my wife Andra?”

  Andrea nodded meekly.

  "And that my children, or their children, will save the world or even the Universe; that is unless the evil Helena doesn't get to them first?"

  She nodded her head again.

  "And somehow my Gran used to be a nun and is mixed up in all of this?"

  Andrea smiled weakly. Coming from his lips it sounded ridiculous and she almost didn't believe it herself.

  "Andrea, what kind of films have you been watching lately; do you think it might be something in the coffee they serve at the Columba? It sounds to me like you and dear grandmother are on some kind of drug related trip."

  He laughed out loudly at the thought.

  "Then you won't mind coming along with me to the chapel next door to show you?"

  She teased him hoping that by playing along he would agree.

  "Andrea, I have work to do."

  "Please, it won't take a moment?"

  He looked at her intently for a moment before taking a sip of his coffee.

  "Ok, but I must be back in 5 minutes."

  The sky outside was grey and the ground beneath them muddy. It was hard to push the buggy across the grass in the graveyard and Alex took charge.

  As they walked the short way across to the old section of graves her mind worked overtime. As Geraldine had advised, with only two stones she would have to take Alex first; it would be too hard for him to take it all in on his own.

  She could leave Elizabeth here in her buggy; in real time she would be gone and back in the mere blink of an eye.

  There was no more time to lose or explain. Ensuring the brake was firmly on the buggy and that Elizabeth was settled, Andrea took one of the stones and passed it to Alex who eyed it suspiciously.

  "So, what am I supposed to do with this, wish for Santa Clause?"

  Andrea smiled tolerantly and led the way to the ancient grave of Alexhander MacDonald. As they reached the spot she could hear a bell start to toll midday in the distance.

  Kneeling on the ground she beckoned for Alex to do the same. He rolled his eyes but followed suit, anything to keep the peace.

  The wind whipped up from the East and a low mist drifted in from across the ocean until it surrounded the graveyard of the tiny chapel of St Oran.

  5.

  Andrea awoke and looked around her. The bitter taste of herbs stuck in the back of her throat and she sat up and retched, bringing up the poison along with the contents of her stomach. The girl Elizabeth lay silently at her side, unmoving yet still warm. The faint pallor of death had already started to pass over her brow and Andrea gathered the small body into her arms and wept, even though she knew that her own child slept peacefully, hundreds of years away in the future. She had poisoned the child and herself - death and the possession of a rune stone being the only way to return back to the future; now she had returned to that very point of death to breathe life back into her ancestral form.

 
A shout heralded from the room downstairs. Alex must have woken.

  Laying the girl back on the bed she sat up. There was no time to lose. She remembered the first time she had visited this place, it had been the year 1625 when she first arrived and it had been a shock to the system to say the least. She would return for Elizabeth soon and in turn she would breathe life into the lifeless form of Andra and Alexhander’s child, Elizabeth.

  Rushing down the wooden staircase she entered the main room below. Alex was trying to sit up on the makeshift bed, his eyes wild with pain from his injuries and disbelief at his surroundings.

  "Andrea, what the fuck has happened? What on Earth?”

  Alex did not swear easily and it was a sign he was agitated. He lay back on the pillows, weak with the pain.

  It was not the time to say I told you so.

  "It's the runes - we are back in the year 1635, like I said we would be. I know it's hard to take in. The last time I was here, you, or at least Alexhander MacDonald, lay dying from his battle wounds, and your half sister Helena killed Geraldine, and you in turn killed Helena."

  "But I don't even have a sister!"

  She looked round to find the bodies of the two women. Only the slight body of the young nun, Geraldine, remained, Helena had gone.

  "You look different."

  Andrea had almost forgotten the difference in time. Elizabeth was 9 years old and of course she too was older than her future self. A wealth of memories returned to her. Things she had almost forgotten about from a former time. Some memories weren't even hers but were Andra's, long before she had travelled back in time to embody her ancestor, to keep the lineage alive, and she wore her memory like a shroud.