I was lying in the grass in front of the largest standing stone, without very much recollection of how I got there. 'I must've fainted' I thought. I reached for my phone, it was only just quarter past ten, so I couldn't have been laid there very long. I sat up and went to phone my sister, to ask her to come pick me up. If I'd fainted I didn't want to be out here in the middle of nowhere by myself any longer. The phone didn't even ring. No signal.
'Bloody Scotland.' I muttered under my breath and pulled myself to my feet. I was going to walk back to the road, to try and get my bearings and walk back to the village, but it was the strangest thing...I could not find the road. I was sure this was the right direction. I'd seen a car drive past not twenty minutes ago. I knew that my best option was to stay at the standing stones, and wait until the time my sister and I had agreed that she would come get me, but I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, and that I needed to keep moving. I can't explain why, but I followed this instinct and set off walking. I had no idea about the local area, I didn't even know how to get back to where I was staying from Craigh na dun, but somehow I felt certain that the way I was going was the 'right way', whatever that was. I had a drink and some bits to eat in my rucksack, and surely along the way I must find some phone signal.
It was starting to get dark, and I began to realise I had made a huge mistake. I was cold, hungry and tired and I still hadn't managed to get my phone to work. Nevertheless, I trudged on, still feeling convinced somehow that this was the way to go. And then I saw it. A shape in the distance, and a light! It was a house! I quickened my pace until I was running across the glen towards the house, not even caring as I felt the first few drops of rain fall onto my face. I was so relieved and overjoyed! I had found it! The place I had been looking for the whole time, only I had no idea how I knew it was here.
By the time I reached the house it was pitch dark and the rain was pouring. I knocked loudly on the door and after a few moments a young woman with dark hair and a stern face answered. She was wearing some kind of period dress, made of thick, heavy material and had a corset.
'Um…I got lost, I was over by the standing stones at Craigh na dun, please may I use your phone?' I blurted out, shivering as I felt a raindrop slide down the back of my neck. The woman for a moment seemed speechless. She looked me up and down with the most peculiar look on her face. Suddenly she came to her senses and ushered me into the house.
'Come inside, out of the rain and the cold, I'll get you something warm to drink. I'll just go get my brother Jamie to come and sit by the fire through here with you. I am sure he would like to speak to you.' She spoke very quickly, as though she were nervous about something.
'Thank you, I really appreciate it but I really need to get in touch with…' I began but she had already disappeared. I sat myself down in the chair closest to the fire and looked around the room. It was very old fashioned, and it seemed that someone had gone to great lengths to make it appear that way. There were no electric lights, I could see no plug sockets anywhere and all the furniture looked antique.
'My sister told me we had a visitor.' The voice made me jump. I whipped round to see a man in the doorway. He had wavy red hair and the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. He too was wearing a kind of period outfit, a loose fitting white shirt with baggy sleeves and a kilt. He crossed the room and handed me a blanket, which I wrapped around myself and a cup of something warm, that smelled like it might have whisky in it.
'Thank you.' I said as he sat himself down in the chair opposite mine. 'Yeah I was up at the standing stones at Craigh na dun and I think I must have had some kind of dizzy spell. I got lost and my phone wouldn't work. Please may I use yours to phone my sister, she'll be worried about me.'
'Another Sassenach.' The man said. He sighed and I thought a sad smile crossed his face. 'What's your name?'
'Annie.' I answered. I was becoming more and more worried that these people weren't going to let me use the phone, and didn't want to help me, but at the same time there was something about this man that made me feel oddly at ease, like I could trust him, almost at home…
'Annie, where are you from?'
'York,' I answered, 'but I'm studying at the University of Edinburgh, archaeology, that why I was up at the stones, I think I'd like to do a dig there.' The man nodded and paused, looking down at the floor for a moment before he asked.
'And Annie, when are you from?'
I felt completely dumbfounded. What kind of a question was that? I began to feel really uneasy now, but the man just stared at me, and as I stared back into his deep blue eyes I became calm and regained my courage.
'I-I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean.' I said. The man stood up and walked over to lean on the mantelpiece.
'The year. What year was it when you arrived at the stones?' he asked calmly, though something seemed to be troubling him.
'2017.' I replied, frowning. The man inhaled deeply and looked at his feet. He walked over to me and crouched down in front of my chair, so that we were eye to eye.
'Not any more it isn't.' He said.
'What do you mean? Please I just need to use the phone.' I pleaded, feeling rather panicked now. I searched his face for some answer to what the hell was going on. Although he appeared calm, there was definitely some sadness there beneath the surface, perhaps even regret, a longing…
'That…that doesn't exist yet. The year now is 1747. You said you felt dizzy up at the stones?'
'What are you talking about, I want to go home, I need to tell my sister…' I began to feel tears prick my eyes. I couldn't help it I was frightened. Through my own tears I could see that the man's eyes had welled up as well, though his face remained impassive.
'You said you felt dizzy up at the stones.' He said again. His voice heavy.
'Yes, I have dizzy spells quite often, it's nothing strange.' I responded, unable to contain the desperation in my voice.
'And could you hear a buzzing?' He asked. His voice was beginning to sound desperate now too.
'Yes,' I cried, 'I thought it was just part of my dizziness though.' Tears were rolling thick and fast down my face now.
'And the tallest stone, you touched it didn't you?' A tear escaped his eye and slid down his cheek. His hands were on my shoulders now to steady me, I was frightened and shaking and crying. I didn't feel as though this man was lying to me, but how could he be telling the truth?
'I leant against it to steady myself, yes, and then the next thing I knew I was on the ground, I was…'
'In 1747.' He said. I looked into his eyes for a moment. I could see no lie. I began sobbing again and he began to cry softly too, though I didn't know why. He pulled my head into his chest and held me tight. I wrapped my arms around him too. Even though he was a complete stranger, even though he had just told me something so mad it couldn't possibly be true, but at the same time had to be. I held tightly to him and cried into his shoulder.
'It's happened before.' He said, still holding me, 'the stones can transport people through time. They don't always come from the same time, but they always seem to come back here.' I pulled away from him and wiped my eyes.
'So am I stuck here or can the stones take me back home too?' I asked. He looked down at me with his hands still at my shoulders.
'You can go back,' he said kindly, he knew this was my only hope, 'but only when the stones let you.' He hugged me again. 'I'll take you up there myself tomorrow, but for now you should get some sleep, you can stay here, you'll be safe here. I believe my sister has had one of the spare rooms prepared. I'll show you to it.' He took my hand and helped me to my feet.
'I'm sorry, what's your name?' I asked.
'I'm Jamie Fraser,' He said. 'and this is Lallybroch.'
