Where do I begin? I wanted to tell the story before it started to truly
fade from my mind, while the memories were still fresh. So I guess the
best place to start is that rainy afternoon in June, the day had started
out beautiful. The sun had been shining, the air had that lazy warm smell
to it that you can only find in the summer, and I had been late. I had
driven into the faire grounds Friday night, just so I wouldn't be running
around like a chicken with my head cut off Saturday morning when I had to
be at the nine 'o' clock cast meeting. The cannon always went off
precisely at ten signaling that the day had started and I was supposed to
be up on the front gate waving and smiling at the people who came through.
My alarm had gone off, but I had a habit of hitting the snooze button until
my good friend Beth beat on my tent until I was coherent. It was our
morning tradition, since her daughter Jenny was usually an early riser, she
didn't have much choice other than to be up practically at the crack of
dawn. However her daughter had wondered into the Renaissance Festival
grounds a little early without telling her and she had forgotten all about
me in her panic. It was my unfortunate luck that no one else in the
campsite had seen fit to wake me. I was a heavy sleeper so everyone else
getting up and getting ready never woke me; hence Beth's beating the side
of my tent. The little dew droplets that collected at the top of my tent
hit my face; it usually brought me up sputtering and cursing.
So I woke slowly and stretched, I rolled over to find my alarm clock near my head and realized it was nearly ten 'o clock. Now there is nothing worse than waking up late, especially when you have a costume to put on. Except perhaps having fallen asleep the night before still wearing your blue jeans. I hated that, I have always said there is nothing worse than waking up in the jeans you had worn the day before, add it to the fact I was late and it the day didn't have much hope of being a good one. Not to mention when it had been my bright idea to put curlers in my hair. I ran about pulling on my stockings and bloomers, my chemise half on and trying to pull the curlers from my hair of course all at the same time. I thanked my lucky stars everyone else was at the morning cast meeting, and those that weren't were vendors trying to get their wares out before they were over run with the day's crowds.
"Damn it." I muttered to myself as I showed my pass to the guard at the gate and made my way inside, he gave me a funny look, but I was used to it. I talked to myself all the time, people usually thought upon meeting me that I was eccentric and I was.
"That is the last time I let Morai talk me into a drinking contest." I continued muttering as I stomped up the hill past him.
I knew that it was a threat I wouldn't remember later that night, when the grounds closed down and the parties were all starting. That was half of the fun of faire, lots of parting, made up for the director and the other things that made this job not as fun as it looked.
My first stop was the bakery, my stomach was protesting loudly and I had made friends with one of the girls who worked it. She usually slipped me something in the mornings. The Renaissance Festival was expensive to work at. We were paid a measly salary that worked out to practically a dollar an hour. We should have at least gotten fringe benefits, but since we didn't, the cast usually tried to make friends with the food vendors. It made things much easier on your pocketbook. You could spend nearly your whole paycheck from working at this place on food alone.
"Briar, you finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Speak of the devil I thought and turned finding Morai leaning over the railing of the ramp leading up to the bakery. I could see one of the guys from the beer stand just up the stairs looking down at her in interest. I rolled my eyes he must be a newbie. Only newbies and patrons ogled at the way her breasts were pushed practically up to her chin. Yup ladies an Elizabethan corset is the ultimate original wonderbra and not as uncomfortable as one might think. I think most men who worked around the Renaissance festival found legs and a bare stomach more interesting. It wasn't that they didn't like breasts it was just they were used to seeing them prominently displayed and everything else covered. My skirts reached my ankles, the sleeves of my chemise reached my wrists, but the neckline of my chemise plunged and my corset accentuated all that was meant to be.
"Morai, " I said groggily not even having taken the time to pull my hair away from my face " You get me some wakey-wakey juice and I'll forget you said that. Oh and save it for the customers."
I looked pointedly at her knowing and turned to look just as pointedly at the young man. I turned back to see her up at him and give him a broad wink; she knew what she was doing. He was blushing, another trait of a newbie. You eventually learned this immunity to blushing after a while. We all loved to tease each other and our humor was always filled with innuendo.
Morai laughed and sauntered off in search of the coffee she knew I needed before I could even begin to be pleasant. A few minutes she was back coffee in hand mixed just the way I liked it, enough cream and sugar to make it into ice cream.
"So did I miss anything at the cast meeting?" I asked once my hunger had abated and my thirst for caffeine quenched.
"No the usual stupid pep talk." She sighed and I smiled at her, " Though, Anna was searching for you."
I groaned Anna was the cast director, I had hoped she would have forgotten me. She never seemed to notice my presence unless I miss a cast meeting. I had only missed one other and it was not an experience I had wanted to repeat. In short I was in for a butt chewing.
"I told her you were helping keep Beth calm until we found Jenny." Morai said giving me a mischievous grin.
"What would I do with out you?" I cried throwing my arms around her. "Wait, what do you mean after we found Jenny?"
"Oh, my beloved daughter decided to follow Daddy inside and they both forgot to tell me." An ironic voice that I knew to be Beth's say. I didn't even turn around; I knew she would sit on the bench next to me anyway. "Sorry about not waking you."
I shrugged there was nothing that could be changed about it so why let it get me all riled up? I had a full day ahead of me dealing with patrons, who asked stupid questions. Why let this bother me, I'm sure it could be much worse.
Oh, it could and it was. The rain beat down on the ground in front of me and I watched people scurry from cover to cover trying not to get wet as they ran for the front gate and their cars. I couldn't believe it, not ten minutes ago it had been clear as a bell, not a cloud in the sky now it was pouring like God had sent Noah's flood for a second time. I sat in front of the soft drink booth watching the rain dribble down the wooden awning. I looked at my hair in frustration; I had put myself through the torture of sleep on curlers the night before now it was a tangled mess. I was sure I looked like a drowned rat.
"Hey Briar." A voice called I glanced over my shoulder looking for who had called my name. A knot of people moved and I saw Beth coming toward me her mud-splattered daughter in tow. It looked like Jenny had managed to jump a few puddles before her mother had stopped her.
"Look's like your mother is going to spend the night soaking your chemise munchkin." I said to Jenny, she just giggled and stomped in the puddle directly in front of me splashing muddy water all over my skirt. I thanked God as at that moment a loud bang echoed through the faire grounds signaling the end of the day. I looked down at Jenny who gave me her signature 'I am cute' grin and just smiled. You just couldn't stay mad at the brat she was too cute.
"She's got a clean one for tomorrow." Beth breathed in relief "If this one is ruined I'll buy another Good Will dust ruffle and make her a new one."
We both looked up, just as suddenly as it had started the rain had stopped. We shrugged at each other and headed back to camp. As we neared it we saw Morai huddled in a blanket, her face almost covered by the edge of it. She looked like the Emperor in Star Wars I had to laugh. The last of our little band I had yet to see was Erik and he was hunched over making a fire. It was a good thing that the gas station down the road had dry wood because the wood around the campsite was all soaked. The cold was starting to set in and the metal stays of my corset were beginning to feel like icicles. Sighing I began unlacing it, only to have Morai stop me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Morai called, "Unless you want to put on your clean one, Anna told us we have to meet at the Rose stage for a cast shin dig. Required to be in costume of course."
I groaned, so did Beth and Jenny mimicked us not really knowing what we were talking about. We all looked at her and she gave us her signature grin, we all smiled back. I looked down at my half unlaced corset and contemplated changing into my clean costume, but quickly decided against it. I felt dirty and grimy, a fine layer of dust had settled over me earlier when I had been sticky and sweaty. Then the rain had come turning the unpaved walkways into mud, it hadn't made me feel much cleaner. I would be happier when I could take a shower and crawl into my sleeping bag.
"Who ever said that wearing a corset in the summer was unbearably hot was an idiot." I whined grabbing my cloak and trying to scoot as close to the fire as possible.
"I believe those were your words, at about two 'o clock this afternoon." Beth said dryly.
"Well it was ninety-five degrees then." I grumbled wrapping my cloak tighter and looking I was sure thoroughly disgruntled. "It feels like it's about sixty now and my stays are freezing. They don't usually freeze unless the air conditioner is on full force in the car."
"Welcome to Colorado..." Morai began.
"If you don't like the weather, wait a while and it will change." We all finished in unison. It was a phrase that we had been told for as long as any of us could remember.
" You know I always hated that phrase." I said grumpily " Almost as much as I hate the righty tighty, lefty loosy thing. It's stupid."
"Mama says if you look like that your face will freeze that way." Jenny told me her impish little face looking up at me earnestly.
"Well mine won't, I am immune." I replied grabbing her and wrapping her up in my cloak with me. She giggled and squirmed for a moment before finally settling down. Beth mouthed a thank you in my direction and I nodded knowing she had been waiting for the right moment to escape to the bathroom Jenny free.
"Did you see that weird old lady dressed as a gypsy?" Morai queried. I looked at her curiously searching my mind for someone that might have matched her description that day. There were a lot of weird people around the Renaissance Festival. They were kind of like carnies; only they spoke with bad English accents. Eventually you got past their appearances and realized that most of them had good hearts. The ones that you didn't, well those were the people you avoided. It may seem odd, but I was surprised that Morai had noticed someone in costume. When you are surrounded by hundreds of people dressed in normal clothes, you would think you would notice the handful of other's in costume. You did at first, but after a while they were like walls, they were just there. That was why I found it odd that she would specifically notice a woman in costume, well a woman in what was probably, judging by the gypsy description wearing the usual fair costuming. Now the Klingons I could understand. We still hadn't figured out why anyone would want to wear a Star Trek costume to the Renaissance Festival. I had to admit though they had a come back that fooled the every day person. However I hadn't been able to resist asking them what they were doing there. When they gave me the classic time traveling bit I told them that the every day Elizabethan citizen would have probably staked them, or at the very least attacked with a screaming mob. It had been funny watching them scramble to explain some machine they had to stop that from happening. Then there had been Xenia, come on people the Greeks lived only a few hundreds of years before the Renaissance. I know a few hundred is an understatement, but bear with me. When I saw the chest stubble from hair that "she" had forgotten to shave I steered clear. Oddly enough he had looked better than any of the other Xenia's so far. At least I hadn't seen the occasional William Wallace want to be. There was almost always a man who wondered around the grounds dressed in a tablecloth wrapped around him and his face painted blue. William Wallace never wore a kilt I found myself wanting to scream every time I saw one. He was a lowlander not a highlander, and the kilt hadn't been invented in William Wallace's time anyhow.
There had been a really good-looking guy in a kilt though. I hadn't been able to resist making him blush by placing the mirror attached to the toe of my shoe between his legs. They were too small to actually see anything, but the patrons never knew that. What could I say? I was a kilt inspector? It was in the job description, after much teasing I attached a blue ribbon to the end of his kilt. He thought it was a nice gesture. I wondered if at the end of the day if everyone had teased him. I knew he hadn't heard the 'Scotsman' otherwise he would have realized the significance of the ribbon. I was pretty sure someone had explained it though. I grinned evilly, oh what fun we had. I think I already mentioned we had a pretty bawdy sense of humor though.
"You mean the one with the scar?" Erik asked breaking me out of me reverie. I shook my head and tuned in, I didn't remember an old gypsy lady with a scar.
" She scared Jenny half to death." Beth added, I turned to find her walking up arm and arm with her husband Richard. That was odd as well, Jenny was not a shy child and she usually took it for granted that everyone loved her. For her to be frightened of an old woman made a shiver run down my spine.
"Well, let's go." Richard ordered taking Jenny from me. We all protested good-naturedly, but made our way back inside the faire grounds anyway. Morai and I walked together stopping occasionally to point out a constellation in the mass of stars that were overhead. We never noticed the old woman dressed in different shades of red and gold who stepped into our path until we almost ran her over. She looked at me queerly and then smiled a near toothless grin. I eyed her not knowing whether to put her in the avoid category or not. Seeing the scar that curled from her right eye across her cheek and to her chin I figured that this must be Morai's mysterious gypsy lady.
"You be one of them." She said cryptically, her voice soft and lilting.
"Be one of who?" I asked cautiously, definitely in the avoid category I told myself.
"Be one of those who's lost in time." She responded looking at me as if I knew what she was talking about. Her eyes had an ageless quality about them that made me answer her instead of running the other way.
"Lady I have no idea what you are talking about." I told her uneasily as Morai grabbed my arm, but before she could drag me off the old lady grabbed my hand and turned it so it was palm up.
"It be as I thought." She whispered staring intently at something I couldn't see, but I leaned forward and peered at my own hand anyway.
"Just a palm lady." I said jerking it back. "Everyone has one these days."
"You are different, have always been different, and always will be different." The lady called as Morai pulled me up the hill taking a different direction to the Rose stage. I allowed her to pull me along, trying to ignore her words.
"You feel out of place as though you were meant for another place and another time." The lady continued.
"Look around." I called back. "We all do."
"But you were truly meant to be." I heard her say as we rounded a corner and were out of sight.
"What did she mean?" Morai whispered her eyes wide.
"Do you think I have a clue?" I retorted wanting to just put it out of my mind.
"If you could live in any time what would it be?" she asked looking at me curiously.
"Not the twentith century." I replied automatically. It wasn't that unusual of a question, we had talked a little bit about it one night when we had had a little too much to drink. Everyone that worked at the Renaissance Festival wished they lived in another time. "The Renaissance maybe, Revolutionary War America, the Turn of the Century, maybe even during prohibition."
"The turn of the century?" Moria looked at me a little funny.
"Yeah, there were a lot of inventions. It was America's Industrial Revolution, it would be cool to live through America's glory days."
Morai just shrugged as if to say 'to each his own'. I let it drop, hoping she would forget about it.
The cast get-together was boring, but we suffered through it anyway. It was late in the nights before we all started to make our way to our beds, or one of the numerous parties that were going on. I had had a few beers, just enough to warm me up, but not enough to make me drunk. Morai had disappeared with one of the guys and Beth had taken Jenny to bed hours ago, so I found myself walking back to my tent alone.
As I reached my tent I saw someone in the bushes next to it. I didn't think anything of it figuring it was just another drunk that I would gently shove in the direction of their camp area. I just hoped it wasn't another drunk couple, I was sick of kicking them out of my bushes. Before I could call out the gypsy lady sprang from the bushes nearly frightening me to death.
"Lady." I told her my hand on my chest as I gasped for air." you've got to stop sneaking up on me."
"Here." She said holding out something in her hand. Slowly I took it and found it was a beautiful amulet. " I have been looking for someone to give it to. It will protect you. Forgive me for frightening you."
I looked at the amulet closer and realized it looked very old; an inscription ran between the filigree edging and the oval cut stone. The chain was delicate, made of smaller chains twisted together.
"I can't take this." I responded reluctantly handing the beautiful necklace back. She took my hand and closed it gently over the stone.
"Please, it was meant to be yours." Her voice was urgent, her eyes searching mine in a pleading way. Slowly I nodded and she gave me a quick nod before turning away.
" Be careful, my child, your path will not be easy." She called back.
"Why do the weirdoes always talk in riddles?" I muttered to myself as I unzipped the door to my tent. So I didn't loose the necklace I clasped it around my neck and ducked inside. I lay down in my chemise too tired to change into my normal sleeping clothes. As I closed my eyes my ears began to ring, I found I couldn't open my eyes, though there was a warm light that shone on my face like the sun. The ringing got louder and I felt like I had drunk too much, my was head spinning like a top. The light got brighter and I felt something falling on me, it was like grains of sand gently showering me from above. I didn't think the light could get any brighter, but it did and as it did I felt like I was on fire. I opened my mouth in a noiseless scream, the pain was intense and then just like that it was gone. I found I was too exhausted even roll over despite the fact there was something painfully poking me in the back. I let my body go limp and my consciousness go.
Voices clamored in my head each wanting an answer I hadn't heard the question to.
"Who's she?" I heard come through the fogginess of her brain.
"Don't know," another answered, "Do you think she's hurt?"
"She's laying in an alley way in her nightgown stupid, what do you think?" The first voice countered.
"I don't know she don't look hurt to me." A new voice added it's opinion.
"Alright, what's goin on here?" another voice asked I could hear people moving as if they were parting. The voice was commanding and I had no doubt it was the leader of whoever these voices were. I struggled to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. "Whatta we got here? Or who I guess"
"Don't know."
" Well who ever she is her lips is turning blue, I say we gets her inside before she dies of cold out here." The leader said, I felt strong, warm arms gently pick me up and carry me. I stopped fighting to wake and let myself slide back into oblivion.
So I woke slowly and stretched, I rolled over to find my alarm clock near my head and realized it was nearly ten 'o clock. Now there is nothing worse than waking up late, especially when you have a costume to put on. Except perhaps having fallen asleep the night before still wearing your blue jeans. I hated that, I have always said there is nothing worse than waking up in the jeans you had worn the day before, add it to the fact I was late and it the day didn't have much hope of being a good one. Not to mention when it had been my bright idea to put curlers in my hair. I ran about pulling on my stockings and bloomers, my chemise half on and trying to pull the curlers from my hair of course all at the same time. I thanked my lucky stars everyone else was at the morning cast meeting, and those that weren't were vendors trying to get their wares out before they were over run with the day's crowds.
"Damn it." I muttered to myself as I showed my pass to the guard at the gate and made my way inside, he gave me a funny look, but I was used to it. I talked to myself all the time, people usually thought upon meeting me that I was eccentric and I was.
"That is the last time I let Morai talk me into a drinking contest." I continued muttering as I stomped up the hill past him.
I knew that it was a threat I wouldn't remember later that night, when the grounds closed down and the parties were all starting. That was half of the fun of faire, lots of parting, made up for the director and the other things that made this job not as fun as it looked.
My first stop was the bakery, my stomach was protesting loudly and I had made friends with one of the girls who worked it. She usually slipped me something in the mornings. The Renaissance Festival was expensive to work at. We were paid a measly salary that worked out to practically a dollar an hour. We should have at least gotten fringe benefits, but since we didn't, the cast usually tried to make friends with the food vendors. It made things much easier on your pocketbook. You could spend nearly your whole paycheck from working at this place on food alone.
"Briar, you finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Speak of the devil I thought and turned finding Morai leaning over the railing of the ramp leading up to the bakery. I could see one of the guys from the beer stand just up the stairs looking down at her in interest. I rolled my eyes he must be a newbie. Only newbies and patrons ogled at the way her breasts were pushed practically up to her chin. Yup ladies an Elizabethan corset is the ultimate original wonderbra and not as uncomfortable as one might think. I think most men who worked around the Renaissance festival found legs and a bare stomach more interesting. It wasn't that they didn't like breasts it was just they were used to seeing them prominently displayed and everything else covered. My skirts reached my ankles, the sleeves of my chemise reached my wrists, but the neckline of my chemise plunged and my corset accentuated all that was meant to be.
"Morai, " I said groggily not even having taken the time to pull my hair away from my face " You get me some wakey-wakey juice and I'll forget you said that. Oh and save it for the customers."
I looked pointedly at her knowing and turned to look just as pointedly at the young man. I turned back to see her up at him and give him a broad wink; she knew what she was doing. He was blushing, another trait of a newbie. You eventually learned this immunity to blushing after a while. We all loved to tease each other and our humor was always filled with innuendo.
Morai laughed and sauntered off in search of the coffee she knew I needed before I could even begin to be pleasant. A few minutes she was back coffee in hand mixed just the way I liked it, enough cream and sugar to make it into ice cream.
"So did I miss anything at the cast meeting?" I asked once my hunger had abated and my thirst for caffeine quenched.
"No the usual stupid pep talk." She sighed and I smiled at her, " Though, Anna was searching for you."
I groaned Anna was the cast director, I had hoped she would have forgotten me. She never seemed to notice my presence unless I miss a cast meeting. I had only missed one other and it was not an experience I had wanted to repeat. In short I was in for a butt chewing.
"I told her you were helping keep Beth calm until we found Jenny." Morai said giving me a mischievous grin.
"What would I do with out you?" I cried throwing my arms around her. "Wait, what do you mean after we found Jenny?"
"Oh, my beloved daughter decided to follow Daddy inside and they both forgot to tell me." An ironic voice that I knew to be Beth's say. I didn't even turn around; I knew she would sit on the bench next to me anyway. "Sorry about not waking you."
I shrugged there was nothing that could be changed about it so why let it get me all riled up? I had a full day ahead of me dealing with patrons, who asked stupid questions. Why let this bother me, I'm sure it could be much worse.
Oh, it could and it was. The rain beat down on the ground in front of me and I watched people scurry from cover to cover trying not to get wet as they ran for the front gate and their cars. I couldn't believe it, not ten minutes ago it had been clear as a bell, not a cloud in the sky now it was pouring like God had sent Noah's flood for a second time. I sat in front of the soft drink booth watching the rain dribble down the wooden awning. I looked at my hair in frustration; I had put myself through the torture of sleep on curlers the night before now it was a tangled mess. I was sure I looked like a drowned rat.
"Hey Briar." A voice called I glanced over my shoulder looking for who had called my name. A knot of people moved and I saw Beth coming toward me her mud-splattered daughter in tow. It looked like Jenny had managed to jump a few puddles before her mother had stopped her.
"Look's like your mother is going to spend the night soaking your chemise munchkin." I said to Jenny, she just giggled and stomped in the puddle directly in front of me splashing muddy water all over my skirt. I thanked God as at that moment a loud bang echoed through the faire grounds signaling the end of the day. I looked down at Jenny who gave me her signature 'I am cute' grin and just smiled. You just couldn't stay mad at the brat she was too cute.
"She's got a clean one for tomorrow." Beth breathed in relief "If this one is ruined I'll buy another Good Will dust ruffle and make her a new one."
We both looked up, just as suddenly as it had started the rain had stopped. We shrugged at each other and headed back to camp. As we neared it we saw Morai huddled in a blanket, her face almost covered by the edge of it. She looked like the Emperor in Star Wars I had to laugh. The last of our little band I had yet to see was Erik and he was hunched over making a fire. It was a good thing that the gas station down the road had dry wood because the wood around the campsite was all soaked. The cold was starting to set in and the metal stays of my corset were beginning to feel like icicles. Sighing I began unlacing it, only to have Morai stop me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Morai called, "Unless you want to put on your clean one, Anna told us we have to meet at the Rose stage for a cast shin dig. Required to be in costume of course."
I groaned, so did Beth and Jenny mimicked us not really knowing what we were talking about. We all looked at her and she gave us her signature grin, we all smiled back. I looked down at my half unlaced corset and contemplated changing into my clean costume, but quickly decided against it. I felt dirty and grimy, a fine layer of dust had settled over me earlier when I had been sticky and sweaty. Then the rain had come turning the unpaved walkways into mud, it hadn't made me feel much cleaner. I would be happier when I could take a shower and crawl into my sleeping bag.
"Who ever said that wearing a corset in the summer was unbearably hot was an idiot." I whined grabbing my cloak and trying to scoot as close to the fire as possible.
"I believe those were your words, at about two 'o clock this afternoon." Beth said dryly.
"Well it was ninety-five degrees then." I grumbled wrapping my cloak tighter and looking I was sure thoroughly disgruntled. "It feels like it's about sixty now and my stays are freezing. They don't usually freeze unless the air conditioner is on full force in the car."
"Welcome to Colorado..." Morai began.
"If you don't like the weather, wait a while and it will change." We all finished in unison. It was a phrase that we had been told for as long as any of us could remember.
" You know I always hated that phrase." I said grumpily " Almost as much as I hate the righty tighty, lefty loosy thing. It's stupid."
"Mama says if you look like that your face will freeze that way." Jenny told me her impish little face looking up at me earnestly.
"Well mine won't, I am immune." I replied grabbing her and wrapping her up in my cloak with me. She giggled and squirmed for a moment before finally settling down. Beth mouthed a thank you in my direction and I nodded knowing she had been waiting for the right moment to escape to the bathroom Jenny free.
"Did you see that weird old lady dressed as a gypsy?" Morai queried. I looked at her curiously searching my mind for someone that might have matched her description that day. There were a lot of weird people around the Renaissance Festival. They were kind of like carnies; only they spoke with bad English accents. Eventually you got past their appearances and realized that most of them had good hearts. The ones that you didn't, well those were the people you avoided. It may seem odd, but I was surprised that Morai had noticed someone in costume. When you are surrounded by hundreds of people dressed in normal clothes, you would think you would notice the handful of other's in costume. You did at first, but after a while they were like walls, they were just there. That was why I found it odd that she would specifically notice a woman in costume, well a woman in what was probably, judging by the gypsy description wearing the usual fair costuming. Now the Klingons I could understand. We still hadn't figured out why anyone would want to wear a Star Trek costume to the Renaissance Festival. I had to admit though they had a come back that fooled the every day person. However I hadn't been able to resist asking them what they were doing there. When they gave me the classic time traveling bit I told them that the every day Elizabethan citizen would have probably staked them, or at the very least attacked with a screaming mob. It had been funny watching them scramble to explain some machine they had to stop that from happening. Then there had been Xenia, come on people the Greeks lived only a few hundreds of years before the Renaissance. I know a few hundred is an understatement, but bear with me. When I saw the chest stubble from hair that "she" had forgotten to shave I steered clear. Oddly enough he had looked better than any of the other Xenia's so far. At least I hadn't seen the occasional William Wallace want to be. There was almost always a man who wondered around the grounds dressed in a tablecloth wrapped around him and his face painted blue. William Wallace never wore a kilt I found myself wanting to scream every time I saw one. He was a lowlander not a highlander, and the kilt hadn't been invented in William Wallace's time anyhow.
There had been a really good-looking guy in a kilt though. I hadn't been able to resist making him blush by placing the mirror attached to the toe of my shoe between his legs. They were too small to actually see anything, but the patrons never knew that. What could I say? I was a kilt inspector? It was in the job description, after much teasing I attached a blue ribbon to the end of his kilt. He thought it was a nice gesture. I wondered if at the end of the day if everyone had teased him. I knew he hadn't heard the 'Scotsman' otherwise he would have realized the significance of the ribbon. I was pretty sure someone had explained it though. I grinned evilly, oh what fun we had. I think I already mentioned we had a pretty bawdy sense of humor though.
"You mean the one with the scar?" Erik asked breaking me out of me reverie. I shook my head and tuned in, I didn't remember an old gypsy lady with a scar.
" She scared Jenny half to death." Beth added, I turned to find her walking up arm and arm with her husband Richard. That was odd as well, Jenny was not a shy child and she usually took it for granted that everyone loved her. For her to be frightened of an old woman made a shiver run down my spine.
"Well, let's go." Richard ordered taking Jenny from me. We all protested good-naturedly, but made our way back inside the faire grounds anyway. Morai and I walked together stopping occasionally to point out a constellation in the mass of stars that were overhead. We never noticed the old woman dressed in different shades of red and gold who stepped into our path until we almost ran her over. She looked at me queerly and then smiled a near toothless grin. I eyed her not knowing whether to put her in the avoid category or not. Seeing the scar that curled from her right eye across her cheek and to her chin I figured that this must be Morai's mysterious gypsy lady.
"You be one of them." She said cryptically, her voice soft and lilting.
"Be one of who?" I asked cautiously, definitely in the avoid category I told myself.
"Be one of those who's lost in time." She responded looking at me as if I knew what she was talking about. Her eyes had an ageless quality about them that made me answer her instead of running the other way.
"Lady I have no idea what you are talking about." I told her uneasily as Morai grabbed my arm, but before she could drag me off the old lady grabbed my hand and turned it so it was palm up.
"It be as I thought." She whispered staring intently at something I couldn't see, but I leaned forward and peered at my own hand anyway.
"Just a palm lady." I said jerking it back. "Everyone has one these days."
"You are different, have always been different, and always will be different." The lady called as Morai pulled me up the hill taking a different direction to the Rose stage. I allowed her to pull me along, trying to ignore her words.
"You feel out of place as though you were meant for another place and another time." The lady continued.
"Look around." I called back. "We all do."
"But you were truly meant to be." I heard her say as we rounded a corner and were out of sight.
"What did she mean?" Morai whispered her eyes wide.
"Do you think I have a clue?" I retorted wanting to just put it out of my mind.
"If you could live in any time what would it be?" she asked looking at me curiously.
"Not the twentith century." I replied automatically. It wasn't that unusual of a question, we had talked a little bit about it one night when we had had a little too much to drink. Everyone that worked at the Renaissance Festival wished they lived in another time. "The Renaissance maybe, Revolutionary War America, the Turn of the Century, maybe even during prohibition."
"The turn of the century?" Moria looked at me a little funny.
"Yeah, there were a lot of inventions. It was America's Industrial Revolution, it would be cool to live through America's glory days."
Morai just shrugged as if to say 'to each his own'. I let it drop, hoping she would forget about it.
The cast get-together was boring, but we suffered through it anyway. It was late in the nights before we all started to make our way to our beds, or one of the numerous parties that were going on. I had had a few beers, just enough to warm me up, but not enough to make me drunk. Morai had disappeared with one of the guys and Beth had taken Jenny to bed hours ago, so I found myself walking back to my tent alone.
As I reached my tent I saw someone in the bushes next to it. I didn't think anything of it figuring it was just another drunk that I would gently shove in the direction of their camp area. I just hoped it wasn't another drunk couple, I was sick of kicking them out of my bushes. Before I could call out the gypsy lady sprang from the bushes nearly frightening me to death.
"Lady." I told her my hand on my chest as I gasped for air." you've got to stop sneaking up on me."
"Here." She said holding out something in her hand. Slowly I took it and found it was a beautiful amulet. " I have been looking for someone to give it to. It will protect you. Forgive me for frightening you."
I looked at the amulet closer and realized it looked very old; an inscription ran between the filigree edging and the oval cut stone. The chain was delicate, made of smaller chains twisted together.
"I can't take this." I responded reluctantly handing the beautiful necklace back. She took my hand and closed it gently over the stone.
"Please, it was meant to be yours." Her voice was urgent, her eyes searching mine in a pleading way. Slowly I nodded and she gave me a quick nod before turning away.
" Be careful, my child, your path will not be easy." She called back.
"Why do the weirdoes always talk in riddles?" I muttered to myself as I unzipped the door to my tent. So I didn't loose the necklace I clasped it around my neck and ducked inside. I lay down in my chemise too tired to change into my normal sleeping clothes. As I closed my eyes my ears began to ring, I found I couldn't open my eyes, though there was a warm light that shone on my face like the sun. The ringing got louder and I felt like I had drunk too much, my was head spinning like a top. The light got brighter and I felt something falling on me, it was like grains of sand gently showering me from above. I didn't think the light could get any brighter, but it did and as it did I felt like I was on fire. I opened my mouth in a noiseless scream, the pain was intense and then just like that it was gone. I found I was too exhausted even roll over despite the fact there was something painfully poking me in the back. I let my body go limp and my consciousness go.
Voices clamored in my head each wanting an answer I hadn't heard the question to.
"Who's she?" I heard come through the fogginess of her brain.
"Don't know," another answered, "Do you think she's hurt?"
"She's laying in an alley way in her nightgown stupid, what do you think?" The first voice countered.
"I don't know she don't look hurt to me." A new voice added it's opinion.
"Alright, what's goin on here?" another voice asked I could hear people moving as if they were parting. The voice was commanding and I had no doubt it was the leader of whoever these voices were. I struggled to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. "Whatta we got here? Or who I guess"
"Don't know."
" Well who ever she is her lips is turning blue, I say we gets her inside before she dies of cold out here." The leader said, I felt strong, warm arms gently pick me up and carry me. I stopped fighting to wake and let myself slide back into oblivion.