CHAPTER 2
The first thing Alyse Fletcher noticed when she rose from her slumber was the sound of hooves.
Having grown up on a farm in the Yorkshire Dales, she was no stranger to the sound of horses galloping in the wind. She pretty much grew up on a horse, and was sure she was on a horse with her parents before she could walk. She could recognise the sound from a mile away and in the countryside where horses were, people usually followed. After grabbing her book and phone (which was still saying 8:26pm), she stood and wrapped her blanket tighter across her shoulders as while the sun was shining overhead, the temperature was still dropping.
She ran towards where she remembered the road lay that her, Jess and Ethan had seen the previous evening and looked around to try and spot a car or bus or anyone able to help her get back home. What she didn't expect to find was a carriage being pulled by a set of two horses with a man sitting behind them with the reins in his hand. Despite the oddity that was a horse and carriage in the 21st century, any help was still help and she began screaming and waving her arms to try and get the carriage's attention.
As the carriage pulled to a stop beside her, she got a closer look and noticed it was made to look like a replica of those used in the 17th and 18th centuries. She figured the carriage was made for a tourist attraction or event for reenactments for something but for what she didn't know. Maybe the Jacobite uprising that took place in the highlands or the Seven Years War that took place throughout Europe? Her suspicions were further confirmed, when the carriage door opened and a man and woman stepped out dressed almost exactly like those appearing in her History textbooks.
The woman stepped out first, wearing a large dress with more fabric than Alyse had ever seen. She had blonde hair, dressed up in an intricate updo, with diamante pins scattered throughout the design. The man had salt and pepper hair tied in a ponytail, with a polished and trimmed beard, and was dressed in clothes she saw more recently on stage in Hamilton than on the streets of Clapham. The strange dress paired with the carriage and horses further added to Alyse's conclusion that she was witnessing two cosplayers, part of a reenactment of the 17th or 18th century.
"Help. Please can you help me. I'm lost and confused and I don't know what to do," Alyse said to them both, the panic obvious as her voice wobbled through her speech.
"I'm very sorry. We don't have much English," the woman replied, with a distinct accent that made Alyse almost weep with happiness.
"Français?" Alyse cried. "Je reconnais ton accent." French? I recognise your accent.
The gentlemen looked at her in surprise, and replied in perfect French, "Oui. Cela vous dérangerait-il si nous parlions ainsi ? Êtes-vous capable de comprendre?" Yes. Would you mind if we talked like this? Are you able to understand?
"Oui c'est bon. Pouvez-vous m'aider? Je suis perdu et je ne sais pas où aller," Alyse replied as she clutched her rosary necklace and thanked the heavens her mother had taught her the language like her grandmother had taught her. It would be her luck that her rescuers didn't speak much English, and hailed from the same country her mother was from. Yes that's fine. Can you help me? I'm lost and I don't know where to go.
It was at this, the woman spoke once again, with a distraught look on her face Alyse could only assume was concern. "Bien sûr, mais où sont tes parents? Pourquoi es-tu seul? Pourquoi es-tu seulement dans ton slip, vous n'avez pas de vêtements?" Of course, but where are your parents? Why are you alone? Why are you only in your slip, do you not have any clothes?
"Mon bordereau? C'est ma robe! Qu'entendez-vous par glissement?" questioned Alyse, confused as to why the woman seemed concerned at her apparent lack of clothes. My slip? This is my dress! What do you mean by slip?
Alyse had never seen anyone look so shocked. The woman went pale and the man looked affronted yet Alyse had no idea what she had said to gain such a reaction. Surely these two understood 21st century fashion? Or were they so completely engrossed in living like the 18th century? Either way, Alyse didn't have time to dwell on such questions as the woman gathered her blanket, and further wrapped it around her to ensure her dress was covered.
"Ta robe? Quel genre de jeune femme qui se respecte se promène en slip et appelle ça une robe? Ta mère devrait avoir honte! Franchement! Les Écossais sont devenus des Anglais et du coup le décorum a complètement disparu!" cried the woman leaving Alyse even more confused which she did not think was possible. Your dress? What kind of self-respecting young lady goes around in a slip and calls it a dress? Your mother should be ashamed! Honestly! The Scottish become the English and suddenly decorum has gone completely!
At this, the man jumped and dragged the lady over towards the carriage where they began talking in hushed whispers. Alyse couldn't hear much, however she wasn't too interested in what they had to say. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. What had she said? 'The Scottish became English?' But that made no sense. How could someone Scottish become English if they were all part of Britain? It's not like there were borders preventing people from going from one country to another and Scotland had been part of Britain for over 200 years. Nothing made sense, nothing seemed right. This woman was talking as if Scotland had only recently been made part of the UK which didn't make sense at all.
Alyse started getting an extremely uncomfortable feeling in her stomach as she began to process everything and noticing things she hadn't previously due to her panicked state. The carriage. The horses. The lack of a road like there was before. The lack of a city as she looked out to Inverness. The strange clothes her rescuers were wearing and the confusion and horror to the clothes she wore. She began to get a funny feeling she wasn't just in the presence of cosplayers of the 18th century, but actual historical people somehow.
She needed answers and she needed them now. The only way to gain them would be to fake confusion so as to not rouse suspicion and make up her history as she went along. She had no idea how to get back home nor did she know how to survive in the 18th century. She knew she needed these people to believe what she was saying and believe she belonged in the 18th century - her safety depended on it. The only way she could think to look at her problem was to act as a character in a movie. She had read A Tale of Two Cities, had practically grown up reading Treasure Island and had gone through a very embarrassing Les Misérables phase two years ago. Her grandfather had practically raised her knowing Scotland's history and she was due to pick the subject for her GCSE's at the end of this year. Her 'characters' background was beginning to flood her head, each detail as ridiculous as the last. She knew she was missing one key detail however and waited for the two by the carriage to finish their conversation.
"Excusez-moi, je crois que je me suis cogné la tête. En quelle année sommes-nous?" Alyse called, hoping her question wouldn't rouse suspicion as she summoned all her Year 8 drama class training and placed her hand on her head and groaned. Pardon me, I think I hit my head. What year is it?
The man and the woman looked briefly at each other before the man cried out worriedly, "Oh mon cher. Nous sommes en 1763." Oh my dear. It's 1763.
Super cheeky bonus update! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 of Alyse's story. Things are getting more and more serious as Alyse begins to put the pieces together of where she is and what's happened to her.
Question - for the French, would you prefer the translation in the actual writing (like it is now) or at the end of the chapter? Let me know and I'll be happy to change it! (Also, I know very little French other than what I learnt at GCSE, which really wasn't that much, so Google Translate is currently my co-author - apologies if any French is wrong!)
Please rate and review to let me know what you thought of the chapter! Thank you!
published: 4/5/22
updated: n/a
