Scotland - 1700s

When I wake up, I realize that I am no longer in Scotland. The landscape is in a way similar to Scotland but the atmosphere seemed completely different.

What's odd, It's that I'm changed to a beautiful red corset gown with a scarf around my neck. Weird.

This place had the most beautiful landscape that I have ever seen. The land filled with red cardinal flowers on the surface of blooming, beautiful and lively maple trees, and flowers that make a girl blush with the imagery with colorful plants. As walking around this lively forest, I spot Craigh da dun but my surroundings seem different from before.

" Where are we Moose? How in the world end up in here?" I say to myself

"Moose, it looks like we are not in Scotland, at least the Scotland we think boy, anymore." I say to him. Moose barks in agreement.

I become weary of the position that I'm in. I'm not only far away from home and I'm in a place where I'm not familiar and maybe in time that isn't my own. Judging from the scenery and landscape, I'll guess that I am no longer in 2019. Near me, I seek roads compounded with dirt but there are no signs, roads, or even automobiles near this area.

"Come on moose" I say. Moose follows me. Good thing, I brought my backpack with snacks, dog food, and other essential items. I hand Moose a dog treat and gobbles it down.

As I walk in the forest, I see a woman with a pale complexion and with fiery red auburn hair dressed in a traditional 1700s dress with a corset and wired headdress known as a fontange. Her face seems to be hopeful and determined but her eyes look tired and anxious. I hide behind the tree watching her walk through the forest.

She finally stops and sets up camp in the forest. She grabs some wood and makes a fire. And sits down and brings her hands to the fire. I accidentally step on a twig but brings a reply from the young lady.

She abruptly gets up and stands holding what seems to be a pocketknife.

"Hello, Whose there?" She shouts.

Shit. I don't want to come out because I don't know who to trust. Given the era I'm in, I know that color of skin will come in question and I'll be snatched up to be sold into slavery.

She looks scared but on guard but I notice one thing about her: she must not be from here. She's traveling by herself which means it's either running away from something or running to somebody.

Moose whimpers and this causes her to say, "Look, come out I won't hurt you."

Against my better judgment, I come out of my hiding spot with Moose trailing behind me. He has happy expression on his face and barks at her.

"Hi" I say with unease.

She looks at me confused.

"Who are you?"

"Evangeline, I go by Evie. Look we don't want no trouble, we clearly are lost and if we can make our way back..."

"Wait, you passed through the stones?" She asked hopefully.

"Wait, how is you know about that?"

"It's a long story. My name is Brianna Randall. You can call me Bri. Sit down, it looks like you have had a longer journey than me. I'll tell you my story and you can tell me yours. By the way, your dog is cute." Bri says with a smile.

Moose and I sit down. And we listen to her tell her story.

She goes to tell that she is passed through the stones like me. She tells me that she was college student at Stanford and that her mother is a doctor and they are from the 1960s. She then goes to tell that her father just recently passed away and that she's still grieving his death. She also tells that she discovered some secrets that her mother hid from her.

"So your father is not biological father? It's a Scottish man named Jamie that your mother met when she passed through stones and married him in Scotland." I asked in shock.

"Correct. My Ma was pregnant with me when she passed through the stones. For the sake of their marriage, my dad Frank and Ma had a open relationship because my mother was in love with Jamie.

"So your mother went to Scotland to find your biological father and now your on your way to find them? I ask.

"Yes. Crazy story, I know? What's your story? She asked curiously.

"Well, I'm from 2019. In my year, I was a pediatrician and just moved to Scotland because I got a new job promotion. I was walking my dog and decided to go to Scotland's infamous tourist spots Craigh Na Dun and I heard buzzing. If I knew this would happen, I would have stayed home."

"Wait, you're from 2019? You're like 50 years ahead of my time? Has anything changed since my time?"

"Yes to some extent. Infrastructure and technology have become more advanced. We have more luxury cars, mansions, Fortune 500 companies, and exceedingly more. There is also some positive change for people of color"

"Is there any social and racial change made since my time?" Brianna asked eagerly.

She remembers having a friend at the university named Rahim. He is shy, nerdy Indian guy with wore big glasses and had a accent. Her classmates would make fun of his appearance, accent, and make racist remarks about him to his face. She hoped that this country would become different and become more open to cultures different from them.

"Yes and no. There has been some laws in place to protect people of color and people who are disabled but there is always some changes that need to be made. I get into later."

"Hmm. Such as shame. I wish things were different."

As they were talking, both girls realized that they were hungry. Evie realized she had snacks in her backpack and they shared what she had. She gave Moose his dog food and munch on his food happily.

"What about your family? Where do they think you are?"

"Unfortunately my parents died in car accident when I was 8. My father's best friend Cree has raised me since then." I said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—

"It's okay, you didn't know."

"It's okay. Cree became my father and mother. What he struggled with most is when I became a "woman".

"What do you mean?"

" My period. I still remember it till this day he was confused when I started my period. He had his great aunties help me with it. He kept saying 'it's too early, it's too early, I'm not ready'. He looked like a lost puppy who didn't know what to do."

Brianna and I laugh loudly. Ah, I still remember that like it was yesterday.

"I'm going into town tomorrow morning. We have to give you a cover story." Brianna said.

"Cover story?"

"Yes, given the climate of things around here. Your cover story should be something simple nothing to draw any attention on you."

I laugh. " Like my skin color, isn't enough. Well, since this is the 1700s. I think should be a servant of yours who was orphaned at a young age. Since the death of parents, my aunt gave me to you and I worked as servant.

"Wow, you are really good at this. I wish things were different and you could just come with me as a friend"

"You ain't lying". I say with a nervous laugh.

We finally got some rest. Anxiously waiting for what the next day holds.