A Circle of Time (7 page)

Allison thought of Magda's severe limp. It was obviously hard on her, but because Magda didn't let it interfere with the day-to-day things she wanted to accomplish, it was not completely disabling. Allison wondered if that was one of the bad things Magda was referring to. Magda's beauty surely must be one of the good things.

“Do you live here alone?” Allison asked Magda.

Joshua laughed. “Why, Magda's never alone. She has dozens of friends in the forest. ”

As if on cue, Bubba awoke from his nap in the corner and scurried to Magda's side. He sat up in begging position, then scampered to the door to be let out.

They laughed as they watched the little raccoon stand on his hind legs and scratch at the door.

“I'll open it,” Joshua offered. When he returned to his chair, Joshua continued. “In winter, Magda lets me sleep in front of the fireplace.”

Allison's brow furrowed. “Where do you live the rest of the time?”

“In the waterfall cave,” he said. Noticing the puzzled look on Allison's face, he added, “Magda took me in when my parents were killed. I was just a little tyke. Right, Magda?”

She smiled and nodded.

“Miz Teresa brought me to her. But a couple of years ago, I decided to be on my own, so I moved into the cave. I'm almost a full-grown man, you know. I got a job at the Cardona Pomales estate, helping with the vineyards and doing odd jobs. And I look in on Magda a couple of times a week, when I'm not staying here.”

“But what about school?”

“Miz Teresa teaches school on the estate. I read and write pretty good.”

“Joshua is very bright,” Magda said in an affectionate tone. “He picked up Spanish very quickly. And he helped me with my English.”

“Are you from Mexico, Magda?” Living in the Napa Valley, Allison was used to Mexican immigrants.

“No, my brother and I were born in Spain, as were the Cardona Pomaleses. Don Carlos sent for my father because of his expertise with the grapes. Don Carlos surrounds himself with experts.”

Allison noticed an edge to Magda's voice. “Don Carlos?”

“Don Carlos Cardona Pomales, the owner of the biggest vineyard in the Napa Valley.” Magda paused and a shadow seemed to cross her face. “A very formidable man, Don Carlos.”

“Yes, I remember,” said Allison, thinking of Teresa's wild-haired father.

Now it was Joshua's turn to look puzzled. “You've met him—I mean, Becky has, but you?...”

“Allison. The name is Allison. Yes, I met him and Teresa this morning. That's where Becky was when I ... appeared.” Allison purposely avoided saying, “When I took over her body.” The thought still gave her the creeps, so she could imagine how Joshua felt.

“It was very strange, too,” she continued. “I got the feeling Don Carlos doesn't like me—I mean Becky. In fact, it was as though he felt contempt for her.”

Joshua snorted. “Don't take it personal. He acts as if anyone who isn't Spanish and from a ‘good' family is beneath him.”

“He's a bigot?”

Joshua smirked. “I wouldn't say it to his face, but that's about the size of it.”

“Where is your family now, Magda?” Allison asked. “Did they go back to Spain?”

Magda stared into the fire of the kerosene lamp. Finally, she spoke.

“My father was killed in a fire on the estate. Mamá died soon after from a broken heart. They were childhood sweethearts, and she couldn't go on without him. ”

“I'm sorry,” said Allison. “I shouldn't have intruded.”

“You did not know.” Magda gazed around her, taking in the cottage walls, almost as if she were in another trance. “Joselito, my brother, built this cottage, and we moved here—to be away from the estate. Don Carlos did not want us around. He did not want José near his older daughter, Isabel. José and Isa were in love, and Isa was my best friend. But a Velasquez was not good enough for his daughter. Don Carlos had plans for Isa to marry a wealthy landowner.

“Isa and José planned to elope. They were going to send for me, and we were to return to Spain. We wanted to get as far away from her father and the estate as possible.

“They did elope and hid out for a few days, but Don Carlos found them and had them brought back. When it became apparent that Isa was with child, Don Carlos sent her to the Carmelitas—”

“The Carmelite nuns,” Joshua explained to Allison. “At the convent south of Monterey, right?” he asked Magda.

Magda nodded.
“Sí,
to the convent, to have her baby. He threatened José and forbade him to ever speak to her again. But José adored Isa and would not be parted from her. He always called her La Rubia because of her goldenred hair.” Magda paused and smiled sadly, remembering. “A week later, José made plans to break into the convent and take her away. But he disappeared before he reached there. I've never seen or heard from him since.”

Magda fingered the tiny gold crucifix that hung around her neck. “Isa's baby was stillborn. The strain of losing her beloved and his baby was too much.
Se volvió loca
—she went ... insane. Don Carlos brought her home and keeps her locked in the west wing. But sometimes she escapes. People say they have seen her wandering in the woods at night and, echoing from the west wing, they hear her wailing cries.”

Becky...” Joshua winced. “I mean, Allison, it's getting late. You'll have to be getting back to Becky's—”

“I told you, Joshua, I'm not going back there, and I mean it. I don't ever want to see that woman again.”

“I never wanted Becky to go back, either. But she kept insisting Sadie would go looking for her, and when she found her she would...”

Allison shuddered at the thought. “So what should I do, go back there and have her knock me senseless again? That's what she did the last time I saw her.”

“When was this?”

“I don't really know. For a while, Becky had me bouncing back and forth from her life to mine. One minute I'd be lying in the hospital room, Mom holding my hand, and the next, I'd be in the cabin, or in the woods running for my life, or in the meadow near the cabin.” Allison felt the color rise in her face at the memory. “That's when I first met you.”

“We met before today?”

Allison gave Joshua a shy smile. “Once, in the meadow. You ran after me saying I was late and dragged me into the woods after you. Then Becky's mom...”

“That was you? You didn't seem any different. Distracted maybe, but Becky's always distracted.”

“Anyway, the last time I was in the cabin, I woke up sitting at an old sewing machine. When I realized where I was, I tried to escape, but that woman caught me. She got pissed off—” At the look of shock on Joshua's face, Allison rephrased. “She got upset because Becky hadn't finished a dress she was working on. Poor Becky had probably been out for a while—one of her spells, maybe—when I dropped in. So she hadn't gotten much work done. Old Sadie hauled back her fist and let me have it. I blacked out, and the next thing I remember was being back in the hospital.”

Joshua clenched his fists. “I bet I know when that happened. I saw Becky a couple of weeks ago, and her face was black and blue. She told me she'd tripped and hit her face on a rock. I'll kill that woman, I swear—”

Magda gasped and made the sign of the cross. “
Cáll
-
ate,
Joshua, don't say such things.”

Allison frowned at Joshua. “I already warned him not to carry on about that woman. She's not worth it.”

Magda sat next to Allison and took her hands in hers. “Allison, if you do not wish to go back to Sadie, you may stay with me as long as you like. But there are several problems with that plan. First, as Becky feared, Sadie will not rest until she finds you. Second, Becky sent you here for a purpose. We do not know that purpose, and if you stay here, we may not find out until it is too late.”

A finger of ice traced its way up Allison's spine. “What do you mean, Magda?”

“I told you I saw danger in Becky's future. I do not know when that danger will strike or where. But Becky must have known when she met you. It must be that danger she wants you to prevent. To do this, I think you must not only live in her body, you must walk in her footsteps. Becky would not have had the courage to run away from her mother.”

Allison let out a slow breath. Magda was right. It was what she herself had suspected. If she didn't help Becky by doing what Becky would do, she might never return home.

“I have to go, then.” Allison rose from her chair.

“No, wait,” said Joshua, grabbing her arm. Allison sat back down. “I don't understand. How could Becky know about some danger that hasn't happened yet? Does she have powers like yours, Magda?”

“I do not think so.”

“And another thing I don't understand. How could Becky travel ninety years into the future and leave her body here? And why did she choose you, Allison?”

Allison shrugged. “As far as I know, this could all be a dream—some parts horrible, some parts nice.” Allison felt her color rising again. “But if this isn't a dream, the only thing I can think of is that Becky chose me because my spirit is somehow accessible to her while I'm in the coma. But how she can make her spirit or soul or whatever travel to the future, I haven't a clue.

“We have some incredible inventions in the future. You wouldn't believe half of them, Joshua. But time travel is still science fiction—like Jules Verne's novels. And this isn't even science fiction. It's some kind of supernatural, mind-over-matter, hocus-pocus type of thing.”

Joshua shook his head. “It just don't make sense. Except for her spells, Becky's always seemed so normal. Sure she's quiet and shy, but considering what she goes through every day, it don't seem unusual.”

“I don't know, maybe the spells hold a clue,” said Allison. “If she'd only told me what she wanted. All she said was something like ‘I helped you, now you help me.' I wish I could communicate with her somehow. But I can't seem to go back on my own.”

“How did you go back before?” Magda said.

“I was drawn back. I'm not sure how.” Allison thought about this for a moment. “My mom—I'd hear Mom's voice calling me. But the last few times, it was getting harder to hear her. It was as though I was slipping further from her, maybe falling deeper into the coma—I don't know. This last time, I fought to stay, but Becky was stronger. She forced me from my body and sent me through this wind tunnel...”

When Allison looked up, Joshua was staring at her as if she had just told him she swallowed live snakes—whole—for breakfast. She sighed, frustrated.

“I'm not making it up, if that's what you're thinking. I know it sounds bizarre, but I can't help it. That's what happened. The last thing I remember before the wind tunnel is Becky saying, ‘Don't worry, Allison. I'll stay here and keep your ticker tickin'. I'll help you, and you'll help me.

Joshua nibbled thoughtfully on a fingernail. “So as long as you're here, Becky has to stay in the future.”

“Well, I'm sorry you don't have your precious Becky, Joshua,” Allison snapped, annoyed that Joshua appeared to be more concerned with Becky's welfare than hers. “I don't like this any more than you do!”

For the first time since they'd arrived at the cottage, Joshua took Allison's hand. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to make sense of things, is all. I don't mean to make it harder on you.”

“Oh,” was all Allison could think to say. She suddenly felt stupid for losing her temper. She had no right to feel jealous of Becky. Becky had been Joshua's girlfriend long before Allison arrived on the scene. But how do you compete with a girl whose body you're wearing, for Pete's sake?

Joshua squeezed Allison's hand and gave her one of his knee-buckling smiles. “I promised I would help you, Allison, and I never break a promise. If you like, I'll take you to Becky's cabin.”

 

When they arrived at the edge of the forest, Joshua stopped. Ahead of them, the poppy-filled meadow stretched for several hundred yards, at the end of which sat the Thompson cabin. In front of the cabin stood a white stallion, saddled and grazing on nearby grass.

“Wait, Bee—Allison.” Joshua pulled her back into the shadow of the trees. “Someone's there.”

“So what?”

“The Thompsons aren't what you'd call neighborly. People don't just drop by to pass an afternoon. 'Specially people like this.”

“What do you mean?”

Before Joshua could answer, the door opened and a tall figure strode out, slamming the door behind him. The wild white hair and arrogant tilt of the head answered Allison's question. The visitor was Don Carlos Cardona Pomales. He grabbed the horse's reins, leaped into the saddle, and galloped off.

“What do you suppose Don Carlos was doing there?” she asked.

Joshua shrugged and led her farther into the trees. “Your guess is as good as mine. But he didn't seem happy with his meeting. Let's wait a bit longer. See if anything else happens.”

A few minutes later, the cabin door banged open and a shrill voice pierced the air. “Rebecca Lee! Rebecca Lee, where are you, girl?”

Sadie Thompson marched down the front steps, heading their way. From her voice and the way she was stomping toward them, Allison could tell she was angry.

Very angry.

“Rebecca Lee! Are you out there?”

Allison took a step backward and bumped into Joshua. He put his hands on her shoulders. “You can't go there now,” he whispered. “It would be like walking into a stirred-up hornet's nest.”

“But ... I have to walk in Becky's footsteps, and she would have returned to the cabin.”

“No, wait!” Joshua eased Allison farther into the shadows.