8.
The last few months had been a horrible nightmare for Alex and one that he could not awaken from. He had changed from a happy go lucky and outgoing young guy to a resentful and solemn shadow of his former self.
Never quite accepting that he was living in the 17th century, he had isolated himself from the rest of his family and the people around him. He even looked different, older, the face of a man haunted by life. The face he saw in the distorted mirror looked like his but he knew that it wasn't. It was like looking at a non-identical twin, the same but not the same. Alex couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The only good thing to salvage from all of this was that his body was extremely fit and toned. His old routine of three runs a week had kept him lean but not particularly muscular. He now found he had a six pack and biceps, and that he had several scars on his normally smooth skin. The wound in his side had been deep, and at night he woke from nightmares where he fought in bloody and physical battles. Strange memories kept filtering through his mind, but he tried not to think about them, pushed them back, fought against anything he could to keep a hold of his own true identity.
Alex had been walking near to the Abbey when a shrouded figure had caught his eye. He had got to know everybody and everything on the tiny Island, the movements and natural rhythms of daily life. Anyone new was generally regarded with mistrust, and in the case of Alex that mistrust was doubled. Stepping out into the night air he had walked carefully across the track and was soon in the Abbey grounds. No one was there. Perhaps whoever it was had gone inside, and he stepped cautiously through the Abbey doorway.
He had never been a believer or a regular church goer, the occasional weddings and funerals but then only when really necessary. Back home the Abbey was merely his place of work, a tourist attraction, but even he couldn't deny the spirituality of the place. One thing that he had quickly realized was that he would need to revisit all of his former cynicism about the supernatural. As a student he had been a staunch atheist and laughed at anyone with differing views, now he could see just what an arrogant fool he must have sounded.
Walking across the stone floor his footsteps echoed in the hallowed air. Of course it wasn't his Abbey, the one that he knew back in the real world was of a much more recent build. The newer Abbey was built on a greater and grander scale and was much more austere, yet he had to admit that if there was a God or supreme deity, then this place was certainly nearer to it. There was something about the architecture and rude fittings that was both primitive and honest. If there was a God, then he certainly dwelt here.
As he stood looking up at the Saints depicted in the windows, he had the sudden sensation that someone was standing behind him, watching him, yet there was no sound. Turning around he could see the shrouded figure approaching.
A sudden calmness gathered around him, a sense of familiarity. The figure stopped a little way off in front of him and spoke his name.
"Alex."
There was no mistaking that voice; it was his beloved grandmother, Geraldine.
All was shadowy beyond the veil but he had no doubt who it was. The air was filled with her personality, her brightness and zest for life, and almost immediately his spirits were raised.
She approached him slowly, reaching out until he was sobbing gently in her arms.
"There, there, Alex. All will be well."
Once again he was a child of 6 or 7 years, being comforted after some mishap; a graze to the knee or a fall from his bicycle. His grandmother had always been there for him; until recently.
"I don't understand Gran? There is so much that I don't understand. I don't belong here and I just want to go home."
"There is so much more than you or I will ever know or understand Alex."
"But it doesn't seem real that I can be here, that this is possible. Am I ill; is all of this a bad dream?"
"All I can tell you is that this is a reality and that you are actually living in the 17th century Alex. How it happened and why, I don't really understand, but I do know that Time weaves together the past, the present and the future and keeps the status quo, the equilibrium. Why do you think that the Universe is constantly expanding? It's because the past is real and never disappears, but each day it gets larger and larger. There has been some shift, some rent in the fabric that normally keeps the past and the present on two distinct planes. For everything there is a reason, and you and Andrea are that reason. Something has threatened the status quo and the balance needs to be restored. If not, who can only guess at the consequences? We are all pawns Alex."
"But why me, and why Andrea?"
The figure paused before continuing.
"Because you are the guardians of the runes, and like your ancestors that came before, it must be your line that continues to thrive and lead the way. There are dark forces that are at work here that would harm the ones you love. You must be strong Alex and keep Andrea and all that are yours safe and secure. You need to be strong and ready for what is to come. It won't be easy."
"But what and when? If I don't understand then how can I help?"
"You know more than you allow yourself Alex. You have been fighting against your ancestors ever since you arrived here and now you need to stop. It was them that sent me to you, to help you understand your role in all of this. They are watching you."
Alex quickly looked around the Abbey and shivered; it was as if a hundred beady eyes watched him silently out of the shadows.
"There will be a battle and that much I do know. It will take place in the near future but I cannot give a date. But you will know, if you allow yourself to accept and relax, then you will sense the change approaching and can prepare. Now go to Andrea and your daughter and be with them, they cannot manage this without you.”