I couldn’t see the coast, or anything, for that matter. In fact, as the car idled, the unnatural fog encased us.
“You have to go on foot from here. The coast is there.” He pointed to the right. “Trust me. Your eyes will open, more than most.” He mumbled the last part. “You must hurry, or I will be lost, too.”
The word “too” also implied that I would be lost.
“You have a gift. It will open your sight. You will see the path and the way. Follow it down to the beach and head south about a mile or so. You’ll find the castle just beyond on the right. But you must go now. I have to leave.”
He didn’t wait and jumped out of the car. For a second, I thought he was headed away on foot until he opened my door. “Go,” he urged again, giving my arm a nudge. “It will be dark soon.”
I couldn’t puzzle out the time difference. Something didn’t seem right. I’d left Charleston at dusk and arrived in Scotland a second later. Yet it would be dusk here so soon? Something to think about, but I forced myself out of the car. I couldn’t have anyone else be lost in whatever nightmare I’d found myself in.
Once I was free of the car, he closed the door and got back in the driver’s side. As I watched, he turned the car around, heading in what I assumed was the way we’d come. Soon his car was swallowed by the sea fog.
Once the engine noise was gone, I heard the sounds of crashing waves. Slowly, I stepped forward. The fog had a life of its own. With each of my steps, it parted like a curtain, giving me a glimpse of only a few feet beyond.
The bag was still a shield at my chest as I made my way closer to the beach. I stopped dead in my tracks when the parting fog revealed a cliff’s edge.
Ivor had mentioned a path to the beach and initially I couldn’t find one. As I neared the drop-off, I first turned left and then right before I spotted the path. It was narrow and frightening. One wrong move and I’d be done for. As daunting as it was, so was everything I’d done so far.
I centered myself and forced my feet forward. I had nothing to lose but my life. If I stayed here, I would eventually die. I had no food or water, not to mention my transportation was gone. I needed to reach the castle if I wanted to survive.
Though I wanted to close my eyes, I had to watch my every step as pebbles careened off the side with each footfall on the path.
It’s just a dream, I chanted on the long way down, taking my time despite the fading light filtering through the fog.
When I reached the bottom, I was so thankful, I nearly fell to my knees and kissed the ground. Instead, I was mesmerized by the view. The fog was gone here, and an empty beach with pristine sand stretched out in front of me. The golden sand was of stark contrast to the dark stones of the cliffside.
Another glance at the sky reminded me I didn’t have time for sightseeing. Ivor had mentioned going south. Without a compass to tell me which direction that was, I riffled through things I’d learned in homeschooling. I recalled something about using the direction of the sun as a guide, but I couldn’t remember the rules. Did the sun set in the east or west? I did recall Ivor telling me we’d headed north. He’d turned back the same direction the path led. I took a chance and assumed if I continued forward, I would be going south. He’d said a mile or so. If I was wrong, I’d walk back the other way.
My shoes quickly became a hindrance. I pulled off my Chucks and walked barefoot in the cool sand. I considered walking closer to the tide as it came in and out, but the air was nippy. I assumed the water would be colder. Instead, I continued forward. After a time, I looked back to gauge my progress.
To my surprise, I could no longer see the path on the cliffside. I didn’t think I’d walked that far. Even more curious, my footprints had been erased, even though the tide hadn’t come in that far.
It had to be a dream. How could any of this be possible otherwise? I blinked rapidly and hoped I would wake again. For now, I continued forward in my quest for the castle. Maybe I had to complete all my tasks before my conscious brain would allow me to wake up.
The squall of a bird pulled me from my inner thoughts. I watched it as it swooped down and penetrated the water with its long beak. A flailing fish did its best to fight against fate and lost as the bird rose and swallowed the fish in one gulp.