Tuesday Tales: From the Word SCHOOL

It’s hard to believe that summer is on its way out and fall is on the doorstep, but here we are. The kids are all back in school, the days are getting shorter, and there’s the colors of autumn beckoning us outside to enjoy. This week, the authors of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt SCHOOL. I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones. Enjoy.

Marina stared at Jerome, schooling her features as best as she could to hide her shock. Slowly, she let her gaze roam over his face, searching for the signs that he was the unkempt, bearded man who’d terrified her at the airport. There was no mistaking his unusual eyes. Why had she not recognized them before?

But the deceiver’s truth seems believable because he trusts his own lies.

Could she trust him? A few hours ago, she’d been ready to hate him and yet … Hadn’t she had a vision earlier today at the Standing Stones of Calanais? How different was that from the one he’d described? And what about all the dreams she’d had? If it could happen to her, it could happen to others, but his admission that he’d been in London…

“What were you doing there looking like that?” she croaked.

“I was on my way home from New Zealand. My agent loved the ‘wild druid look’ and insisted I have publicity photos taken. She used a cut from our video chat and AI to generate a poster of—”

“I saw it at the airport in London when I was getting ready to leave for Edinburgh. The eyes … I thought the eyes were following me.” Her cheeks warmed. “But how did you know me. You recognized me. I know you did.”

“Because I did, I do.” He shrugged. “But I didn’t know you were Lady Fraser. I asked you if you believed in reincarnation because ever since my first visit to the stones, I’ve had the feeling that the stories are about me, as if I lived in that time, and what the stones provide is a way for me to access repressed memories. You’re part of those memories. William Shakespeare once wrote, ‘Life is too short to love you in one, I promise to look for you in the next life.’ I’ve seen you in my dreams. I’ve been searching for you for years—”

“No!”

It couldn’t be, and yet she sensed the truth in him. If Jerome was the man in her dreams and she had no reason to doubt him now, then who was James? Fear filled her. If what he was saying was true…

“Marina, it’s not a bad thing, but it does speak to a connection between us and the stones. We need to explore this—”

“No!” She raced out of the room.

That’s it. Come back next week for more. Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.