Read Online Entwined by Elizabeth Marshall - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Marshall
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Finally, I signed the forms Corran Campbell.
******
CHAPTER 6
In the weeks that followed, life became one frantic round of appointments, childbirth classes, and parenting advice. It was all annoying and invasive but also deeply reassuring.
My thoughts turned inwards, filled only with the tiny, precious life that grew inside me. I saw little of Simon and Duncan, and didn’t argue when they banned me from the shop. Too easily I became too distracted to pay close attention to their lives. They indulged me, encouraging the natural instincts of a pregnant woman, until my grasp on reality had slipped so far that my only conversation and thought was for the baby. It became stifling and I began to suffocate under the mountain of mother and baby magazines, endless daytime television programs, housework, and cooking.
I climbed the stairs to bed alone, my husband’s attention taken with laptops and books. Rose had gone out to meet her friend Kate for a drink, and Duncan sat beside his father, absorbed in the wonders of this new world. I lifted a book from my bedside table and flipped through the pages. It was sleep I needed, not words. Sliding between the duvet and sheet I settled myself with a pillow propped between my knees. My eyes closed and my mind cleared as I reached out to rest my hand on the cold cotton where my husband should have been.
I opened my eyes and found myself floating in air, yet somehow still on the ground standing without effort. All I could see around me was a soft golden glow. I was warm and more comfortable than I had been in a long time. I could see the Stag in the distance, majestic and proud. He began walking toward me. As it gracefully walked, it transformed into a familiar face, a familiar person. I was suddenly face to face with my grandmother; she was somehow ghost-like.
“But… how? Are you my grandmother?” I asked, confused, yet somehow reassured.
“I am not who you think I am,” chuckled the spirit. “Last time we spoke, I was too injured to take this form.”
I seemed to disregard how cryptic the answer was and I accepted it, moving on to another question. “Why are you here again?”
“To guide you.”
Every time the being spoke, it seemed to lift my soul up; it was a feeling I had never felt before. I wanted her to keep talking, so I paused, waiting for her to talk some more.
“You’re the Stag, aren’t you?” I asked.
“You have so much to learn. So much to experience,” she raised her hand to my face and stroked it, her entire body emitting a beautiful golden glow, one much stronger than our surroundings. “I have visited you before, have I not?” her words were spoken in such softness. I nodded in reply. “Oh, Corran. My sweet Corran. You have no idea of the sacrifice that will be made for you…”
“Sacrifice?”
“Yes my dear, one that should have been made the first time around.” The being sighed, “But unfortunately, consciousness can be a blessing and a curse.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“When someone is faced with a choice of whether to live or die, they will instinctively choose to live, don’t you think?”
“I guess so…” I replied.
“What about sacrifice then? Is the heart more powerful than instinct?”
“I don’t know… Maybe,” I was unsure how to answer.
“Things are not as they seem, my dear.” As the being said this, she transformed. She no longer looked like my grandmother, but now looked like Angus. A feeling of nausea came over me as I blinked, and everything had changed. I was back on the farm and Angus stood in front of me. Terrified, I ran to the window to see a young Duncan playing in the fields with Eilidh and Shannon. My instincts rose to the fore, and I screamed for them to run… But no words came out. I tried to go to them, but I could no longer move. I was powerless. Angus turned toward the door, staring at me, smiling wickedly. I used every ounce of strength in my body to try
******
CHAPTER 6
In the weeks that followed, life became one frantic round of appointments, childbirth classes, and parenting advice. It was all annoying and invasive but also deeply reassuring.
My thoughts turned inwards, filled only with the tiny, precious life that grew inside me. I saw little of Simon and Duncan, and didn’t argue when they banned me from the shop. Too easily I became too distracted to pay close attention to their lives. They indulged me, encouraging the natural instincts of a pregnant woman, until my grasp on reality had slipped so far that my only conversation and thought was for the baby. It became stifling and I began to suffocate under the mountain of mother and baby magazines, endless daytime television programs, housework, and cooking.
I climbed the stairs to bed alone, my husband’s attention taken with laptops and books. Rose had gone out to meet her friend Kate for a drink, and Duncan sat beside his father, absorbed in the wonders of this new world. I lifted a book from my bedside table and flipped through the pages. It was sleep I needed, not words. Sliding between the duvet and sheet I settled myself with a pillow propped between my knees. My eyes closed and my mind cleared as I reached out to rest my hand on the cold cotton where my husband should have been.
I opened my eyes and found myself floating in air, yet somehow still on the ground standing without effort. All I could see around me was a soft golden glow. I was warm and more comfortable than I had been in a long time. I could see the Stag in the distance, majestic and proud. He began walking toward me. As it gracefully walked, it transformed into a familiar face, a familiar person. I was suddenly face to face with my grandmother; she was somehow ghost-like.
“But… how? Are you my grandmother?” I asked, confused, yet somehow reassured.
“I am not who you think I am,” chuckled the spirit. “Last time we spoke, I was too injured to take this form.”
I seemed to disregard how cryptic the answer was and I accepted it, moving on to another question. “Why are you here again?”
“To guide you.”
Every time the being spoke, it seemed to lift my soul up; it was a feeling I had never felt before. I wanted her to keep talking, so I paused, waiting for her to talk some more.
“You’re the Stag, aren’t you?” I asked.
“You have so much to learn. So much to experience,” she raised her hand to my face and stroked it, her entire body emitting a beautiful golden glow, one much stronger than our surroundings. “I have visited you before, have I not?” her words were spoken in such softness. I nodded in reply. “Oh, Corran. My sweet Corran. You have no idea of the sacrifice that will be made for you…”
“Sacrifice?”
“Yes my dear, one that should have been made the first time around.” The being sighed, “But unfortunately, consciousness can be a blessing and a curse.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“When someone is faced with a choice of whether to live or die, they will instinctively choose to live, don’t you think?”
“I guess so…” I replied.
“What about sacrifice then? Is the heart more powerful than instinct?”
“I don’t know… Maybe,” I was unsure how to answer.
“Things are not as they seem, my dear.” As the being said this, she transformed. She no longer looked like my grandmother, but now looked like Angus. A feeling of nausea came over me as I blinked, and everything had changed. I was back on the farm and Angus stood in front of me. Terrified, I ran to the window to see a young Duncan playing in the fields with Eilidh and Shannon. My instincts rose to the fore, and I screamed for them to run… But no words came out. I tried to go to them, but I could no longer move. I was powerless. Angus turned toward the door, staring at me, smiling wickedly. I used every ounce of strength in my body to try
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