A Love Reborn

The sun shone brightly overhead as Michael McLeod sat at a table outside a small café in the heart of New York. In front of him lay an art pad, the face of a woman he had seen in his dreams every night staring back at him. He sipped his coffee, ate the bagel beside his paper, and stared intently into her eyes, just as he did every night in his dreams.

Her long brown hair framed her heart-shaped face, and her bright blue eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen. His dreams varied: one moment they were making love, the next they were surrounded by fire, with her left standing alone in the middle of a cold, dark room. That was how the dreams always ended, and they drove him insane. No matter how hard he tried to change the way they ended, it always ended the same—separated by fire.

Michael looked up when the waitress brought him a fresh cup of coffee. “Oh, she’s beautiful. Do you know her?” she asked.

He smiled and took a sip, speaking with his thick Scottish accent, “Only in my dreams.”

Just as he was about to pay the bill, the chair across from him was pulled out, and his friend Gerry sat down, flagging down the waitress. “Mike, man, glad I found you. Your package was delivered today, so I figured I’d bring it to you.”

Michael took the package and smirked. “You could have left it at the apartment; you do have a key, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but I couldn’t wait to see what video you ordered this time. Hopefully, it’s something good and not one of those paranormal shows you’re so fond of ordering. I think I created a monster when I bought you that video of haunted places in America last year,” Gerry said, taking a bite of the bagel the waitress had brought. He nodded toward the package. “Well, open it already!”

Michael ripped the top off and pulled out the video he had ordered the week before, smiling. “Hauntings in Scottish Castles. Looks like I’ll be leaving to go watch it.”

“You know, Mike, you're impossible. Sure, you're from Scotland somewhere, but still... has your therapist tried to hypnotize you yet to find out where you came from? Having amnesia must suck at times... at least you know your name.”

“Yeah, it does suck, but I guess I’m getting used to not fully knowing who I am. Not sure if I want to know. My life before the amnesia could have been worse than it is now,” Michael said, handing the waitress the money to cover both bills. “I’m going home. See you later, and stay out of trouble.”

As he walked back to his apartment, the video tucked under his arm, he thought about what little he knew of his past. The only thing he was sure of was that he had been found floating in the Atlantic Ocean just off the shore of Fort Tilden. He had been pulled to shore by none other than Gerry, who had been out walking on the beach after Hurricane Sandy. The two men became fast friends, and Gerry had been by his side during all of his struggles to rebuild his life. They started doing construction work in the summer and security work in clubs during the winter, both jobs paying well enough that he was never without money.

Michael turned down an alley to take a shortcut to his apartment. He started humming but stopped when the sound of a woman crying reached his ears. He walked faster until he saw a lone figure standing against the wall, her face buried in her hands. As he neared, a chill ran through his body—she was completely see-through, a spirit. He cleared his throat quietly and took a step toward her.

“Lass, are you okay?” he asked.

The woman suddenly stopped sobbing and turned toward him. It was the woman from his dreams—the one he had drawn. She began to scream at him. “Why did you leave me, Michael? You promised me forever!”

He froze when he heard her say his name, then she vanished before his very eyes. He ran the rest of the way to his apartment, slamming the door behind him and locking it securely. He sat on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face, repeating over and over, “I’m not going crazy. I’m not insane.”

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He opened it to find Gerry standing there with a bottle of Scotch in his hand. “Let’s watch the video!”

Michael told Gerry about the woman and how she had mentioned his name. “I watch too many of these damn videos. They’re affecting my mind, or I’m going bloody insane here.”

The two friends sat down to watch the video. Michael had hoped that by watching these videos, he might see something familiar to help him remember who he was. So far, he hadn’t had much luck and was close to giving up altogether.

After the third story, they paused the video and went into the kitchen for something to eat. The remote control was on the counter in front of Gerry when they heard the sound of the video playing by itself. Michael froze, and the glass plate fell from his hand, shattering on the ground. There on the screen was the woman from the alley—the same one from his dreams. He looked at Gerry, who stared at the television, his knuckles clenched in tight fists.

"The year was 1279. Her name was Esame Douglas, the only daughter of Laird Angus Douglas in Aberdeen, Scotland. She was engaged to Laird Michael McLeod but was left at the altar when the Laird mysteriously vanished in a ring of fire at the hands of a Druid named Anestrus. That same day, her father was killed in a fight with a rogue outlaw named Seamus Kyle, who claimed to be the only man worthy of marrying the Lady Esame. After her husband’s death, Esame’s mother was killed to prevent her from interfering with Kyle’s plan to seize the land and riches of the deceased Laird.

Esame’s life went from a fairytale to a nightmare overnight. Rumors spread that she was beaten and raped repeatedly and locked away, left to go insane after her husband took control of her lands. Kyle found a mistress who shared his love of beating others into submission, and those who worked for the family were beaten and maimed if they tried to help the Lady Esame."

“Pack now,” demanded Gerry. “I’ll meet you here in five minutes. We’re going to Scotland... tonight.”

Michael wrote down as much information as he could remember and ran into his bedroom, throwing clothing into a suitcase. He handed Gerry the video, who stuffed it into his backpack along with their passports.

“The castle is now a hotel,” Michael said, glancing at his phone as they sat on the plane. “I’m making reservations.”

“No, don’t. Let’s do it when we get there. I’m sure there will be room for us,” Gerry replied. He seemed more secretive than usual, but Michael let it slide.

Aberdeen, Scotland ~ 10 hours later

When the cab pulled up in front of the castle, memories began flooding into Michael’s mind like a tidal wave. Gerry went inside as Michael stood outside, glancing around. He and Esame used to go for walks that would last for hours long after the sun went down.

He walked into the hotel and came face to face with a portrait of himself standing next to Lady Esame. They were both smiling, clearly in love. Her eyes shone with the brightest light he had ever seen.

“Michael, let’s go outside. We need to talk about a few things,” Gerry said, motioning toward the door.

The two of them moved toward the lake. Michael walked to a tree, finding the spot where he had carved his initials along with Esame’s. “I remember her. I remember this place. I’ve been here before. I’m not sure why, but this is going to sound crazy—I’m not from this time, am I?”

“No, you’re not,” Gerry replied, his American accent changing to match Michael’s thick Scottish accent. “And neither am I. My name isn’t Gerry. It’s Callum Maxwell.”

“You knew who I was all along, and you never told me? Why?” Michael demanded angrily.

“You needed to learn that for yourself,” Callum replied with a smirk. He picked up a stone and tossed it into the water. “Had I told you, you wouldn’t have believed me, would you?”

Michael scowled. “No, you’re right. I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But now I need to get back to her. How do I do that?”

“Perhaps I can help you with that, Laird Michael McLeod,” a voice said from the trees. A man dressed in a long gray robe stepped forward, his face half-covered by a gray beard to match his long gray hair. “My name is Belfour, and I’ve been waiting for you both to come. It’s about time, might I add.”

Michael stared at him, noting how much the man looked like the Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, down to the twinkling eyes and matching mane.

Belfour laughed loudly. “I take that as a compliment, Laird Michael. He is my favorite wizard in the movies.”

Out of the woods came three men dressed in robes of Druid elders. “Laird Michael, we have come to help you get back to your time, so that you and Lady Esame may live the lives you were meant to live. Please, follow us.”

The Druids led Michael and Callum to a stone circle deep in the forest. Belfour guided the two men into the circle and stood before them.

“Hands together, please,” he said. “Laird Michael, you must think back to your wedding day—the day before the wedding would suffice.”

The three men joined hands, and Michael concentrated on the day before the wedding. He was at McLeod Castle, about ten minutes away from Castle Douglas. With his eyes closed, he visualized the Great Hall, the long tables, and the banners hanging around the castle walls. Chanting filled the air, and the three men felt their bodies tingle as the magic swirled around them.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the Great Hall of McLeod Castle. Michael ran outside, grabbing his horse and riding out with Callum and Belfour at his heels.

Esame glanced out the window when she heard one of her father’s guards yell that Laird Michael was coming with company. She ran down to greet him, and he enveloped her in his arms the minute he dismounted. “I am never going to leave you. I promise.”

Callum and Belfour entered the castle behind him, and they spoke with Laird Angus and his wife about the past and what was to come. When Laird Angus saw Belfour, he sighed in resignation, and the Elder Druid nodded, confirming their story.

“Then the wedding will take place now,” Laird Angus said. “Belfour, will you officiate the ceremony at this very moment?”

“I would be delighted.”

The vows were exchanged in a quick ceremony, and the groom kissed his blushing bride. Then, he went hunting for Seamus Kyle and the Druid Anestrus.