Once Found: The Pocket Watch Chronicles Read Online Free Page B

places with another. Yer soul and memories have entered the body of a woman named Elizabeth, many years in the future. And her soul and memories have entered yer body in yer time.”
    “How?” she whispered again.
    Gertrude reached in her pocket and pulled out a thick, gold disk attached to a chain. “This is called a pocket watch. It’s a tool for marking hours that hasn’t been invented yet in yer time. But this isn’t an ordinary pocket watch. This unassuming device allows a soul who so chooses to temporarily change places with someone else.”
    “But I didn’t choose this.”
    “I know, pet. Several unusual things happened this time. Normally, the person who accepts the pocket watch goes to sleep at night and then enters the body of someone who has made a choice that will result in their death. The time traveler whose soul enters their body does something immediately to change that. Then the time traveler has sixty days to experience and learn from a different life.”
    Gertrude pushed a button on the thing she called a pocket watch, and the disk opened. Inside was a white circle with markings around it. It also had one slender, black piece that pointed to a tick mark. “There are sixty marks around the face of this watch. Every day the hand moves forward one mark. The time traveler has a special word that he or she must say before the time is up in order to return to their home.”
    “And the other person goes back to their own body too?”
    “Nay, pet. Normally, because that person was about to die, when the sixty days is up, their soul moves on. They are not even aware of what happened because while sixty days have gone by in the past, only sixty seconds—a single minute—pass where their soul is.”
    “You said, normally . Is that not what happened this time?”
    “Nay, things were a bit different this time. Elizabeth was in an accident and lost consciousness instead of going to sleep. She also landed in yer body a bit earlier than intended.”
    Elsie could scarce take it in, but she understood the general idea. “So she stopped my death? What had I done?”
    “That is another interesting wrinkle. Ye hadn’t done anything…yet.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I believe at the moment yer soul was brought forward, ye had been summoned by yer laird?”
    “Yes, but I didn’t know why.”
    Gertrude explained. “Shortly before Drummond came for ye, a group of men sent by Laird MacKenzie had spoken with yer laird. Ye see, Laird MacKenzie’s wife has been pregnant four times, but each time the baby came much too early. She’s pregnant again, and they want this baby so very much. Laird MacKenzie heard that Laird Macrae had an extremely talented midwife in his clan.”
    “My Aunt Dolina.”
    “Aye, yer Aunt Dolina. Laird MacKenzie hoped that Laird Macrae would let Dolina travel to Carraigile and see if there was anything she could do to help. Well, Laird Macrae believed there was absolutely nothing that could be done, but he thought he could fool Laird MacKenzie into thinking he was helping by sending someone else.”
    Elsie was shocked. Laird Macrae was not known for his kindness, but it was hard to believe that even he would be so callous.
    “By yer expression, I can tell ye don’t approve. But here is the worst part: he intended to pass ye off as yer Aunt Dolina.”
    Elsie frowned. “Me? I could never have done that. I couldn’t pretend to be a midwife. I wouldn’t give the poor woman false hope.”
    Gertrude smiled and nodded. “I know, pet. Ye would have taken the moral high ground, but he would have beaten ye severely for yer defiance. That punishment would ultimately have caused yer death. It may be the reason why the pocket watch didn’t work quite like it usually does. It would have been tragic if yer noble choice had resulted in such a terrible outcome.”
    “But I still don’t understand what happened.”
    “Like I said, normally, the watch goes with the person to whom it was