Meet Me In Posada

Chapter 1

"Tell me about it again," eight-year-old Julian Alfred Pankratz says, shuffling closer in his chair. His eyes are wide with interest despite the fact that they feel heavy with the promise of sleep. He should have been in bed hours ago, but great aunt Poppy always lets him stay up late when she visits and his parents won't be home to scold him until morning.

Aunt Poppy breathes a laugh. "Come now, little Dandelion. I tell you the story every time I visit. Are you sure you don't want to hear something else?" Something twinkles in her eyes as she tries to suppress her smile. She may pretend to be indifferent, but she would admit years later that she loved telling Julian the story as much as he loved to hear it.

"No," Julian insists. "I want to hear that one. It's my favourite."

"Very well," Aunt Poppy says, letting her smile slip. "One more time. Then you have to go to bed. Promise?"

Julian nods, making himself comfortable in the plush chair. "I promise."

"Alright then. Let's see...I was nineteen at the time and still living in a small farming village outside of Lettenhove. My father was the baker, and it was my job to help mill the flour in the morning for the shop, so I was out that morning, hauling the sacks of flour where they needed to go, when all of a sudden, I blinked and woke up somewhere else.

"Suddenly the mill was gone, the flour was gone, and I found myself sitting at a table in the most beautiful dining room I'd ever seen; towering mosaic ceilings, carved pillars and polished marble floors."

Julian nods along. "That's Uncle Richard's dining room," he says knowingly.

"It was," Aunt Poppy says. "But I didn't know that at the time.

"The meal in front of me was more food than I'd ever seen in one place, and all of it was so luxurious; suckling pig, stuffed cornish hens, tropical fruits and fine cheeses, roasted vegetables, platters of fish, and even some things I didn't recognize. It all looked so good, that for a moment, I didn't even realize that I was surrounded by strangers.

"I must have been making quite a face," Aunt Poppy says, "because suddenly the man sitting to my right turned to me and said, 'Poppy, are you alright?' and I said, 'where am I? Who are you? And how did I come to be surrounded by such riches?'

"And that's when your Uncle Richard-- whom I didn't know yet at the time-- figured out what had happened. He said, 'you're the other Poppy, aren't you?' and that's when I realized I'd had my Swap."

Julian grins, feeling anticipation rising. He's always liked this part.

"Uncle Richard had all the guests leave the dining room except for the two of us," Aunt Poppy continues. "And once everyone had gone, he turned to me and introduced himself and said he was my soulmate.

"I couldn't believe my eyes, Julian. He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen, and dressed so fancy I thought he could be a prince. I told him my name was Poppy and he said he already knew, that we'd been married for nine years. Then he took me over to a mirror and showed me my reflection.

"The girl I saw was still me, but older. And she looked strong and confident and beautiful-- all things I never felt like I was, but I couldn't deny with them staring me right in the face. Richard asked me how old I was then and I told him I was seventeen, and he said we hadn't met yet, but we would in two years."

"At the Belleteyn festival!" Julian exclaims excitedly.

"That's right," Aunt Poppy replies, "but that's a story for tomorrow.

"I was so overcome by emotion that suddenly I had to sit down. Richard brought me back to the table and had me eat something, and next thing I knew, I was sharing the most delicious meal with the kindest man I'd ever met."