A Promise Across Time [Completed]

The Time Has Come (1967)

December 31, 1967
Sweden

***RAVEN

The air felt different, thick with an invisible force that tugged at me, an unmistakable pull I couldn't ignore. I knew this sensation. It was the same power that had brought me here in the first place, yanking me from my timeline and planting me in this one. My pulse quickened, and I called out, panic rising in my chest.

"Grandma!" My voice cracked as it echoed through the quiet house.

I had been sitting in the living room, scribbling music notes in my notepad, trying to distract myself from the growing sense of unease. But now I watched in horror as my hands began to fade, blurring at the edges like an old photograph. Not now, I pleaded silently. Please, not yet.

Frida wasn't home. She wouldn't be back until later this afternoon, and I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. My heart pounded in my chest, and I fought back the tears stinging my eyes.

"What's happening, Raven?" Grandma Arntine appeared in the doorway of her room, her reading glasses dangling from a string around her neck. Her face, weathered with age but full of wisdom and warmth, registered concern as she hurried toward me.

"I think... it's time for me to go," I whispered, my voice trembling. I could feel the tears welling up, but I didn't want to cry. Not yet. I ran to her, throwing my arms around her frail form, holding on as tightly as I could.

Grandma Arntine hugged me back, and in that moment, her embrace was the only thing anchoring me to this world. "Frida's not here yet," she said softly, her voice steady, though I could hear the sadness in it. She understood, even if neither of us could stop what was happening.

"I can't leave without saying goodbye to her," I said, choking on the words. The pull was getting stronger, more insistent. My fingers were nearly translucent now, and I could feel the world shifting, slipping away from me like sand through my fingers.

Grandma Arntine held me tighter, her hand stroking my hair, trying to offer comfort. "She knows how much you care for her. You've done so much for us, Raven. She will understand."

But that didn't make it any easier. I wanted one last moment with Frida, to thank her for everything, to hear her laugh, to tell her how much she had meant to me. And now, I didn't know if I would ever see her again.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I pulled back to look at Grandma's face. "Will you tell her?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Grandma nodded, her eyes filled with both sorrow and pride. "I will tell her everything. You've been like a daughter to her, Raven. She'll carry that with her, always."

I felt my body growing lighter, the room starting to blur around me. The pull was relentless now, drawing me back to where I came from, wherever that was. I took a deep breath, trying to memorize every detail of the house, the scent of Grandma's lavender perfume, the warmth of the home that had welcomed me so completely.