𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙴𝚁 || Original Story (Open Novella Contest)

one - the time traveller

Ellie Finchley lived an ordinary life. She lived in rural England, on farmland, in a beautiful thatched-roofed white cottage with a barn and a stream running through the back garden. She shared it all with her husband, Keir (a dark-haired Irish fellow who she had met in one of the nearby villages). They were very happy and very much in love.

She hated being apart from him, though. They looked after each other and if Ellie had to name the one thing that she hated the most, it would be having to go to bed alone. Which would be what she was doing tonight.

Keir sometimes had to work night shifts as a custody sergeant in the closest town. But even that felt like miles away.

"Don't worry, my darling," he smiled reassuringly, somehow with his usual charm. "It's only for one night and it's only on occasion."

Ellie rushed over to him just as he was leaving, flinging her arms around his neck and hardly giving him chance to put on his coat. He kissed her on the forehead, saying a quiet goodbye. And with that, he was gone.

She then went off in a solemn silence to brew herself a cup of tea and take a book from her little library (or the shelf in the spare bedroom as it was better known) before cuddling up on the sofa under the soft light of the table lamp. Opposite her, a crackling and soothingly warm fire was burning in the hearth of the fireplace.

Ellie hadn't taken any notice of the time and found herself reading for a good few, solitary hours. The fire had diminished and her mug was empty.

She gazed over to the mantelpiece where her favourite gold-framed photograph stood proudly: the one of her wedding day where she was surrounded by Keir, her parents, two younger sisters, two older brothers, and her maternal grandfather.

She observed the photograph, noting each of the most prominent features of each person: her husband's handsome suit, her youngest sister's stark green hair (the shade you'd find on a high-visibility jacket), her veteran grandfather's facial scar, and eldest brother's toothy grin.

It was just a shame her grandmother wasn't there to make the day absolutely and utterly perfect...

With a melancholic ache in her heart, Ellie put down her book and looked at the clock: almost midnight.

Before heading upstairs, she took her mug into the kitchen. There, she placed it in the sink, making a mental note to wash it in the morning. But it was then that she noticed something odd.

The outside landscape was silent, dead, and nothing but the blackness of the night could be seen. Except for a faint orange glow emitting from the ajar door of the barn.

Fearful, Ellie tensed. She hurried to the cutlery drawer and grabbed a small steel knife (although blunt, it was going to have to do) before heading to the back door to grab her coat and to venture outside.

She crept lightly towards the barn, careful not to step on any twigs that would snap and consequently give away her presence. She had seen enough films to know that any sudden noises or movements could end in something rather nasty.

Peering around the splintered door with the knife brandished out in front of her, she noticed there was a fire going. Its warmth was much welcomed with the coolness of the night air. It glowed softly, the light flickering, embers rising into the air and dancing about like fireflies.

At least it wasn't out of control. That was a relief.

To her horror and shock, however, there was a man leaning against the bales of hay, covered in an old blanket. He was asleep and looked to be in a state of discomfort, judging by the remnants of a grimace.