Where the Butterflies Go

Chapter 4: Awakening to Reality

Chapter 4: Awakening to Reality

The morning light filtered through the brown curtains, and Veda stirred. Her mind, still foggy with sleep, struggled to grasp the reality of her surroundings. Blinking away the last remnants of dreams, she half expected to find herself back in her own bed, nestled in the familiar comfort of her grandmother's house with the smell of lavender drifting through the air. But as she took in the room, the lumpy mattress beneath her, and the worn walls, the truth of her situation hit her like a wave crashing against the shore.

With a heavy sigh, Veda sat up, fighting back tears in her blue eyes. Memories of the previous day flooded back to her, reminding her of the events that had led her to this unfamiliar place. She glanced down at herself, clad only in a white tank top, a stark contrast against the muted tones of the room.

Beside the bed, her black boots lay in the same place she remembered leaving them before she drifted off to sleep. The room felt both familiar and foreign, like a puzzle with missing pieces she couldn't find anywhere. Even if she looked under the couch. It didn't give her any comfort.

The reality of her situation sank in. And Veda's mind raced searching for fragments of memories, each one a puzzle piece in the mystery getting home. She felt like Dorothy, stuck in the land of Oz. Veda vividly recalled slinging her camera bag across her chest, the weight of it dragging at her as she struggled to keep her head above water. She had slipped into the river at the falls!

Urgently, Veda threw off the thin cover, her movements quick and determined. She retrieved her jeans from the floor, each leg finding its place with practiced ease. She had been so tired the night before. The black boots followed, their familiar weight grounding her in the present moment. The emerald green dress came next, slipping right over her hips and settling with the frilled sleeves against her skin.  

After she was finished dressing, she bent down on all fours to the ground to see if her bag had been placed there, since it hadn't been left with her other things. But it was nowhere to be found. Veda calmed her panic with a deep breath. She closed her eyes. 

A surge of memories flooded her mind. She remembered almost being run over by a car, and someone trying to run her off the road, then, the riverbank—the water rushing over her, the feeling of being pulled down

. 

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Veda realized the truth. She must have had her camera bag with her when she ended up in the river. If she could find it, perhaps she could find her way back to where she belonged. Veda set out in search of Agnes, hoping the innkeeper would be able to answer a couple of questions. 

Veda picked up her skirt as she rushed down the stairs. Once at the bottom she wasn't exactly sure where to start, but decided to start in the room she had dined in last night. Her eyes scanned the room, no one was there, but her eyes landed on a slightly cream colored book on the table. Without hesitation, Veda hurried over to it, her curiosity stirred. It was a newspaper. At the top it read:

FRANK LESLIE’S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER

NEW YORK —-- FOR THE WEEK END JUNE 13, 1885

A clear photo of The Statue of Liberty was on the front cover. The statue had building steel wrapped around it in the image she saw. Veda could feel her jaw drop open and her blue eyes widening in disbelief. “Did I just read that right? 1885,” She whispered, the sound sounding like a scream, “I’m stuck in 1885! I really time traveled to 1885!?!”