Claire’s head landed gently on her pillow as she let her body collapse into the bed. She was exhausted from a day of sightseeing and the Guinness had relaxed her muscles and thoughts. She could still hear the music rising up from the pub below, but her body yearned for sleep. She blocked out the sound and let herself slip away.

It wasn’t the sun that woke her the next day, despite it breaking through the early morning rain clouds. It was the humming coming from a short and rather large woman. She was bent over so that all that Claire could see was her extensive bottom. She wore a plain linen skirt and Claire could see she had apron stings tied around her waist.

“Can I help you?” Claire asked startled. She sat up in bed, clutching the blankets around her despite her modest pajamas. The woman spun around, surprisingly athletic for her size and Claire could see the woman had rosy cheeks and bright, shiny brown eyes. Her black curly hair stuck out of her bonnet and only then did Claire notice that her outfit seemed out of place. Old but she couldn’t pinpoint the exact date. Like something she had seen on a PBS Masterpiece theater production.

“Mornin’ miss. Just tending the fire and emptying your chamber pot. Will you be needing anything else miss?” The lady tilted her head and waited for a response.

Fire? Claire didn’t remember having a fireplace in her room. Chamber Pot? How much had she had to drink last night? Claire shook her head in confusion but the rotund woman took it as an answer. She scooped up her ash bucket and left the room, muttering Gaelic as she left.

Claire looked down at the blanket she was clutching. What had been a cheap, mass produced duvet cover was now an intricate quilt, old and worn but obviously hand sewn. She threw it off of her and ran to the window. The carpet from the night before had been replaced with an uneven and pitted wood floor that was cold on her bare feet. The window was not like any glass she had ever seen. It was slightly milky and swirled with air bubbles like the Milky Way. It was hard to see through it clearly but she strained to see the street below. Everyone she could see walking along the cobblestone street matched the woman that had invaded her room. They all looked like something out of a play she had seen once. An open carriage drawn by a single horse ambled down the street making Claire gasp.

“Wake up!” She said to herself out loud as she slowly reeled away from the window. She felt like she was going to pass out. The edges of her vision started to blur. She’d never made it past book two of Outlander and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to survive it if this was anything like that. She took a staggered breath. This wasn’t Scotland, and this wasn’t some twisted romance. She just needed to stay sensible and she would find her way home.