My Tale of Two Worlds

To Salisbury, I go

I look at my alarm clock: 4:44 am. I can never get back to sleep after these dreams. They send me into fight or flight mode and I need to soothe my poor nerves.

I shimmy out of bed. The air feels cold upon leaving my comfy quilt. We are in the early days of spring - I love this time of the year. I think of pretty flowers and baby animals as I head towards the kitchen and fill the kettle.

The dream. It was different today. The whispering, the calling... It felt stronger, louder. Hey, if someone could just shout my name, that would be nice. My given name is Fiona. It doesn't feel quite right. Nothing much does.

I need to move past this and get on with my day. I grab my herbal tea and a large glass of water and head to my yoga mat by the bay windows. Now, to get present in the moment... I concentrate on my breathing, physical sensations, and muscles stretching. Here and now, here and now.

At the end of my yoga session, I feel great. This never fails to help me get grounded after something has knocked me off kilter. I follow it up with a shower and a healthy breakfast. I aim to finish as early as possible, so I can get on the road and to the other side of London before rush hour. The M25 is not where I plan to spend my Friday evening. I have booked myself a quaint bed and breakfast in the countryside near Salisbury. I am thoroughly looking forward to enjoying my comfortable room with a fireplace this evening. Tomorrow, I will have a look around Salisbury Cathedral before heading over to Stonehenge. I feel so excited to finally visit this astonishing landmark. I have visited other standing stones before but nothing as large and well conserved as this stone circle.

Indeed, since I have chosen a more gentle life, I have decided to make up for my lack of memories by traveling a lot on weekends. I have visited some really nice spots both in the UK and in Europe. I am so excited about today.

********

The morning flies by as I send documents to my clients for electronic signing, request a couple of estimates, and onboard a new employee. The usual! Having made sure all my clients' important tasks have been handled, I throw my weekend bag into my boot and set my laptop, handbag, and some snacks on the passenger seat of my Ford Transit. It's not a great-looking car, but it is practical. I have a mattress in the back and basic supplies in case I make a last-minute decision to sleep in the car for whatever reason.

Setting up my phone on the dashboard, I turn on my music app and let it choose my preferred tunes, then enter my B&B address in the sat nav. Three and a half hours, here we go.

On the way, I admire the lovely green countryside. I get lost in my thoughts, I sing along to my favourite songs and just appreciate the journey. I make a couple of stops to stretch my legs, but I make it past London in good time, and before I know it, I am pulling up to the adorable little cottage where I will be spending the next two nights.

A slight young woman emerges from the house in front of me. She has very short, blonde hair and fair skin. She is wearing a light sweater under some denim dungarees and some combat boots with painted flowers on them.

"Welcome! You must be Fiona - I have been waiting for you. My name is Bethany, let me show you around."

Bethany is certainly very warm and sparkly and her friendly demeanor causes me to smile genuinely at her.

"Hi Bethany. Yes, I'm Fiona. I'd love to look around."

My host ushers me into the main house where there is a large sitting room to my right. A fire is roaring in a huge fireplace and gives an orange glow to the entire room. Bethany informs me that I am free to enjoy the comfort of this shared room and to help myself to any books from the impressive bookshelves which wrap around the whole room. I have to say that this looks heavenly, as there are hundreds of books of all sorts. We then move onto the breakfast room where Bethany tells me food will be served between 8 am and 10 am. "I bet you're looking forward to setting your bags down for the weekend. Follow me.", she says.

We exit the building through a glass door in the breakfast room and follow a narrow path bordered by rosebushes that are already beginning to flower. Around a corner, there is the tiny, tiny cottage I booked. Bethany pushes the front door open and there is my haven for the weekend: low ceilings, a cozy sitting area with a plush two-seater sofa, a shaggy rug, and a small fireplace. Behind the sitting room, there was a functional kitchen and beyond that, a bedroom with a double bed and windows overlooking more rosebushes.

"This is perfect, Bethany. Thank you!"

"There is a bathroom joined to your bedroom. Towels are warming on the radiator, candles ready to be lit. You should have sufficient logs by the fire, but please call us if you find yourself lacking. I would advise staying in tonight as there is a storm on its way - you'll find takeaway menus on the fridge."

"Got it, thanks for everything."

I close the front door once Bethany heads down the cute path. My home away from home. This place feels amazing!