Chapter 1
Ashlyn Taylor was sitting at her desk when her assistant Becca, came in and told her that her boss wanted her in her office ASAP. Ashlyn was a blogger for NowNYC! the hottest online magazine in New York City. Ashlyn knocked on her boss' door, "You wanted to see me Alexa," Alexa motioned for Ashlyn to sit down she was on the phone. "There is a new shop over on 89th Street that is getting a lot of buzz on social media," Alexa said when she got off the phone. "I want you to check it out and see if it is worth putting in the magazine," she continued. "What is the name of the place," Ashlyn asked. "TIMELESS," said Alexa. Ashlyn replied, "That's it. Timeless. What is it supposed to be." Alexa said that was all she knew it was the hottest thing on social media. Ashlyn said she would check it out. Ashlyn went back to her office to text her friends that she would be late meeting them for drinks.
Ashlyn loved her job it allowed her to go to the hippest restaurants and the hottest clubs in the city. Ashlyn found the little shop called TIMELESS, it was strange looking it looked so out of place with all the hip boutiques that were up and down the street. She pushed open the door and an old-fashioned bell dinged. The man who owned the shop told her to come in he was strange looking he had kind of a hippie look about him yet a mad scientist look. The shop itself was kind of strange it looked like an old-fashioned clock store. Ashlyn thought it was weird that a place like this was the hottest thing on social media. "My name is Ashlyn Taylor and I work for NowNYC! and we were considering doing an article about this place for the magazine," she told the man. The man told her to follow him to the back.
Ashlyn followed him to the back once inside the back room. She saw the strangest thing she had ever seen. There stood the tallest, ugliest looking machine she had ever seen it looked like an overgrown porta-potty. The strange looking man told her to step inside she didn't want to, but something about the old man made her do it. Ashlyn stepped inside the machine and the door shut behind her. The machine started to shake, and Ashlyn banged on the door and yelled, "Let me out you freak." All of a sudden, the machine started to spin. It kept spinning faster and faster all of a sudden it stopped. When the door opened Ashlyn wasn't inside the shop anymore. She wasn't standing on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
She looked around and she couldn't see anyone or anything. Where am I she thought, she remembered she had her phone in her bag. She got it out and tried to turn it on it was completely dead. She knew it was charged she had it on the charger before she left the office. That is weird she thought she took her laptop out it was in her bag also. She tried turning it on but the same thing as her phone completely dead it was plugged in at the office too. She decided to start walking maybe she could find a house where she could plug in her phone and laptop.
She walked for what seemed like forever wherever she was it was beautiful. She could see mountains of in the distance on one side of the road there was a little stream that came down from the mountains. It really was kind of peaceful it would make a great get away for the weekend. She finally had to stop and take her heels off her feet were killing her and that's saying a lot considering she lives in New York and walks in heel all the time. Off in the distance she could see a house. She thought maybe somebody there could help her.
The closer she got to the house she could see that there was something different about the house. It looked like something out of the old western movies she used to watch with her grandpa when she was a kid. She was a little scared. She saw a young woman tending to some flowers in the yard. Abigail Hart had lived in Hope's Canyon for over a year now. She moved out here from Boston with her husband Jason after claim jumpers killed his grandfather. His grandfather came out here looking for gold he staked a claim the mine he found didn't have any gold at all. Abigail saw a strangely dressed woman walking towards the house. She was wearing clothes that were not very appropriate she was wearing a skirt that was way to short it went well above her knees the blouse she was wearing showed way too much cleavage. She should be ashamed of herself you could actually see the top of her breasts. Ashlyn could see the woman staring at her as she approached her. She was a beautiful brunette with her hair pulled into a tight bun at the top if her head. Her clothes looked like something from the past. She was wearing a simple white blouse with a long red skirt. Ashlyn wondered if she was in Amish country, but she didn't think they dressed like that.
They two women stared at each other. Finally, Ashlyn broke the silence, "Excuse me. Could you please tell me where I am. I was wondering if you have a place where I can plug in my phone and my laptop, they seem to have gone completely dead." The woman just stared at her like she had completely lost her mind. As the woman started baking up towards the house she said, "I don't know who or what you are, but you need to go about your business. I don't want any trouble." Ashlyn replied, "Look I'm not looking for any trouble I just want to know where I am and find a place to plug in my phone and laptop." She pulled out her phone and laptop to show the woman what she was talking about. Abigail just stared at the strange things the woman had in her hand. Abigail knew she probably shouldn't but there was something about the woman that made her think she was harmless. Maybe it was because she could see the woman was just scared.
Abigail told Ashlyn to follow her in the house. Ashlyn followed the woman inside the house. Once inside Ashlyn looked around, they were standing in a dining room. There was a huge dining table in the middle of the room and on the one side of the wall was a huge fireplace. The woman led Ashlyn to the back of the house to the kitchen. The kitchen looked like something straight out of a museum. Along the back wall there was a huge wood burning stove on another wall was a huge sink that had some kind of pump running to it. In the middle of the room was smaller version of the table in the dining room. The woman told Ashlyn to sit down at the table and said, "I'm Abigail Hart what is your name." My name is Ashlyn Taylor. Is this your place," she said. "Yes, me and my late husband opened this place about a year ago," Abigail said. Ashlyn thought Abigail was way too young to be a widow. "I'm sorry for your loss," Ashlyn said. "Thank, you." Abigail said. The two women sat there in silence, finally Abigail asked, "Where are you from?" "New York City," Ashlyn said. "You are lost. This is Hope's Canyon, Wyoming." Ashlyn thought Wyoming how did I end up here.
Abigail could tell by the look on Ashlyn's face that she had no idea how she got here. Ashlyn put her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands. She wanted to cry she managed to compose herself and finally said, "Wyoming, that doesn't even make sense. I was in New York City and now I'm here." Abigail saw how scared Ashlyn was and told her she could stay the night if she would like she had plenty of room. Abigail led Ashlyn back into the dining room and up the stairs. She led her to a room at the back if the house. The room was beautifully decorated it looked like a room in a bed and breakfast. The room had white wallpaper with pink roses on it, there was a brass bed that was covered with a white handmade quilt that had pink flowers sprinkled throughout it. There was a window seat overlooking the barn on the wall beside the door was a huge cabinet. Abigail opened the door and said, "You might want to put one of these on. People around here don't take to kindly to people who dress differently." Ashlyn thought what is wrong with what I am wearing these are designer clothes. Abigail said she could pick whatever she liked to wear she always had extra with people coming off the stagecoach you never know what they might encounter along the way.
Abigail left Ashlyn to change clothes. Ashlyn looked at the door did she say stagecoach. Ashlyn opened the door to the cabinet and looked inside. The dresses that were hanging up looked a lot like what Abigail was wearing. Ashlyn sat on the bed trying to figure out what was going on. She knew she wasn't in Amish country she didn't think they had any in Wyoming. What is this place everything was like something out of a museum, stagecoaches they died with the wild west. She looked around the room by side the bed was a nightstand that had a very old looking lamp. She didn't see any electrical outlets or anything. She got out her phone and laptop they still wouldn't come on. She looked at the other side of the room there was a dresser with a pitcher in a bowl. She back down on the bed trying to make sense of it all. She thought back on everything that happened so far. She went to the clock store, then she stepped in the weird looking machine and ended up here halfway across the country. She looked at the lamp closer and saw that there was no cord, no electrical cord how does it work she thought. She looked at it closer it was a Gaslamp she remembered seeing one at a museum. Could I be back in time she thought. The way the house was decorated, Abigail's clothes no electricity, the stagecoach.
Ashlyn grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs she found Abigail in the kitchen. "What year is this," Ashlyn asked. "1901," Abigail said looking confused. "Why do you want to know what year it is," Abigail asked. Ashlyn backed out of the kitchen saying, "This can't be happening. It's all a dream. I got to get out of here." She turned and ran out the front door. She had to find that strange looking man she had to get back home. She didn't belong here.
