Haiku
Jedi Master
I was trying to make a scary story for Halloween but I failed and made another love story. But it is short and ends well enough. Enjoy, Haiku …
The passenger gets up from his seat and grabs his backpack and says, “No, this is perfect, I got plenty of supplies and the air up here is wonderful. Thank you for taking me up here, I know it is normally out of your way.”
He exited the coach, and he stepped out onto the gravel road. He watched as the coach turned right and back toward town, he thought he heard, “Crazy American,” as the coach pulled away, he just smiled.
Around him were four cars parked alongside of the road, others enjoying the local beach and a walk in the countryside. The road was in front of him but that was not the direction that he wanted to go in, he was headed north to the top of this part of the island. It was isolated, just what he needed.
He was prepared with his weatherized tent, a warm and dry sleeping bag and enough supplies for a couple of months if he needed it.
He saw a path heading in the right direction, not more than a meter wide and highly overgrown on both sides of it. He researched this area on old maps that he found on-line, if he was right this was an old carriage road that was over a thousand years old, he decidedly took it. The farther he got up the path the more treacherous it became as it went up and down around bogs and small lochs, but he kept moving and watching his compass. For the first night he stayed under a bush just off the path for protection from the wind as it was blowing hard tonight.
The next morning brought fog and air that was so still that it hung the gloom close to the ground. He kept moving north and sometimes north-west following the path set in front of him. For four days and nights he kept going with no interaction with anyone else, he didn’t even see a rabbit or a squirrel the whole time.
On his fifth day the fog lifted a little and he came upon a small cottage, an older man was outside chopping wood. He stopped to look at the young man coming at him and smiled as he wiped some moisture from his face. He said, “Good Morn young man, are you lost?”
He said, “No, just on a walk across your fine country here. My name is Hugh West.”
The old man came up to his short fence with his hand out and said, “Artair, don’t see to many travelers up here, if you don’t mind me askin, where are you headin?” They shook hands, Hugh felt the strength in Artair’s hands, he had a good grip.
Hugh, “Just up north, looking for the top of this finger of your beautiful island. Do you know if this path takes you up there?”
Artair replied, “Yes, in a fashion. There’s a wye in road ahead, you need to take the west fork to get up there though, it goes by a lake and then it turns toward the northern part of the island. Just don’t go north on the main path as all there is out there is the old Livery Station, it’s kind of haunted. Say you want to come in, I got some brandy, keep you warm on these foggy days.”
Hugh, “No, I’m not too much of a drinker. But thanks for the offer and the direction advice. You have a wonderful day.” He waved to Artair and kept going. He was surprised to find someone in the vicinity, from google earth he saw no visible structures this far out, he must have just missed it.
Behind him he heard Artair say, “He’s the one I saw, a good man, not too many of those these days.”
About a hundred steps away the fog started coming back in and he turned around to look behind him and the house was gone. Nothing of the house was there, not even the short fence he stood beside. But there was something there, it was a black bear, it was watching him intently, it seemed to have a crown of light on its head.
He kept moving forward and a few steps further he turned around to look again and the bear was gone. That was good as he only had his pocketknife for protection from any animal, his air rifle was in pieces still stored away in his backpack. He looked down and picked up a club shaped branch just in case and carried it with him. As he continued scanning behind him and forward, he didn’t see the bear again, he was thankful for that.
A few hours later he came to the intersection that Artair told him about, the one path made a junction that went directly west of the main one. He thought about it for a moment, he had plenty of supplies with him to take this diversion, that is if he wanted to keep going north. He pulled out his compass, the main path would take him straight north, not to mention that he could always come back and take the alternate route that Artair spoke of. And an old and haunted building got his curiosity flowing. He decided to check it out and kept traveling in the northerly direction.
It was not long before he came to a ravine lined with rocks on both sides. It kept going like this for some time and he had to camp in the middle of the path as there was nowhere else to set up his tent. The ravine was beneficial as it kept the fog up above it so he could see both ways on the path, he was the only thing out there.
The next morning, he awoke and came out of his tent. He looked both ways, still no bear, that was good. He packed up and kept moving north. About noon he came out of the ravine and the wind picked up again, enough to clear the air of the fog.
Up ahead he saw something, it looked like some kind of structure that seemed to be covered by something. He figured that it was the Livery Station that Artair spoke of, that is the haunted Livery Station, from here it didn’t look that bad. He took out his scope for his rifle, it was pretty powerful and gave him a closer look at the place, it was completely overgrown with years of growth, vines and dried grasses. But while viewing the structure he saw that there was another building there, a small stone cabin, it had no overgrowth and there were flowers growing around it, someone was living there obviously. Again, it was more structures that he never saw on google earth, he wondered why. It was one of the reasons he picked this finger of the island, he was looking for somewhere, a void that would take him away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, well one house or another had to be expected sooner or later.
It was a good four hours away sitting on a point of land, he could see crashing waves below it. He had been traveling overland for so long now and it was the first time he saw some of the northern coast, it was really gorgeous. He stored his scope and trudged on figuring that he could stay in one of the older stone buildings for the night, as long at the resident in the cabin didn’t mind, that and the ghosts that haunted the place. Hugh had been in a few haunted houses before, the ghosts were more of a pest than a real issue that he should be worried about.
About three hours later he could see the site better, the rock structure was some kind of castle, smaller but still a castle, he never thought that he would ever see something like this on this excursion. He saw nothing on-line about a castle structure out here either. But to the side of it was an arched entry, that must be the Livery Station, a stone horse stable.
A short time later and he was at the site, he could feel the mist of the waves splashed across his face as he stepped up to the cliff’s edge. He stood there watching the waves when behind him he heard a door open, he turned around to see a woman dumping a bucket of water on the flowers. She was wearing an old worn dress, no makeup and her hair in disarray, but she was a goddess standing there.
She saw him and said, “Oh my, a man, how did you get here?”
Hugh, “Pardon me, my name is Hugh, I was just traveling your beautiful countryside. A man told me of this place, he said it was haunted, I decided to check it out. I didn’t know that it was a castle and that there was someone actually living here. I hope that I didn’t scare you.”
The woman, she was his age and about his height with long blonde hair with a slight red tinge, she had pale skin and was as beautiful as the country she was in. She said, “I’m Pihla, I’m sorry if I seem surprised, my father never lets anyone come up here anymore.”
Hugh, “You mean Artair, he seemed like a nice man, he pointed out the path to me, he said this place was haunted and I decided to check it out. I had no idea that there was a castle up here, nothing showed on the maps that I looked at.”
Pihla, “Artair, is that what he is calling himself now, makes sense, that means the Bear King. He is Fergus Mór, the last King of Scotland, he is a spirit.”
Hugh with a surprised look said, “King, there hasn’t been a king in Scotland for over a thousand years.”
Pihla, “More like 1400 years ago. I’m his daughter.”
Hugh raised his eyebrows and said, “So you are over 1400 years old, like him, a ghost?”
Pihla, “No, I am only thirty-two and more than alive still. He brought my mother up here and built this house, she passed away almost fourteen years ago now, I been here ever since. But he has never let anyone up here, that is what is confusing me. Wait a minute, did he shake your hand?”
Hugh, “Yes he did, why does that matter?”
Pihla, “He looked inside you, he saw your soul. I hope he not doing what I think he is doing.”
Hugh, “Maybe you can fill me in on this, what was he doing?”
Pihla, “I don’t know how to break this to you but, he may have brought you here to date me. Just who are you?”
Hugh, “Me, I’m just an ordinary joe, nothing special. Heck, I’m an American, the most hated society in the world right now.”
Pihla, “But, you are good, or he wouldn’t have let you come here.”
Hugh, “Well that’s true, I’ve been told by many of the women I encountered that I was too nice for them. But let me get this straight, he enticed me with a haunting story just to get me up here to meet you … he must have known that I would take the bait.”
Pihla, “Well he was partially right, this place was haunted by the souls that once came here to fight against him, they’re still all here in the area somewhere, he told me that he was a viscous killer before the English eliminated him … He had to have let you come up here, there is no other way.”
Hugh, “Ghosts of warriors, should I be worried?”
Pihla, “No, what is left here are just the old workers, they make a lot of noise, but they can’t physically hurt you. They’ve been trying to scare me ever since I was born, I just ignore them, and they go away. He keeps all of them out of the house here, which is nice. Actually, I haven’t seen him in over eight years, but I know he is still around, he keeps bring me food. I can’t believe he did this to you, I’m so sorry. Do you want to leave, I would understand it if you did.”
Hugh, “Actually it was getting dark and I was thinking about crashing in the stable over there for tonight, that is if it is alright by you of course. I could stay outside if you think there will be a problem, I have a tent with me.”
Pihla, “Crash, I’m not understanding you, do you mean sleeping in there?”
Hugh, “Yes, I’m sorry, I’m an American and we have twisted the English language. I actually had a woman in Germany tell me that I don’t speak proper English, we both had a laugh at that one. So, is it OK if I sleep in the stable tonight?”
Pihla, “No, you can’t do that, the ghosts as you call them would never let you rest, his horses are still here too. You’ll need to stay in the house here for tonight. I have a pot of stew on the fire, you could join me for dinner, I would like the company. You see, I never had anyone other than my mother here at the house, and it been a long time since she died. There has been no one for so long.”
Hugh, “Thank you, I would be honored to join you for dinner, and I could really use a meal that wasn’t freeze dried. But I don’t know about staying in the house with you here, won’t your father mind? You are a beautiful woman all alone out here.”
Pihla, “A gentleman, father must have seen that in you too. Come on in, I’ll deal with him if he comes around, I’ll set the table for two.”
They went to the door, she opened it and he saw in the cabin, it was small. He said, “Here let me leave my backpack outside, it’s kind of tight in here.”
Pihla, “Tight, you mean small don’t you. No you can’t leave it outside, the spirits might toss in the ocean on you. You can hang it on the back of the door, there’s a hook.”
Hugh came in and closed the thick door, he hung his backpack as she said. Then he turned around, the house was more than tight, there was not any room at all for anything. The chairs were hanging on the wall, there was no kitchen, the dinner table was barely big enough to put two plates on and the bed was sitting in the corner of the single room. The stove was the fireplace with a cast iron pot hanging on a hook, there was no bathroom that must be outside, possibly an outhouse. There was a free-standing closet beside the bed, it looked like it had hand carved features and very well done. It was as if he was looking at a house that was from a thousand years ago.
He pulled the chairs off the wall and set them on opposing sides of the table just as Pihla set two bowls of food at each seat. Then she pulled a loaf of bread off the mantle and sliced off a couple of slices to eat with the dinner, the knife she used looked like it was probably hundreds of hears old but still sharp.
Pihla went to sit down, and Hugh was there to hold her chair for her, she noticed and said, “I remember that father used to do this for mother, it’s nice.”
Hugh went around the table and sat down as Pihla put her hands together for a prayer before dinner, he followed and she said, “In Jesus’ name to the table we go. To eat and drink according to his word. To God the honor, us the gain, so we have food in Jesus’ name. And thank you for the company that we have tonight. Amen.” She looked right at Hugh with the most amazing look in her eyes.
Hugh said, “That was beautiful, almost as pleasing as you are.” She blushed.
It had been a long time since Hugh sat at a table across from a woman that wasn’t painted up and embellished with makeup, she didn’t need any and was prettier than any woman he ever met, this was all completely unexpected.
He said, “I want you to know, I was out here to clear my mind, civilization was getting to me and I thought a nice hiking excursion would be good for me.” He looked around the room once again and said, “You have a simple life here, I commend you on it. I wish mine was as uncomplicated, innocent.”
Pihla, “You live differently, tell me about it.”
Hugh, “Oh boy, where do I start. It started every day with an hour drive into work, sitting at a desk for eight, nine hours a day and another hour to get home. It left little time for much enjoyment. Just sitting here having dinner with you is simply pleasing, better than anything I had in LA. Mine was either fast food or microwaved unless I went out, that is with more driving involved just to get to an eating establishment.”
Pihla, “Driving, you mean riding your horse?”
Hugh, “No we have horseless carriages now, we call them cars that can go faster than you could ever go on horseback. We have roads that are ten lanes wide with thousands of cars all going someplace and back again. But I also have a motorcycle, it is closer to a horse but faster than the cars. They all use a form of oil like your lamp uses, thousands of barrels of it every minute of the day, and don’t get me started on the exhaust smell. You should know, you have fresh air that is so unlike the air where I come from.”
Pihla, “And the fast food, you had to chase after it in this motor … cycle?”
Hugh laughed at that, “You really are secluded here. Fast food was prepared for you as quickly as they could and served to you, you were lucky not to die of indigestion from the concoctions. And I never ate at the table like this, it was usually done while sitting in my car or it would get cold on you. If you brought it home, you had to heat it up in a microwave to make it palatable again. That is technology we created that vibrated the water in the food to heat it, many times it was hot on the outside and cold in the middle still, not very pleasant.”
Phila, “What about the desk, is that like selling your goods at a counter?”
Hugh, “Not exactly, I worked on a computer. That is more technology that I had to use to do the work I did … that doesn’t explain it very well does it. How about this, I didn’t make physical things, I figured out how to make things so others could make them for us in an assembly line, making thousands of the same item every day like your oil lamp or the pot you used to cook in.”
Pihla, “Thousands?”
Hugh, “Yes, thousands even millions sometimes. You see there are billions of people in this world, it is so full of people that we have to build houses in towers to hold everyone, we would produce thousands of each of these items that we made, we sold them to everyone, it was a mad loop.”
Pihla, “If you sold them to millions then there must be piles of treasure out there.”
Hugh, “That is the worse part, the world out there is built on the treasures of the world. We just call it money now, it has become the power in the world today. The more you have and the more power you hold, it is quite disgusting if you ask me.”
Pihla, “My father was like that, he once told me that he has a treasure room in the castle, it is full and I see what it brought to him, he died keeping it safe. I still think he is bound to it in some fashion. But your world, it seems so interesting, so advanced, but it also seems to be so dangerous because of it.”
Hugh, “Absolutely but that is an understatement, as the world became more advanced with technology it also became more hazardous to the people of the world. There are wars where no one has to see the damage that they are causing any more. We have missiles and drones that go to sites and blow up killing everyone but the attackers. And now we have nuclear weapons that could devastate entire areas, one or two could flatten this island you are on killing thousands in the process. But that is only the start of it, in today’s world we have viruses and diseases that take out entire populations of people without even lifting a finger. And I am not too sure that they weren’t spread on purpose.”
Pihla, “That sounds so scary, and you live in this madness?”
Hugh, “Yes, I do. But that is why I was out here, I needed to get away from it all if even for a short time. I see you have a hard life here, but it is peaceful. And the technology, you are showing me right now that you can live without it. If the world has it way, it will all be like this again. In effect, you are in a better situation right here than all of the rest of the world.”
Pihla, “But I always wanted to see more. I see the ships going by, they are huge, some even have people on board. They look to be playing games and enjoying life.”
Hugh, “Cruise ships, yes the people on board have a brief time of enjoyment at a great expense to them. But they always have to return to their pitiful lives in the end.”
Pihla, “Where does that leave you, are you going to have to return to that when you leave here?”
Hugh, “I don’t know, if I had my way I wouldn’t go back, it’s fraught with dangers just to live a good life. I live in LA, there is pollution, violence and everyone is trying to obtain more power.”
Pihla, “You mean your money’s, don’t you.”
Hugh, “Yes, I do. But there is so much good there also. I used to go to the beach every weekend, water so warm you could stay in it all day, sunshine that lasts forever and a nightlife that was pretty fantastic. But it all came at a cost, and it was not just money, there was all the stuff I talked about. Someone might just come out one day and start shooting everyone from going crazy from the world around them. You could get sick and die from it, and you always had to worry about what the government, the powers to be were going to do to ruin the world that day. They always seem to have another plan for the world and the people in it.”
Pihla looked at the backpack on the back of the door and said, “This technology you spoke of you brought some of it here with you? Is it dangerous?”
Hugh looked at his gear and said, “I do have a few things with me, but I left all the dangerous stuff back in my storage in LA. I got a cell phone, clothes and some freeze-dried food that would probably gag you if you tried to eat it. Oh yea, I got my torn down air rifle with me, it was the only thing that the government here would let me take with me, that’s somewhat dangerous. But I only brought it for protection, it shoots small pellets with compressed air.”
Pihla cleared off the table and said, “Can I see this technology you speak of?”
He said, “Sure,” and he pulled his backpack off the door and sat back down. He pulled out three items, a Zippo lighter, a multi-tool and his cell phone. Pihla picked up the brass lighter and asked, “What is this?”
Hugh, “Ah, that is my lighter, it is like your lamp here but more portable, I believe that it uses the same kind of oil to make the flame.” While she held it he opened it and lit it, her mouth gapped at the sight of it.
Pihla, “You have fire in a metal box, this is amazing.”
Hugh, “That’s nothing, look at this.” He turned on his cell phone and the display lit up, so did her eyes as they went wide.
He handed it to her to look at, it was a Samsung S9+ with the bigger screen. The colors were brilliant. She turned it sideways and then looked at the back, she turned it back around to see the front and said, “How is this done?”
Hugh, “Ooo, that’s a tough one. I don’t know if I can explain it but it connects all the people in the world now. You can talk to anyone anywhere with the touch of a button. I don’t have any reception here, you will have to take my word on it but I could call someone back home thousands of kilometers away and talk to them right from here. Here let me show you something, I have my music on it.” While she held it he hit the music player and a newer country hit started playing.
Pihla with a surprised look said, “You have musicians in here?”
Hugh, “No musicians, it is just their music. We figured out how to save the sounds and this lets me listen to it when I want to.” He turned it off and hit the camera button and flipped it to the one pointing to her, her face showed up.
Pihla, “This is me, I never saw myself before, my hair is a mess. I don’t have a mirror, my mother talked about them. This is like a mirror?”
Hugh took a picture and said, “kind of but it’s more than that, it can save your reflection, we call that a picture, it’s so you can look at it later. It does a lot more but I need a connection for most of it to work. It runs on a battery and it looks like it is low. Here let me put it on the charger.”
He pulled out a thicker box and set it on the table, then he placed the phone on it and the charging symbol started up. He said, “This has another battery inside and it transfers power to the phone. Then when I need to, I can charge it back up with the power of the sun on the solar panel on it.”
Pihla shaking her head now said, “And what is this?” As she pointed to his multi-tool.
Hugh replied, “This is my toolbox.” He flipped out items as he talked about them. “This is my pocket knife, this here is a finger nail file and a saw, this is a pair of scissors, here is a can opener and screw driver, and this, I don’t know what it is for but it is sharp on the inside of the hook.” He closed all those items up and opened it from another point. “These are my plyers and wire cutter and on this end is a whistle.” As he pulled it out and blew into it. “It’s not the best whistle, but the rest is quite useful.” He closed it all up. “And it folds all up in this nice little package, it’s very handy.”
Pihla was amazed at all the items but all of the sudden she yawned. He didn’t want to be a bother to her and said, “Your tired, you should retire for the night, we can look at the other things tomorrow, how about that.”
Pihla, “Your probably right, I am tired, it’s been a long day. Your technology is so interesting.”
She got up and turned a knob on the lamp that was on the hearth, it pulled in the wick and it went out. She grabbed the other one and took it to her bedside and sat it on a small table. Hugh picked up the dinner table and set it off to the side, she watched as he released his sleeping bag from his backpack and unrolled it on the floor.
Phila, “Why are you doing that? We have a bed, my mother and I use to sleep together on it all the time, there’s plenty of room for the two of us.”
Hugh looked at her and her beauty and said, “I don’t know, it would not be proper … A man should not sleep with a woman in my world if they were not … ah … married or at least lovers. You know what I mean?”
Pihla, “But that floor is hard, you should sleep on the bed, I just put some new straw on it just a week ago. I don’t mind if that is what you are worried about. Besides I could some of your heat to keep warm, but only if you don’t object.”
Hugh thought about it for a few seconds and he nodded as he said, “Sure, it would be better than the floor.”
He walked over to the bed and push his hand down upon it, he said, “Straw, I don’t think I ever slept on a straw bed before, this will be different.”
He took off his coat and pants and hung them over the foot rail of the bed. He turned to see Pihla taking off her dress, she had nothing on underneath it and went to the bed.
Hugh, “You sleep like that?”
Pihla, “Yes, I used to have a nightshirt but I outgrew it long ago.” she looked at him, his face was blushing. “Is this alright, you seem embarrassed.”
Hugh, “Ah, yes … how about I loan something to you.” He went back to his backpack and pulled out a light green tee shirt. He walked it over to her and said, “Here, if you would please wear this, I would feel better about sleeping beside you … you are a very beautiful woman.”
She took it and put it on, it covered her down to her hips and she said, “Is that better?”
Hugh, “Most definitely.”
He watched as she leaned over and turned down the bed, he saw her buttocks show as she crawled into the far side of the bed, it aroused him greatly. He calmed himself down and laid down beside her, trying not to think of the beauty laying right beside him. She pulled the blanket up over them, under the blanket she rolled over and laid her head on his chest.
Pihla, “You smell nice, it is alright if I lay like this?”
Hugh could not refuse her, he said, “As the lady wishes.”
Before she went to sleep she stated, “A gentleman, my father was never like that.” And she started softly snoring.
Hugh kept his cool and put his hand on the small of her back, it was as soft as the shirt he gave her to wear and he fell right to sleep.
Hugh woke up, fresh air was hitting him in the face, he breathed it in and opened his eyes. Sun was pouring in the front door lighting up the room. He turned his head and there was no one in the bed with him. He yawned and stretched to get himself going again. The edge of the bed was a solid board, it held the straw in-place, he leaned over it and sat upright and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
There was a noise to his right and he turned to see what it was. Pihla was there pulling a hot kettle off the fire and sat it on the stone hearth, she said, “I tried to move your backpack and it fell over on me, a lot of things fell out. You had it packed tight in there. I saw the tea in those little bags you carried, I hope you don’t mind it has been years since I had a cup, do you want me to fix you one?”
Hugh noticed that she was wearing a pair of overhauls, then he noticed that they were his. He replied, “Tea, yes that would be nice.”
As she poured water she said, “I put on your pants, I hope you don’t mind, all I have is the last two dresses that my mother wore, one of them is really starting to fall apart.”
Hugh got up and sat down at the table as she set the cup of tea in front of him. The three pieces of his rifle was in front of him sitting on the table.
She said, “Those came out of your backpack, they look important, I sat them on the table to keep them clean.”
Hugh said, “No problem, I needed to assemble them anyway. This is as good of a time as any.”
While his tea steeped he assembled it back together again. Out of one of the outside pockets he pulled out a small set of screwdrivers and the rest of the parts. He unfolded the barrel and set the main assembly back into the rifle base with a small pin in position. It took three screws to assemble it back together again. He broke the barrel slightly and looked down it, the barrel looked clean and he snapped it back straight. Then he went back to his backpack and pulled out a scope assembly from it. It was not the original assembly but an after market unit that had a lighted scope, a separate hologram reflex sight, a laser pointer and a flashlight assembly all in one, the same one he used to look at the castle from afar. It actually mounted backwards to the barrel with six set screws letting the scope hang back over the trigger on the rifle. Next he pulled out a ten-pellet cartridge and loaded it up full with pellets and placed it in the holder on the top of the barrel. He pulled a second cartridge and filled it up, he put it in the holder in the grip and closed up the cover on it again. He flipped the safety trigger forward and set it aside while he packed up his tools and put them away.
Hugh looked up and he had an audience, Pihla was watching him the whole way. Hugh finished his cup of tea said, “You want to see this thing shoot?” As he pulled out a odd but collapsed pole from his backpack.
Pihla, “I don’t know, it looks dangerous.”
Hugh, “It actually is with the right ammo. Right now I got some target rounds in it for testing. Come on and I’ll let you fire it a couple of times, it has no kick, it’s just an air rifle.”
Pihla was a little hesitant but eventually said, “Alright, I hope father doesn’t mind.”
They both went outside and they went over to the cliff’s edge. He said, “You see the kelp on that rock down there, that’s the target.” He pulled out the pole and extended it out, there were three short legs on it and he released them, they were the stand.
Hugh, “Here let me check the alignment with the scope and make sure it working good.”
He broke the barrel folding it down and slowly let it go straight again watching and making sure the pellet loaded correctly. Then he sat it in the saddle on the pole and lined it up with the kelp. He flipped the safety trigger backwards and fired off one round.
Pihla watched as a burst of air came out of the rifle blasting dust a good meter from the rifle end. He hit the kelp and it jumped. He took a second and third shot checking it every time it loaded. Every shot hit the kelp exactly where he wanted it to hit. He broke it again and set the safety trigger.
Hugh, “Here, it’s your turn.”
Pihla came up to him and he adjusted the pole to her height and he handed her the rifle. she said, “It’s heavy.”
Hugh, “Yes it is for an air rifle. It has a safety trigger, you have to pull it back to shoot, then you can pull the other one and it fires off. Now line it up with the kelp down there and pull the trigger.”
She did and it missed the kelp but she was surprised at the firing of it. He broke the barrel again and set her up again. This time she hit the rock but a little off target. On the third try she hit the kelp square and tossed it off the rock. She handed the rifle back to him and he set the safety.
Hugh, “There you go, easy wasn’t it. I got some other ammo for it, one of them is a magnum with a cross cut into it. It is supposed to shatter to take down larger prey. I also got these ones called rocket loads. They have a solid ball in them, goes right through things. I haven’t gone hunting with it yet but it is pretty impressive. I bet I could take down a turkey or a goose with it easily. A guy on YouTube said he took down a deer with one of these. All I ever did was scare a coyote away from a friends chicken coop back home.”
Pihla, “I never had to do that, I got enough spirits here that chase the foxes away. But that weapon is different, I never shot one before. Father always sent men running and threw their weapons in the ocean when they came around.” She looked around, “He didn’t seem to mind me shooting that one though.”
Hugh, “Well I try to be careful when I use it, I understand it is a dangerous item.” He collapsed the pole and snugged it back up.
Pihla, “That sure helped hold it up, I like that. It made it possible for me to hold it up.”
Hugh, “I like it too, I can hit a can at a thousand feet using it. But am I keeping you for things, I don’t mean to disturb your daily routine.” As he set both inside the house.
Pihla, “Hum, daily routine. You mean watching the vegetables grow or the waves as they come crashing in, that’s what I do every day around here. You’re the most excitement I have had for years. How about I give you a tour of the place.”
Hugh came over to her and saw that the pant legs of his overalls were dragging, he kneeled down and rolled them up and said, “A tour, sure I never been in an actual castle before. But I’ve seen ghosts before so that will not be a surprise to me. There were two kids at this one house that died in a fire, they played with the lights and radio while we were there, scared the heck out of my mom.”
Pihla led him behind the stable and said, “Well these are a bit worse than that, they like to come up to you and scream to scare you. I’m pretty used to them now, it has no effect, just be prepared for it.”
Around the back of the stable was the garden, Pihla said, “I got lots of potatoes, some radishes, onions and turnips. I have to watch the turnips as they get out of control a lot of times, had them twice as tall as you just a year ago.”
Hugh stepped in the arched entry of the stable, there were several stalls that had no closure any more. All that was left was the main wall of each stall. He heard horses neigh but he didn’t see any. He said, “You have ghost horses, that too cool. Your father said this was a Livery Station. That means this was a place to exchange hoses on carriages when they came through.” All of the sudden he heard hoofs and they galloped toward him and out the archway.
Pihla, “Their being playful today, they must like you. Here this way to the castle, the doors and shutters fell long ago so it’s a little cold in there. I use to play with the spirits in here when I was young, my understanding is that my father let a bunch of them return home a long time ago. What spirts are left are more a pest than anything else.”
Hugh checked out the wall as he entered the doorway, “Gads, look at this stonework, this wall has to be a meter thick. I always wondered how they made such structures, these stones are hundreds of kilograms each, it would take several people just to move one of them. Look at the surface, it is still as flat as the day it was made, absolutely perfect.”
They came into a kitchen area, it had a fireplace and a stone oven with a fire pit beneath it, all made of some sort of smaller stone, it was blueish in tint. There were stone tables along one wall and another in the center of the room. He said, “This is how you make things to last.” As he patted the stone in the oven, “This is solid state here, have you tried to bake anything in it?”
Pihla, “No, it would take a lot of wood and I try not to use it for this. I bake bread on the metal plate in the fireplace back in the house.”
A scream filled the room and Hugh jumped, Pihla just smiled and said, “That’s Gretta, she was the cook a long time ago. She doesn’t like others in her kitchen.”
Hugh spoke up and said, “I’m a pretty good cook, I assisted a chef who learned his trade in France. I could help, that is if you need help.” All he got was a loud ‘No’. he continued, “Aw, you say that now, just wait till I show you what I can prepare. With the right ingredients I can make a chocolate mousse cream pie that is to die for.” He got no response from her this time. “Oh look, a pantry.” As he stepped up to it.
Pihla said, “It was lined with shelves at one time and they hung the meat on the hooks on the back wall, see them there. My father leaves me things in here when I need food, it’s always cold in her and keeps things fresh. It’s also on the north side of the castle, it never gets sun on this side.”
Hugh, “Absolutely fantastic, What is through here?” As he pointed to the next doorway.
Pihla, “That is the dining room, father said it had a grand table at one time, he said he came back one day and some nefarious men were burning it for heat in the grand fireplace. I’m sure that they regretted that day. And on the other side is the living space but all that is left is the fireplace.”
Hugh, “Yes fireplaces in every room, these old castles had to have lots of heat to keep them warm.” A shiver came up his back and he said, “Does it snow here much?”
Pihla, “Most certainly, I look forward to two to three months every year if not more. It’s the ice I worry about, it builds up on the shore sometimes so thick that it comes all the way up to the cliff’s edge.”
They came out of the living space and into the foyer, an entry way that connects to all of the castle but without all the doors it was quite breezy. At the end of it was a spiral staircase that went up and down. Hugh asked, “Where does this take you?”
Pihla, “Up goes to Fathers room and the tower turrets but I don’t go up there, Father never liked me doing that. But down goes to the old dock, it’s still there but a little shaky any more. We can go down there if you like.”
Hugh, “A dock, you have another way in here, I didn’t know. Yes, please lets go, you lead I’ll follow.”
They both went down the stone steps, one floor then two then three floors and the steps stopped at an inlaid stone path. More exquisite stone work, it was fantastic. They followed the path through a tunnel down to the waterline, it came out at a pool some fifty meters across, a dock made of tree trunks was there holding it above the water. Hugh tested it and every step to make sure it was still solid enough for them, it was.
Pihla, “Father said it was the emergency exit at one time, a way to get out if they were attacked. There was a door at the exit at one time that would protect you long enough to get a row boat and get out of here.”
Hugh, “Wow, that tunnel opening to the sea is impressive, it is large enough for a fishing boat of today to get in here, you know I could probably get you some supplies in here if you needed them.”
Pihla, “Well father see to all my needs, but I sure could use some new clothes. He has no source for anything like that.”
Hugh, “Interesting, let me work on that.”
Pihla, “Can I ask you something?”
Hugh turned toward her and said, “Sure, fire away.”
Pihla, “If you could, would you take me out of here, you know back to your cities?”
Hugh, “You serious?” she nodded. “Right now I would have to say no, you need to stay here for your own protection. You’ve heard me talk about it out there, it’s not what you think it is. On top of it are the diseases out there, you haven’t had any inoculations ever. You would most likely die quickly with all the nasty germs out there, I couldn’t have that, you’re too precious to put out in the world of today.” She had a look, it was sincere. “I mean it, my whole life I have been subjected to all kinds of shots, some almost killed me like when I got chicken pox. I got the shot like all the others in grade school and everyone caught the germ, when we came back to school there were many who didn’t, they died from it, I was lucky because I was close. Do you understand me, you have been too secluded from it all to live through it?”
Pihla looked down and said, “I guess I do, but I want to see it so much, all I ever had was what you see here. I long to see other places.”
Hugh, “Let me work on that too. I might be able to bring visions of it here, I can show you what I seen out there, you don’t know how good you have it here. I would rather stay here forever than out there, it’s so bad you wouldn’t believe it. London is south of here, it is one vile town filled with self-serving people that only respect money, nothing else. The society likes to boss others around, some whole countries are under their controls. They would rather kick you to the curb than help you, they’ve been that way for a thousand years. I’m sorry.”
Pihla, “Would you?”
Hugh, “Would I what?”
Pihla, “Would you stay here with me, I mean forever until we die from old age. Father would protect us, take care of us. I think he saw that in you, he didn’t want me to be alone. I see it in you, you care for others.”
Hugh with a surprised look on his face said, “Wow, I thought I was supposed to be the one who proposes. You know nothing of me, I know little of you. I could be some rapist or a criminal trying to get away from the law.”
Pihla, “No I don’t believe it is so, you showed that last night, you were the perfect gentleman, you still are.”
A voice came from behind him, it said, “What say you?” They turned around and Artair was there crouched down by the tunnel exit. “I can’t lose my little girl, she is all I have. You’re someone that could protect her, keep her safe from this world. I’ve watched for 1600 years, seen it change, seen it destroy itself over and over again, you’ve seen this too.”
“Then one day I saw a ship sinking off the coast, I saved her mother from the sea, Pihla doesn’t know about this, she was about to die, I didn’t even know at that time why I did it. But when Pihla was born I found happiness … love … something I never had before, after all those years. Then I saw it in her that with her mother gone she needed someone to be with, to not be alone anymore, I knew that she would leave to fulfill this need. You know as much as I do that she would not last out there, I can’t have that, I knew that you wouldn’t allow that either. I want you to know, I called out for someone, I saw you in your city and then a month later you showed up at the cabin back there.”
“I already know her answer is yes.”
Hugh was stunned, he looked at Pihla, her eyes said it all, he said, “Are you sure of this, there are thousand more men out there just like me, I’m sure of it.”
Pihla, “But I only want one, I see him right here, right now.”
Hugh turned back to Artair and said, “Then I need some things, I need to go back and go shopping for … everything. I promise I will bring nothing back that will harm her.” He turned back to Pihla and continued, “And we need a bigger house … for all the children.”
A tear ran down her cheek, she was without words.
Artair said, “I have a treasure in my room, buy what you need, bring it back here. I’ll fix the castle, make it better than it was when it was in its prime. My room will be yours and I’ll visit more, especially if there are grandchildren. So, what say you?”
Hugh looking at his bride to be and said, “Aye, I’m you’re man. You know I adored you from the day I first saw you, I cherish you even more now. What say you?”
There were no words, she flung herself at him and kissed him deeply and long. She eventually pulled back and said, “I do.”
Love can pierce through any cloud of unknowing, it can take the most violent of people and turn them into the greatest ward of the destitute soul. And it can be found in an blink of an eye, this was true here.
Hugh spent the day in a most interesting way. He dumped most of his backpack and took only that which he would need for the trip back to the uncivilized world of today. They went to Artair’s room and found three chests of treasures full to the brim. There were coins of the realm of the day which included, the Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar, the Silver Denarius of Marc Antony, the Brass Sestertius of Nero, the Silver Antoninianus of Valerian, the Bronze Follis of Diocletian, the Silver Denarius of Marc Antony and the Brass Sestertius of Nero. From one of the chests he took a hundred roman gold coins in mint condition worth about two million pounds. Then he took a small pouch of gems that included cut and uncut diamonds, fully finished rubies and tumbled opals, they had a worth of half a million pounds. All of them were barely over five kilograms in his backpack.
He left later that day, Pihla wanted him to stay another night but he felt that if he did he would have slept with her and loved her. He wanted her purity to be true, for that he wanted them to be married. And that would have to all wait until his return.
Artair came with him, he knew the vile world and the ones that would be able to help them in this endeavor. Whether they would understand their position or not, treasures like this would sparkle any and all attention from those that are self-serving. Artair guided him to a large farm southwest of Fraserburgh, it was called the Elphinstone Ian Farm. He sold the coins to the owner for 1.2 million pounds, a day later the funds were available in his bank account. The story that the owner of the farm told people is that he dug them up from one of his fields, but he was able to double his money made from them because of their mint condition when he sold them to the highest bidder. Typical money monger.
Hugh bought a barge and rented the services of a tug to pull it to their site with some of the gems. After that he went shopping in Fraserburgh with the rest of the gems and all of the money’s. He bought a copy of every book in one bookstore with the remaining opals and he secured enough clothes for a population with the remaining gems. He ordered other items from on-line resources and had them delivered with urgent carriers. In the end the barge was filled with supplies and many had to be carried by tug itself.
His return to the site three weeks later livened Pihla, she was so worried that he would not return once he got his riches, but she was wrong. She was his greatest treasure.
The tug came into the cave and parked the barge on one side of the dock and the tug off-loaded its cargo and left. Artair wiped the memory of the whole event from the crew so no one would remember the experience. He also suppressed any of Hugh’s infectious elements that he carried so he would not pass them along to others here.
Overnight Artair rebuilt the castle with new elements including windows of today, triple pane windows and insulated doors with full seals to keep out the weather. He also refitted it with furnishing of his day, finely crafted tables and chairs were everywhere as a weeding gift to them. He also hid the whole property so that if someone was looking in from the sea they would only see a wall of fog and an unforgiving shoreline. From the castle properties everything look just as it always did.
Hugh let Pihla take her time reassociating herself with his return. But then he had work to do, that is to bring all of the items he purchased up to the castle floors. He bought a powered stair climbing truck that was capable of carrying piano’s up narrow flights of stairs, it worked well on the spiral staircase.
He brought up the first wooden crate and opened it, clothes fill it to the brim. He pulled out two boxes from the top of the container and handed them to Pihla, they were her wedding dress and his proper Scottish wedding attire. Hers was a gold lace and green long dress, the lady that sold it to him actually said that it was a prom dress that was ordered but never picked up. His was a green kilt with a black tuxedo top with tall boots, very suiting for the event.
Before they went any further they held a wedding, her father presided over the event in his best clothes as the ceremony leader, the ghosts that remained became the witnesses of the event that included her mother in the front row. Hugh showed Gretta how to operate a camera and she took hundreds of pictures of the event so Pihla could admire them at a later time.
Pihla was in tears throughout most of the event, as expected.
Gretta made dinner, it was part traditional. She made haggis, mashed potatoes and turnips in a whisky sauce, it was truly special. If you don’t know what haggis is, it is a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep, minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled. Hugh did eat some of it but he also ate a good portion of the delicious ham that Gretta made on the side.
The ghosts and the living had a wonderful evening dancing and partying until the newlywed went to their room for the night. For the beginning of the night Pihla wore a knee length nightshirt in plaid green and Hugh feeling kind of foolish wore a tee shirt that said, ‘Get Yer Kilt On’ in large letter on the front of it, she loved it, they didn’t wear them long. They loved each other until they fell to sleep in each other arms in the master’s bed, a king size four posted bed with full canopy, again filled with straw to comfort you.
The next week was filled with bring up everything that Hugh bought while he was in town. Crate upon crates were brought up and most were stored in the stable in four unused stalls. Three others were complete with gates and Artair brought in three horses for them to ride, they were let out to wander their gracious lands. Artair closed the trail and made it impossible for the horses to wander far with steep hillsides and dense trees. The coastline would finish off this containment and water was provided by a spring and several ponds up by the castle.
One of the days was filled with needs for their future children. The gallery was emptied except for dressers and closets. Hugh bought two cribs and three single beds for the children when they grow up. Pihla stored clothes for the young ones up to five years old, the rest would have to be stored in the stables. The game room was emptied so they could put all the old fashioned toys in there. There were wooden trains to stuffed dolls, he even brought a newer set of trains that ran on wooden tracks that you could build in various configurations. All were boxed up in fabric bins until the young arrived. The best part of the toys, there were no batteries, just basic toys like balls, blocks and tops. Yes there were toys like an old rotary phone and a cash register along with several cars and trucks, but they were all made of wood or plastic so it was OK. Surprisingly they found Artair in there playing with several of them on many days.
But Hugh did bring some technology with him. He brought four solar power stations which he set up two for power into the castle. He used one for the Bosch clothes washing machine which Pihla loved, clothes washing was one of her most hated chores, he stored the other two washers until they were needed. The other power station was for the electric glass tea kettle and toaster, he brought extra of them too. He also brought some entertainment, it was many nature shows and a few movies that didn’t have any violence in them, they were tough to find, you know that. He set up a forty inch monitor to play them upon in the living space.
Hugh also replaced the straw mattress with one of those compressed ones that come rolled up in a box, definitely softer than even the straw could ever be. And of course he brought many to replace it over the years.
Artair almost closed off the cave below the castle and called in a pair of his old friends, two water dragons from the loch ness lake. The dragons warmed the waters so the cave became a heated swimming pool and spa for all of them, even during the cold winters. The dragons became more than just friends but the lifeguards of the whole pool area. The interesting thing was that they could talk better English than Hugh spoke.
The first baby arrived ten months later, it was a boy and they named him after her father, Artair the second. One night Hugh and Grand Father were in the living space, he was curious and asked him how he died. There was a solemn silence for a moment and he finally said that it was a bad time in the castle. He had left to push back one threat only to come home to a castle of dead people as another of his adversaries had come while he was gone and slaughtered everyone. He had killed himself when he dove head-first off the top of the castle only to awaken and still be here, it was his punishment. He said he was so angry then and all aggressors died at his hands even though he was dead. That was all he said of that time, it was enough and it was never spoke of again.
As for life here it was pure and simple, babies were born and taken care of, they even had young horses for the kids to eventually ride on. And that is where we leave them, in a place of total bliss.
Don’t you wish you were there with them, I do.
The End, or is that a new beginning …
Livery Station
A small motor coach with a single passenger stops at a road intersection, the driver says, “This is as far as I can go north, Achnahaird Beach is just another kilometer up the road. Are you sure you want to get out here? There’s not too much out here, not even a pub.”The passenger gets up from his seat and grabs his backpack and says, “No, this is perfect, I got plenty of supplies and the air up here is wonderful. Thank you for taking me up here, I know it is normally out of your way.”
He exited the coach, and he stepped out onto the gravel road. He watched as the coach turned right and back toward town, he thought he heard, “Crazy American,” as the coach pulled away, he just smiled.
Around him were four cars parked alongside of the road, others enjoying the local beach and a walk in the countryside. The road was in front of him but that was not the direction that he wanted to go in, he was headed north to the top of this part of the island. It was isolated, just what he needed.
He was prepared with his weatherized tent, a warm and dry sleeping bag and enough supplies for a couple of months if he needed it.
He saw a path heading in the right direction, not more than a meter wide and highly overgrown on both sides of it. He researched this area on old maps that he found on-line, if he was right this was an old carriage road that was over a thousand years old, he decidedly took it. The farther he got up the path the more treacherous it became as it went up and down around bogs and small lochs, but he kept moving and watching his compass. For the first night he stayed under a bush just off the path for protection from the wind as it was blowing hard tonight.
The next morning brought fog and air that was so still that it hung the gloom close to the ground. He kept moving north and sometimes north-west following the path set in front of him. For four days and nights he kept going with no interaction with anyone else, he didn’t even see a rabbit or a squirrel the whole time.
On his fifth day the fog lifted a little and he came upon a small cottage, an older man was outside chopping wood. He stopped to look at the young man coming at him and smiled as he wiped some moisture from his face. He said, “Good Morn young man, are you lost?”
He said, “No, just on a walk across your fine country here. My name is Hugh West.”
The old man came up to his short fence with his hand out and said, “Artair, don’t see to many travelers up here, if you don’t mind me askin, where are you headin?” They shook hands, Hugh felt the strength in Artair’s hands, he had a good grip.
Hugh, “Just up north, looking for the top of this finger of your beautiful island. Do you know if this path takes you up there?”
Artair replied, “Yes, in a fashion. There’s a wye in road ahead, you need to take the west fork to get up there though, it goes by a lake and then it turns toward the northern part of the island. Just don’t go north on the main path as all there is out there is the old Livery Station, it’s kind of haunted. Say you want to come in, I got some brandy, keep you warm on these foggy days.”
Hugh, “No, I’m not too much of a drinker. But thanks for the offer and the direction advice. You have a wonderful day.” He waved to Artair and kept going. He was surprised to find someone in the vicinity, from google earth he saw no visible structures this far out, he must have just missed it.
Behind him he heard Artair say, “He’s the one I saw, a good man, not too many of those these days.”
About a hundred steps away the fog started coming back in and he turned around to look behind him and the house was gone. Nothing of the house was there, not even the short fence he stood beside. But there was something there, it was a black bear, it was watching him intently, it seemed to have a crown of light on its head.
He kept moving forward and a few steps further he turned around to look again and the bear was gone. That was good as he only had his pocketknife for protection from any animal, his air rifle was in pieces still stored away in his backpack. He looked down and picked up a club shaped branch just in case and carried it with him. As he continued scanning behind him and forward, he didn’t see the bear again, he was thankful for that.
A few hours later he came to the intersection that Artair told him about, the one path made a junction that went directly west of the main one. He thought about it for a moment, he had plenty of supplies with him to take this diversion, that is if he wanted to keep going north. He pulled out his compass, the main path would take him straight north, not to mention that he could always come back and take the alternate route that Artair spoke of. And an old and haunted building got his curiosity flowing. He decided to check it out and kept traveling in the northerly direction.
It was not long before he came to a ravine lined with rocks on both sides. It kept going like this for some time and he had to camp in the middle of the path as there was nowhere else to set up his tent. The ravine was beneficial as it kept the fog up above it so he could see both ways on the path, he was the only thing out there.
The next morning, he awoke and came out of his tent. He looked both ways, still no bear, that was good. He packed up and kept moving north. About noon he came out of the ravine and the wind picked up again, enough to clear the air of the fog.
Up ahead he saw something, it looked like some kind of structure that seemed to be covered by something. He figured that it was the Livery Station that Artair spoke of, that is the haunted Livery Station, from here it didn’t look that bad. He took out his scope for his rifle, it was pretty powerful and gave him a closer look at the place, it was completely overgrown with years of growth, vines and dried grasses. But while viewing the structure he saw that there was another building there, a small stone cabin, it had no overgrowth and there were flowers growing around it, someone was living there obviously. Again, it was more structures that he never saw on google earth, he wondered why. It was one of the reasons he picked this finger of the island, he was looking for somewhere, a void that would take him away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, well one house or another had to be expected sooner or later.
It was a good four hours away sitting on a point of land, he could see crashing waves below it. He had been traveling overland for so long now and it was the first time he saw some of the northern coast, it was really gorgeous. He stored his scope and trudged on figuring that he could stay in one of the older stone buildings for the night, as long at the resident in the cabin didn’t mind, that and the ghosts that haunted the place. Hugh had been in a few haunted houses before, the ghosts were more of a pest than a real issue that he should be worried about.
About three hours later he could see the site better, the rock structure was some kind of castle, smaller but still a castle, he never thought that he would ever see something like this on this excursion. He saw nothing on-line about a castle structure out here either. But to the side of it was an arched entry, that must be the Livery Station, a stone horse stable.
A short time later and he was at the site, he could feel the mist of the waves splashed across his face as he stepped up to the cliff’s edge. He stood there watching the waves when behind him he heard a door open, he turned around to see a woman dumping a bucket of water on the flowers. She was wearing an old worn dress, no makeup and her hair in disarray, but she was a goddess standing there.
She saw him and said, “Oh my, a man, how did you get here?”
Hugh, “Pardon me, my name is Hugh, I was just traveling your beautiful countryside. A man told me of this place, he said it was haunted, I decided to check it out. I didn’t know that it was a castle and that there was someone actually living here. I hope that I didn’t scare you.”
The woman, she was his age and about his height with long blonde hair with a slight red tinge, she had pale skin and was as beautiful as the country she was in. She said, “I’m Pihla, I’m sorry if I seem surprised, my father never lets anyone come up here anymore.”
Hugh, “You mean Artair, he seemed like a nice man, he pointed out the path to me, he said this place was haunted and I decided to check it out. I had no idea that there was a castle up here, nothing showed on the maps that I looked at.”
Pihla, “Artair, is that what he is calling himself now, makes sense, that means the Bear King. He is Fergus Mór, the last King of Scotland, he is a spirit.”
Hugh with a surprised look said, “King, there hasn’t been a king in Scotland for over a thousand years.”
Pihla, “More like 1400 years ago. I’m his daughter.”
Hugh raised his eyebrows and said, “So you are over 1400 years old, like him, a ghost?”
Pihla, “No, I am only thirty-two and more than alive still. He brought my mother up here and built this house, she passed away almost fourteen years ago now, I been here ever since. But he has never let anyone up here, that is what is confusing me. Wait a minute, did he shake your hand?”
Hugh, “Yes he did, why does that matter?”
Pihla, “He looked inside you, he saw your soul. I hope he not doing what I think he is doing.”
Hugh, “Maybe you can fill me in on this, what was he doing?”
Pihla, “I don’t know how to break this to you but, he may have brought you here to date me. Just who are you?”
Hugh, “Me, I’m just an ordinary joe, nothing special. Heck, I’m an American, the most hated society in the world right now.”
Pihla, “But, you are good, or he wouldn’t have let you come here.”
Hugh, “Well that’s true, I’ve been told by many of the women I encountered that I was too nice for them. But let me get this straight, he enticed me with a haunting story just to get me up here to meet you … he must have known that I would take the bait.”
Pihla, “Well he was partially right, this place was haunted by the souls that once came here to fight against him, they’re still all here in the area somewhere, he told me that he was a viscous killer before the English eliminated him … He had to have let you come up here, there is no other way.”
Hugh, “Ghosts of warriors, should I be worried?”
Pihla, “No, what is left here are just the old workers, they make a lot of noise, but they can’t physically hurt you. They’ve been trying to scare me ever since I was born, I just ignore them, and they go away. He keeps all of them out of the house here, which is nice. Actually, I haven’t seen him in over eight years, but I know he is still around, he keeps bring me food. I can’t believe he did this to you, I’m so sorry. Do you want to leave, I would understand it if you did.”
Hugh, “Actually it was getting dark and I was thinking about crashing in the stable over there for tonight, that is if it is alright by you of course. I could stay outside if you think there will be a problem, I have a tent with me.”
Pihla, “Crash, I’m not understanding you, do you mean sleeping in there?”
Hugh, “Yes, I’m sorry, I’m an American and we have twisted the English language. I actually had a woman in Germany tell me that I don’t speak proper English, we both had a laugh at that one. So, is it OK if I sleep in the stable tonight?”
Pihla, “No, you can’t do that, the ghosts as you call them would never let you rest, his horses are still here too. You’ll need to stay in the house here for tonight. I have a pot of stew on the fire, you could join me for dinner, I would like the company. You see, I never had anyone other than my mother here at the house, and it been a long time since she died. There has been no one for so long.”
Hugh, “Thank you, I would be honored to join you for dinner, and I could really use a meal that wasn’t freeze dried. But I don’t know about staying in the house with you here, won’t your father mind? You are a beautiful woman all alone out here.”
Pihla, “A gentleman, father must have seen that in you too. Come on in, I’ll deal with him if he comes around, I’ll set the table for two.”
They went to the door, she opened it and he saw in the cabin, it was small. He said, “Here let me leave my backpack outside, it’s kind of tight in here.”
Pihla, “Tight, you mean small don’t you. No you can’t leave it outside, the spirits might toss in the ocean on you. You can hang it on the back of the door, there’s a hook.”
Hugh came in and closed the thick door, he hung his backpack as she said. Then he turned around, the house was more than tight, there was not any room at all for anything. The chairs were hanging on the wall, there was no kitchen, the dinner table was barely big enough to put two plates on and the bed was sitting in the corner of the single room. The stove was the fireplace with a cast iron pot hanging on a hook, there was no bathroom that must be outside, possibly an outhouse. There was a free-standing closet beside the bed, it looked like it had hand carved features and very well done. It was as if he was looking at a house that was from a thousand years ago.
He pulled the chairs off the wall and set them on opposing sides of the table just as Pihla set two bowls of food at each seat. Then she pulled a loaf of bread off the mantle and sliced off a couple of slices to eat with the dinner, the knife she used looked like it was probably hundreds of hears old but still sharp.
Pihla went to sit down, and Hugh was there to hold her chair for her, she noticed and said, “I remember that father used to do this for mother, it’s nice.”
Hugh went around the table and sat down as Pihla put her hands together for a prayer before dinner, he followed and she said, “In Jesus’ name to the table we go. To eat and drink according to his word. To God the honor, us the gain, so we have food in Jesus’ name. And thank you for the company that we have tonight. Amen.” She looked right at Hugh with the most amazing look in her eyes.
Hugh said, “That was beautiful, almost as pleasing as you are.” She blushed.
It had been a long time since Hugh sat at a table across from a woman that wasn’t painted up and embellished with makeup, she didn’t need any and was prettier than any woman he ever met, this was all completely unexpected.
He said, “I want you to know, I was out here to clear my mind, civilization was getting to me and I thought a nice hiking excursion would be good for me.” He looked around the room once again and said, “You have a simple life here, I commend you on it. I wish mine was as uncomplicated, innocent.”
Pihla, “You live differently, tell me about it.”
Hugh, “Oh boy, where do I start. It started every day with an hour drive into work, sitting at a desk for eight, nine hours a day and another hour to get home. It left little time for much enjoyment. Just sitting here having dinner with you is simply pleasing, better than anything I had in LA. Mine was either fast food or microwaved unless I went out, that is with more driving involved just to get to an eating establishment.”
Pihla, “Driving, you mean riding your horse?”
Hugh, “No we have horseless carriages now, we call them cars that can go faster than you could ever go on horseback. We have roads that are ten lanes wide with thousands of cars all going someplace and back again. But I also have a motorcycle, it is closer to a horse but faster than the cars. They all use a form of oil like your lamp uses, thousands of barrels of it every minute of the day, and don’t get me started on the exhaust smell. You should know, you have fresh air that is so unlike the air where I come from.”
Pihla, “And the fast food, you had to chase after it in this motor … cycle?”
Hugh laughed at that, “You really are secluded here. Fast food was prepared for you as quickly as they could and served to you, you were lucky not to die of indigestion from the concoctions. And I never ate at the table like this, it was usually done while sitting in my car or it would get cold on you. If you brought it home, you had to heat it up in a microwave to make it palatable again. That is technology we created that vibrated the water in the food to heat it, many times it was hot on the outside and cold in the middle still, not very pleasant.”
Phila, “What about the desk, is that like selling your goods at a counter?”
Hugh, “Not exactly, I worked on a computer. That is more technology that I had to use to do the work I did … that doesn’t explain it very well does it. How about this, I didn’t make physical things, I figured out how to make things so others could make them for us in an assembly line, making thousands of the same item every day like your oil lamp or the pot you used to cook in.”
Pihla, “Thousands?”
Hugh, “Yes, thousands even millions sometimes. You see there are billions of people in this world, it is so full of people that we have to build houses in towers to hold everyone, we would produce thousands of each of these items that we made, we sold them to everyone, it was a mad loop.”
Pihla, “If you sold them to millions then there must be piles of treasure out there.”
Hugh, “That is the worse part, the world out there is built on the treasures of the world. We just call it money now, it has become the power in the world today. The more you have and the more power you hold, it is quite disgusting if you ask me.”
Pihla, “My father was like that, he once told me that he has a treasure room in the castle, it is full and I see what it brought to him, he died keeping it safe. I still think he is bound to it in some fashion. But your world, it seems so interesting, so advanced, but it also seems to be so dangerous because of it.”
Hugh, “Absolutely but that is an understatement, as the world became more advanced with technology it also became more hazardous to the people of the world. There are wars where no one has to see the damage that they are causing any more. We have missiles and drones that go to sites and blow up killing everyone but the attackers. And now we have nuclear weapons that could devastate entire areas, one or two could flatten this island you are on killing thousands in the process. But that is only the start of it, in today’s world we have viruses and diseases that take out entire populations of people without even lifting a finger. And I am not too sure that they weren’t spread on purpose.”
Pihla, “That sounds so scary, and you live in this madness?”
Hugh, “Yes, I do. But that is why I was out here, I needed to get away from it all if even for a short time. I see you have a hard life here, but it is peaceful. And the technology, you are showing me right now that you can live without it. If the world has it way, it will all be like this again. In effect, you are in a better situation right here than all of the rest of the world.”
Pihla, “But I always wanted to see more. I see the ships going by, they are huge, some even have people on board. They look to be playing games and enjoying life.”
Hugh, “Cruise ships, yes the people on board have a brief time of enjoyment at a great expense to them. But they always have to return to their pitiful lives in the end.”
Pihla, “Where does that leave you, are you going to have to return to that when you leave here?”
Hugh, “I don’t know, if I had my way I wouldn’t go back, it’s fraught with dangers just to live a good life. I live in LA, there is pollution, violence and everyone is trying to obtain more power.”
Pihla, “You mean your money’s, don’t you.”
Hugh, “Yes, I do. But there is so much good there also. I used to go to the beach every weekend, water so warm you could stay in it all day, sunshine that lasts forever and a nightlife that was pretty fantastic. But it all came at a cost, and it was not just money, there was all the stuff I talked about. Someone might just come out one day and start shooting everyone from going crazy from the world around them. You could get sick and die from it, and you always had to worry about what the government, the powers to be were going to do to ruin the world that day. They always seem to have another plan for the world and the people in it.”
Pihla looked at the backpack on the back of the door and said, “This technology you spoke of you brought some of it here with you? Is it dangerous?”
Hugh looked at his gear and said, “I do have a few things with me, but I left all the dangerous stuff back in my storage in LA. I got a cell phone, clothes and some freeze-dried food that would probably gag you if you tried to eat it. Oh yea, I got my torn down air rifle with me, it was the only thing that the government here would let me take with me, that’s somewhat dangerous. But I only brought it for protection, it shoots small pellets with compressed air.”
Pihla cleared off the table and said, “Can I see this technology you speak of?”
He said, “Sure,” and he pulled his backpack off the door and sat back down. He pulled out three items, a Zippo lighter, a multi-tool and his cell phone. Pihla picked up the brass lighter and asked, “What is this?”
Hugh, “Ah, that is my lighter, it is like your lamp here but more portable, I believe that it uses the same kind of oil to make the flame.” While she held it he opened it and lit it, her mouth gapped at the sight of it.
Pihla, “You have fire in a metal box, this is amazing.”
Hugh, “That’s nothing, look at this.” He turned on his cell phone and the display lit up, so did her eyes as they went wide.
He handed it to her to look at, it was a Samsung S9+ with the bigger screen. The colors were brilliant. She turned it sideways and then looked at the back, she turned it back around to see the front and said, “How is this done?”
Hugh, “Ooo, that’s a tough one. I don’t know if I can explain it but it connects all the people in the world now. You can talk to anyone anywhere with the touch of a button. I don’t have any reception here, you will have to take my word on it but I could call someone back home thousands of kilometers away and talk to them right from here. Here let me show you something, I have my music on it.” While she held it he hit the music player and a newer country hit started playing.
Pihla with a surprised look said, “You have musicians in here?”
Hugh, “No musicians, it is just their music. We figured out how to save the sounds and this lets me listen to it when I want to.” He turned it off and hit the camera button and flipped it to the one pointing to her, her face showed up.
Pihla, “This is me, I never saw myself before, my hair is a mess. I don’t have a mirror, my mother talked about them. This is like a mirror?”
Hugh took a picture and said, “kind of but it’s more than that, it can save your reflection, we call that a picture, it’s so you can look at it later. It does a lot more but I need a connection for most of it to work. It runs on a battery and it looks like it is low. Here let me put it on the charger.”
He pulled out a thicker box and set it on the table, then he placed the phone on it and the charging symbol started up. He said, “This has another battery inside and it transfers power to the phone. Then when I need to, I can charge it back up with the power of the sun on the solar panel on it.”
Pihla shaking her head now said, “And what is this?” As she pointed to his multi-tool.
Hugh replied, “This is my toolbox.” He flipped out items as he talked about them. “This is my pocket knife, this here is a finger nail file and a saw, this is a pair of scissors, here is a can opener and screw driver, and this, I don’t know what it is for but it is sharp on the inside of the hook.” He closed all those items up and opened it from another point. “These are my plyers and wire cutter and on this end is a whistle.” As he pulled it out and blew into it. “It’s not the best whistle, but the rest is quite useful.” He closed it all up. “And it folds all up in this nice little package, it’s very handy.”
Pihla was amazed at all the items but all of the sudden she yawned. He didn’t want to be a bother to her and said, “Your tired, you should retire for the night, we can look at the other things tomorrow, how about that.”
Pihla, “Your probably right, I am tired, it’s been a long day. Your technology is so interesting.”
She got up and turned a knob on the lamp that was on the hearth, it pulled in the wick and it went out. She grabbed the other one and took it to her bedside and sat it on a small table. Hugh picked up the dinner table and set it off to the side, she watched as he released his sleeping bag from his backpack and unrolled it on the floor.
Phila, “Why are you doing that? We have a bed, my mother and I use to sleep together on it all the time, there’s plenty of room for the two of us.”
Hugh looked at her and her beauty and said, “I don’t know, it would not be proper … A man should not sleep with a woman in my world if they were not … ah … married or at least lovers. You know what I mean?”
Pihla, “But that floor is hard, you should sleep on the bed, I just put some new straw on it just a week ago. I don’t mind if that is what you are worried about. Besides I could some of your heat to keep warm, but only if you don’t object.”
Hugh thought about it for a few seconds and he nodded as he said, “Sure, it would be better than the floor.”
He walked over to the bed and push his hand down upon it, he said, “Straw, I don’t think I ever slept on a straw bed before, this will be different.”
He took off his coat and pants and hung them over the foot rail of the bed. He turned to see Pihla taking off her dress, she had nothing on underneath it and went to the bed.
Hugh, “You sleep like that?”
Pihla, “Yes, I used to have a nightshirt but I outgrew it long ago.” she looked at him, his face was blushing. “Is this alright, you seem embarrassed.”
Hugh, “Ah, yes … how about I loan something to you.” He went back to his backpack and pulled out a light green tee shirt. He walked it over to her and said, “Here, if you would please wear this, I would feel better about sleeping beside you … you are a very beautiful woman.”
She took it and put it on, it covered her down to her hips and she said, “Is that better?”
Hugh, “Most definitely.”
He watched as she leaned over and turned down the bed, he saw her buttocks show as she crawled into the far side of the bed, it aroused him greatly. He calmed himself down and laid down beside her, trying not to think of the beauty laying right beside him. She pulled the blanket up over them, under the blanket she rolled over and laid her head on his chest.
Pihla, “You smell nice, it is alright if I lay like this?”
Hugh could not refuse her, he said, “As the lady wishes.”
Before she went to sleep she stated, “A gentleman, my father was never like that.” And she started softly snoring.
Hugh kept his cool and put his hand on the small of her back, it was as soft as the shirt he gave her to wear and he fell right to sleep.
Hugh woke up, fresh air was hitting him in the face, he breathed it in and opened his eyes. Sun was pouring in the front door lighting up the room. He turned his head and there was no one in the bed with him. He yawned and stretched to get himself going again. The edge of the bed was a solid board, it held the straw in-place, he leaned over it and sat upright and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
There was a noise to his right and he turned to see what it was. Pihla was there pulling a hot kettle off the fire and sat it on the stone hearth, she said, “I tried to move your backpack and it fell over on me, a lot of things fell out. You had it packed tight in there. I saw the tea in those little bags you carried, I hope you don’t mind it has been years since I had a cup, do you want me to fix you one?”
Hugh noticed that she was wearing a pair of overhauls, then he noticed that they were his. He replied, “Tea, yes that would be nice.”
As she poured water she said, “I put on your pants, I hope you don’t mind, all I have is the last two dresses that my mother wore, one of them is really starting to fall apart.”
Hugh got up and sat down at the table as she set the cup of tea in front of him. The three pieces of his rifle was in front of him sitting on the table.
She said, “Those came out of your backpack, they look important, I sat them on the table to keep them clean.”
Hugh said, “No problem, I needed to assemble them anyway. This is as good of a time as any.”
While his tea steeped he assembled it back together again. Out of one of the outside pockets he pulled out a small set of screwdrivers and the rest of the parts. He unfolded the barrel and set the main assembly back into the rifle base with a small pin in position. It took three screws to assemble it back together again. He broke the barrel slightly and looked down it, the barrel looked clean and he snapped it back straight. Then he went back to his backpack and pulled out a scope assembly from it. It was not the original assembly but an after market unit that had a lighted scope, a separate hologram reflex sight, a laser pointer and a flashlight assembly all in one, the same one he used to look at the castle from afar. It actually mounted backwards to the barrel with six set screws letting the scope hang back over the trigger on the rifle. Next he pulled out a ten-pellet cartridge and loaded it up full with pellets and placed it in the holder on the top of the barrel. He pulled a second cartridge and filled it up, he put it in the holder in the grip and closed up the cover on it again. He flipped the safety trigger forward and set it aside while he packed up his tools and put them away.
Hugh looked up and he had an audience, Pihla was watching him the whole way. Hugh finished his cup of tea said, “You want to see this thing shoot?” As he pulled out a odd but collapsed pole from his backpack.
Pihla, “I don’t know, it looks dangerous.”
Hugh, “It actually is with the right ammo. Right now I got some target rounds in it for testing. Come on and I’ll let you fire it a couple of times, it has no kick, it’s just an air rifle.”
Pihla was a little hesitant but eventually said, “Alright, I hope father doesn’t mind.”
They both went outside and they went over to the cliff’s edge. He said, “You see the kelp on that rock down there, that’s the target.” He pulled out the pole and extended it out, there were three short legs on it and he released them, they were the stand.
Hugh, “Here let me check the alignment with the scope and make sure it working good.”
He broke the barrel folding it down and slowly let it go straight again watching and making sure the pellet loaded correctly. Then he sat it in the saddle on the pole and lined it up with the kelp. He flipped the safety trigger backwards and fired off one round.
Pihla watched as a burst of air came out of the rifle blasting dust a good meter from the rifle end. He hit the kelp and it jumped. He took a second and third shot checking it every time it loaded. Every shot hit the kelp exactly where he wanted it to hit. He broke it again and set the safety trigger.
Hugh, “Here, it’s your turn.”
Pihla came up to him and he adjusted the pole to her height and he handed her the rifle. she said, “It’s heavy.”
Hugh, “Yes it is for an air rifle. It has a safety trigger, you have to pull it back to shoot, then you can pull the other one and it fires off. Now line it up with the kelp down there and pull the trigger.”
She did and it missed the kelp but she was surprised at the firing of it. He broke the barrel again and set her up again. This time she hit the rock but a little off target. On the third try she hit the kelp square and tossed it off the rock. She handed the rifle back to him and he set the safety.
Hugh, “There you go, easy wasn’t it. I got some other ammo for it, one of them is a magnum with a cross cut into it. It is supposed to shatter to take down larger prey. I also got these ones called rocket loads. They have a solid ball in them, goes right through things. I haven’t gone hunting with it yet but it is pretty impressive. I bet I could take down a turkey or a goose with it easily. A guy on YouTube said he took down a deer with one of these. All I ever did was scare a coyote away from a friends chicken coop back home.”
Pihla, “I never had to do that, I got enough spirits here that chase the foxes away. But that weapon is different, I never shot one before. Father always sent men running and threw their weapons in the ocean when they came around.” She looked around, “He didn’t seem to mind me shooting that one though.”
Hugh, “Well I try to be careful when I use it, I understand it is a dangerous item.” He collapsed the pole and snugged it back up.
Pihla, “That sure helped hold it up, I like that. It made it possible for me to hold it up.”
Hugh, “I like it too, I can hit a can at a thousand feet using it. But am I keeping you for things, I don’t mean to disturb your daily routine.” As he set both inside the house.
Pihla, “Hum, daily routine. You mean watching the vegetables grow or the waves as they come crashing in, that’s what I do every day around here. You’re the most excitement I have had for years. How about I give you a tour of the place.”
Hugh came over to her and saw that the pant legs of his overalls were dragging, he kneeled down and rolled them up and said, “A tour, sure I never been in an actual castle before. But I’ve seen ghosts before so that will not be a surprise to me. There were two kids at this one house that died in a fire, they played with the lights and radio while we were there, scared the heck out of my mom.”
Pihla led him behind the stable and said, “Well these are a bit worse than that, they like to come up to you and scream to scare you. I’m pretty used to them now, it has no effect, just be prepared for it.”
Around the back of the stable was the garden, Pihla said, “I got lots of potatoes, some radishes, onions and turnips. I have to watch the turnips as they get out of control a lot of times, had them twice as tall as you just a year ago.”
Hugh stepped in the arched entry of the stable, there were several stalls that had no closure any more. All that was left was the main wall of each stall. He heard horses neigh but he didn’t see any. He said, “You have ghost horses, that too cool. Your father said this was a Livery Station. That means this was a place to exchange hoses on carriages when they came through.” All of the sudden he heard hoofs and they galloped toward him and out the archway.
Pihla, “Their being playful today, they must like you. Here this way to the castle, the doors and shutters fell long ago so it’s a little cold in there. I use to play with the spirits in here when I was young, my understanding is that my father let a bunch of them return home a long time ago. What spirts are left are more a pest than anything else.”
Hugh checked out the wall as he entered the doorway, “Gads, look at this stonework, this wall has to be a meter thick. I always wondered how they made such structures, these stones are hundreds of kilograms each, it would take several people just to move one of them. Look at the surface, it is still as flat as the day it was made, absolutely perfect.”
They came into a kitchen area, it had a fireplace and a stone oven with a fire pit beneath it, all made of some sort of smaller stone, it was blueish in tint. There were stone tables along one wall and another in the center of the room. He said, “This is how you make things to last.” As he patted the stone in the oven, “This is solid state here, have you tried to bake anything in it?”
Pihla, “No, it would take a lot of wood and I try not to use it for this. I bake bread on the metal plate in the fireplace back in the house.”
A scream filled the room and Hugh jumped, Pihla just smiled and said, “That’s Gretta, she was the cook a long time ago. She doesn’t like others in her kitchen.”
Hugh spoke up and said, “I’m a pretty good cook, I assisted a chef who learned his trade in France. I could help, that is if you need help.” All he got was a loud ‘No’. he continued, “Aw, you say that now, just wait till I show you what I can prepare. With the right ingredients I can make a chocolate mousse cream pie that is to die for.” He got no response from her this time. “Oh look, a pantry.” As he stepped up to it.
Pihla said, “It was lined with shelves at one time and they hung the meat on the hooks on the back wall, see them there. My father leaves me things in here when I need food, it’s always cold in her and keeps things fresh. It’s also on the north side of the castle, it never gets sun on this side.”
Hugh, “Absolutely fantastic, What is through here?” As he pointed to the next doorway.
Pihla, “That is the dining room, father said it had a grand table at one time, he said he came back one day and some nefarious men were burning it for heat in the grand fireplace. I’m sure that they regretted that day. And on the other side is the living space but all that is left is the fireplace.”
Hugh, “Yes fireplaces in every room, these old castles had to have lots of heat to keep them warm.” A shiver came up his back and he said, “Does it snow here much?”
Pihla, “Most certainly, I look forward to two to three months every year if not more. It’s the ice I worry about, it builds up on the shore sometimes so thick that it comes all the way up to the cliff’s edge.”
They came out of the living space and into the foyer, an entry way that connects to all of the castle but without all the doors it was quite breezy. At the end of it was a spiral staircase that went up and down. Hugh asked, “Where does this take you?”
Pihla, “Up goes to Fathers room and the tower turrets but I don’t go up there, Father never liked me doing that. But down goes to the old dock, it’s still there but a little shaky any more. We can go down there if you like.”
Hugh, “A dock, you have another way in here, I didn’t know. Yes, please lets go, you lead I’ll follow.”
They both went down the stone steps, one floor then two then three floors and the steps stopped at an inlaid stone path. More exquisite stone work, it was fantastic. They followed the path through a tunnel down to the waterline, it came out at a pool some fifty meters across, a dock made of tree trunks was there holding it above the water. Hugh tested it and every step to make sure it was still solid enough for them, it was.
Pihla, “Father said it was the emergency exit at one time, a way to get out if they were attacked. There was a door at the exit at one time that would protect you long enough to get a row boat and get out of here.”
Hugh, “Wow, that tunnel opening to the sea is impressive, it is large enough for a fishing boat of today to get in here, you know I could probably get you some supplies in here if you needed them.”
Pihla, “Well father see to all my needs, but I sure could use some new clothes. He has no source for anything like that.”
Hugh, “Interesting, let me work on that.”
Pihla, “Can I ask you something?”
Hugh turned toward her and said, “Sure, fire away.”
Pihla, “If you could, would you take me out of here, you know back to your cities?”
Hugh, “You serious?” she nodded. “Right now I would have to say no, you need to stay here for your own protection. You’ve heard me talk about it out there, it’s not what you think it is. On top of it are the diseases out there, you haven’t had any inoculations ever. You would most likely die quickly with all the nasty germs out there, I couldn’t have that, you’re too precious to put out in the world of today.” She had a look, it was sincere. “I mean it, my whole life I have been subjected to all kinds of shots, some almost killed me like when I got chicken pox. I got the shot like all the others in grade school and everyone caught the germ, when we came back to school there were many who didn’t, they died from it, I was lucky because I was close. Do you understand me, you have been too secluded from it all to live through it?”
Pihla looked down and said, “I guess I do, but I want to see it so much, all I ever had was what you see here. I long to see other places.”
Hugh, “Let me work on that too. I might be able to bring visions of it here, I can show you what I seen out there, you don’t know how good you have it here. I would rather stay here forever than out there, it’s so bad you wouldn’t believe it. London is south of here, it is one vile town filled with self-serving people that only respect money, nothing else. The society likes to boss others around, some whole countries are under their controls. They would rather kick you to the curb than help you, they’ve been that way for a thousand years. I’m sorry.”
Pihla, “Would you?”
Hugh, “Would I what?”
Pihla, “Would you stay here with me, I mean forever until we die from old age. Father would protect us, take care of us. I think he saw that in you, he didn’t want me to be alone. I see it in you, you care for others.”
Hugh with a surprised look on his face said, “Wow, I thought I was supposed to be the one who proposes. You know nothing of me, I know little of you. I could be some rapist or a criminal trying to get away from the law.”
Pihla, “No I don’t believe it is so, you showed that last night, you were the perfect gentleman, you still are.”
A voice came from behind him, it said, “What say you?” They turned around and Artair was there crouched down by the tunnel exit. “I can’t lose my little girl, she is all I have. You’re someone that could protect her, keep her safe from this world. I’ve watched for 1600 years, seen it change, seen it destroy itself over and over again, you’ve seen this too.”
“Then one day I saw a ship sinking off the coast, I saved her mother from the sea, Pihla doesn’t know about this, she was about to die, I didn’t even know at that time why I did it. But when Pihla was born I found happiness … love … something I never had before, after all those years. Then I saw it in her that with her mother gone she needed someone to be with, to not be alone anymore, I knew that she would leave to fulfill this need. You know as much as I do that she would not last out there, I can’t have that, I knew that you wouldn’t allow that either. I want you to know, I called out for someone, I saw you in your city and then a month later you showed up at the cabin back there.”
“I already know her answer is yes.”
Hugh was stunned, he looked at Pihla, her eyes said it all, he said, “Are you sure of this, there are thousand more men out there just like me, I’m sure of it.”
Pihla, “But I only want one, I see him right here, right now.”
Hugh turned back to Artair and said, “Then I need some things, I need to go back and go shopping for … everything. I promise I will bring nothing back that will harm her.” He turned back to Pihla and continued, “And we need a bigger house … for all the children.”
A tear ran down her cheek, she was without words.
Artair said, “I have a treasure in my room, buy what you need, bring it back here. I’ll fix the castle, make it better than it was when it was in its prime. My room will be yours and I’ll visit more, especially if there are grandchildren. So, what say you?”
Hugh looking at his bride to be and said, “Aye, I’m you’re man. You know I adored you from the day I first saw you, I cherish you even more now. What say you?”
There were no words, she flung herself at him and kissed him deeply and long. She eventually pulled back and said, “I do.”
Love can pierce through any cloud of unknowing, it can take the most violent of people and turn them into the greatest ward of the destitute soul. And it can be found in an blink of an eye, this was true here.
Hugh spent the day in a most interesting way. He dumped most of his backpack and took only that which he would need for the trip back to the uncivilized world of today. They went to Artair’s room and found three chests of treasures full to the brim. There were coins of the realm of the day which included, the Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar, the Silver Denarius of Marc Antony, the Brass Sestertius of Nero, the Silver Antoninianus of Valerian, the Bronze Follis of Diocletian, the Silver Denarius of Marc Antony and the Brass Sestertius of Nero. From one of the chests he took a hundred roman gold coins in mint condition worth about two million pounds. Then he took a small pouch of gems that included cut and uncut diamonds, fully finished rubies and tumbled opals, they had a worth of half a million pounds. All of them were barely over five kilograms in his backpack.
He left later that day, Pihla wanted him to stay another night but he felt that if he did he would have slept with her and loved her. He wanted her purity to be true, for that he wanted them to be married. And that would have to all wait until his return.
Artair came with him, he knew the vile world and the ones that would be able to help them in this endeavor. Whether they would understand their position or not, treasures like this would sparkle any and all attention from those that are self-serving. Artair guided him to a large farm southwest of Fraserburgh, it was called the Elphinstone Ian Farm. He sold the coins to the owner for 1.2 million pounds, a day later the funds were available in his bank account. The story that the owner of the farm told people is that he dug them up from one of his fields, but he was able to double his money made from them because of their mint condition when he sold them to the highest bidder. Typical money monger.
Hugh bought a barge and rented the services of a tug to pull it to their site with some of the gems. After that he went shopping in Fraserburgh with the rest of the gems and all of the money’s. He bought a copy of every book in one bookstore with the remaining opals and he secured enough clothes for a population with the remaining gems. He ordered other items from on-line resources and had them delivered with urgent carriers. In the end the barge was filled with supplies and many had to be carried by tug itself.
His return to the site three weeks later livened Pihla, she was so worried that he would not return once he got his riches, but she was wrong. She was his greatest treasure.
The tug came into the cave and parked the barge on one side of the dock and the tug off-loaded its cargo and left. Artair wiped the memory of the whole event from the crew so no one would remember the experience. He also suppressed any of Hugh’s infectious elements that he carried so he would not pass them along to others here.
Overnight Artair rebuilt the castle with new elements including windows of today, triple pane windows and insulated doors with full seals to keep out the weather. He also refitted it with furnishing of his day, finely crafted tables and chairs were everywhere as a weeding gift to them. He also hid the whole property so that if someone was looking in from the sea they would only see a wall of fog and an unforgiving shoreline. From the castle properties everything look just as it always did.
Hugh let Pihla take her time reassociating herself with his return. But then he had work to do, that is to bring all of the items he purchased up to the castle floors. He bought a powered stair climbing truck that was capable of carrying piano’s up narrow flights of stairs, it worked well on the spiral staircase.
He brought up the first wooden crate and opened it, clothes fill it to the brim. He pulled out two boxes from the top of the container and handed them to Pihla, they were her wedding dress and his proper Scottish wedding attire. Hers was a gold lace and green long dress, the lady that sold it to him actually said that it was a prom dress that was ordered but never picked up. His was a green kilt with a black tuxedo top with tall boots, very suiting for the event.
Before they went any further they held a wedding, her father presided over the event in his best clothes as the ceremony leader, the ghosts that remained became the witnesses of the event that included her mother in the front row. Hugh showed Gretta how to operate a camera and she took hundreds of pictures of the event so Pihla could admire them at a later time.
Pihla was in tears throughout most of the event, as expected.
Gretta made dinner, it was part traditional. She made haggis, mashed potatoes and turnips in a whisky sauce, it was truly special. If you don’t know what haggis is, it is a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep, minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled. Hugh did eat some of it but he also ate a good portion of the delicious ham that Gretta made on the side.
The ghosts and the living had a wonderful evening dancing and partying until the newlywed went to their room for the night. For the beginning of the night Pihla wore a knee length nightshirt in plaid green and Hugh feeling kind of foolish wore a tee shirt that said, ‘Get Yer Kilt On’ in large letter on the front of it, she loved it, they didn’t wear them long. They loved each other until they fell to sleep in each other arms in the master’s bed, a king size four posted bed with full canopy, again filled with straw to comfort you.
The next week was filled with bring up everything that Hugh bought while he was in town. Crate upon crates were brought up and most were stored in the stable in four unused stalls. Three others were complete with gates and Artair brought in three horses for them to ride, they were let out to wander their gracious lands. Artair closed the trail and made it impossible for the horses to wander far with steep hillsides and dense trees. The coastline would finish off this containment and water was provided by a spring and several ponds up by the castle.
One of the days was filled with needs for their future children. The gallery was emptied except for dressers and closets. Hugh bought two cribs and three single beds for the children when they grow up. Pihla stored clothes for the young ones up to five years old, the rest would have to be stored in the stables. The game room was emptied so they could put all the old fashioned toys in there. There were wooden trains to stuffed dolls, he even brought a newer set of trains that ran on wooden tracks that you could build in various configurations. All were boxed up in fabric bins until the young arrived. The best part of the toys, there were no batteries, just basic toys like balls, blocks and tops. Yes there were toys like an old rotary phone and a cash register along with several cars and trucks, but they were all made of wood or plastic so it was OK. Surprisingly they found Artair in there playing with several of them on many days.
But Hugh did bring some technology with him. He brought four solar power stations which he set up two for power into the castle. He used one for the Bosch clothes washing machine which Pihla loved, clothes washing was one of her most hated chores, he stored the other two washers until they were needed. The other power station was for the electric glass tea kettle and toaster, he brought extra of them too. He also brought some entertainment, it was many nature shows and a few movies that didn’t have any violence in them, they were tough to find, you know that. He set up a forty inch monitor to play them upon in the living space.
Hugh also replaced the straw mattress with one of those compressed ones that come rolled up in a box, definitely softer than even the straw could ever be. And of course he brought many to replace it over the years.
Artair almost closed off the cave below the castle and called in a pair of his old friends, two water dragons from the loch ness lake. The dragons warmed the waters so the cave became a heated swimming pool and spa for all of them, even during the cold winters. The dragons became more than just friends but the lifeguards of the whole pool area. The interesting thing was that they could talk better English than Hugh spoke.
The first baby arrived ten months later, it was a boy and they named him after her father, Artair the second. One night Hugh and Grand Father were in the living space, he was curious and asked him how he died. There was a solemn silence for a moment and he finally said that it was a bad time in the castle. He had left to push back one threat only to come home to a castle of dead people as another of his adversaries had come while he was gone and slaughtered everyone. He had killed himself when he dove head-first off the top of the castle only to awaken and still be here, it was his punishment. He said he was so angry then and all aggressors died at his hands even though he was dead. That was all he said of that time, it was enough and it was never spoke of again.
As for life here it was pure and simple, babies were born and taken care of, they even had young horses for the kids to eventually ride on. And that is where we leave them, in a place of total bliss.
Don’t you wish you were there with them, I do.
The End, or is that a new beginning …