She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, pleased when he didn’t try to bite or scratch, and pressed him against her chest. With one hand holding the cat and the other steadying herself on the branch, Caitlin began to make her way back down the tree. It was a tricky maneuver, but she made it down to the last branch then jumped the rest of the way, bending her knees as she landed.
The old woman was waiting for her with open arms. “Oh, thank ye, my dear! I’ve been up here for hours trying to coax him down.”
She took the cat from Caitlin and held him close, stroking his shiny fur. Baxter purred loudly, a deep rumble like a tractor engine. Caitlin smiled. It was a small act of kindness, but it made her feel good to have helped someone—or in this case, something—in need.
“Dinna ye do that again, Baxter,” the old woman scolded the cat. “Next time I willnae come running, do ye hear?”
Baxter squirmed out of his owner’s arms, jumped to the ground, and began rubbing himself against Caitlin’s legs. Then he sat down, curled his tail around his paws and gazed up at her with an unblinking stare.
“Ha! He likes ye! Which is more than can be said for most folks.”
Caitlin smiled. “I think he probably likes the jerky in my pocket.”
The old woman nodded. “Aye, most likely. He’s a greedy little devil that’s for sure.” She cocked her head, regarding Caitlin with a curious expression. “What brings ye up here, my dear? Not many folk venture up this way. Are ye a climber?”
“That’s right. I come up here whenever I can. It helps me clear my head.”
The old woman nodded slowly. “Aye, I ken what ye mean. There’s something about the quiet of the wilderness that can help us find our way again.”
Caitlin looked around. The little copse was backed by the hill in one direction and the cliff in the other. She couldn’t see any path or road. “How did you get up here?” she asked the old woman.
She shrugged. “Ask Baxter. He will insist on running off like that. And all because I threatened him with a bath! Next time I’ll leave him up that tree, that’ll teach him a lesson!”
This didn’t answer Caitlin’s question at all. Did the old woman live around here? Caitlin could see no settlements, no houses, no roads, no footpaths.
The old woman suddenly stuck out a hand. “I’m Irene MacAskill, my dear. It’s a pleasure to meet ye.”
Caitlin reached out, took the old woman’s wrinkled hand, and shook it. “I’m Caitlin Summers.”
Irene pumped her hand with a surprisingly strong grip. “Aye. I know who ye are.”
“Oh. You do?”
Irene gazed up at her, dark eyes seemingly depthless. “Ye know, I ken a thing or two about the troubles ye carry with ye. Sometimes, it takes a wee bit of help from someone else to take that first step towards healing.”
Caitlin blinked, taken aback. “How did you...?”
Irene smiled enigmatically, deepening the wrinkles around her mouth. “I’ve lived a long life, lassie. Seen many a troubled soul come through these woods. And I like to think that I’ve helped some of them along their way. Just as I’m here to help ye.”
Caitlin frowned at this odd comment. She didn’t need Irene’s help. She didn’t need anyone’s help. She was fine just the way she was, thank you very much.
“I doubt that,” she replied. “You don’t even know me.”
“Perhaps not,” Irene agreed. “But I understand the burden ye carry.”
“Right.” She didn’t want to have this conversation. “I’m glad you’ve got your cat back.” She hefted her pack. “It was nice to meet you, but I had better be going. It’s a long climb down.”
She began to turn away, but Baxter trotted in front of her and sat right by Caitlin’s feet, so close she almost stood on him. She stepped the other way, but Baxter shifted again, blocking her path. He gazed up at Caitlin with a knowing stare.
“What’s he doing?”
“How should I know?” Irene replied with a shrug. “He’s a law unto himself.”
Caitlin studied the eccentric old woman. Her eyes were possibly the darkest she had ever seen, seeming almost entirely pupil with no iris at all. There was something unsettling about that gaze, as though she wasn’t looking at Caitlin at all but lookingthroughher. Caitlin didn’t like the sensation at all. She didn’t want anyone looking too deep.
Irene gave her a sad little smile. “Ye seem lost, my dear. Like ye are searching for something and canna quite find it.”
Those words were way too close to the mark for Caitlin’s liking. She gave a little laugh. “I’m not lost. Look, I have a GPS and everything. I know exactly where I am.”
