Page 3

“I understand, lass, but the thing is that we cannae stop the future from arriving. It’s gaeing tae come tae us whether we like it or nae, sae we can either be prepared and face it head-on, or we can be taken by surprise.” He spoke to her with kind eyes and a warm smile. It helped to alleviate her anxiety on the matter to some degree, although in these moments she always longed for the comfort of her mother.

“This tree looks like a man,” Ruairi said, blinking as he tilted his head back and looked up at the mighty old oak, who was older than any of them would ever be. Near the top of the tree, the bark twisted into the pattern of a face. There were sunken eyes, and a hollow mouth, as though a wizened old figure was trapped in the bark.

“Aye, well, there’s a story about that, if ye would like tae hear it?” Niall asked. There was a teasing gleam in his eye as he already knew the answer to the question. There had never been any response but an enthusiastic yes. He told them to go and slake their thirst as he settled down on a mossy part of the ground. Rabbits and squirrels began to emerge now that the horses were calm, and a few birds rested on the wide branches of the tree, as though they were gathering around to hear the story as well. Maura played with some blades of grass, while Ruairi stretched out his legs and nestled himself in a crook of the tree.

“As ye well know, this forest is said tae be alive with spirits,” Niall began, “and sometimes the trees are alive as well. One day, there was a man who was curious about everything. As a child, he pestered his parents with questions like why is the sky blue, why is grass green, how dae cows make milk, why does fruit taste the way it does, and what lies beyond the mountains? There was nae a question he didnae want the answer tae, nor any place that he didnae want tae explore.

“He used tae disappear for days as he explored the world, and would drive his parents tae worry, before he would eventually return with yet more questions. They tried tae warn him that he would never be able tae learn all that he wanted tae learn, and that at some point, he would hae tae give up and live his life. But he was determined tae learn all that he could before he ever settled down. How could he hae a family or stay in one place when there was sae much tae know and sae much of the world tae explore? When he was old enough, he went off by himself, wandering across the land, peeking intae every corner and every nook, tasting all the delights that it haed tae offer, and turning strangers intae friends. But he never stayed anywhere for very long.

“Despite spending sae much time exploring the world, he came tae realize that he was never gaeing tae know everything. If there was one thing he haed learned, it was that the world was bigger than he haed ever imagined, sae he fell intae a deep despair. He used tae wander the moors at night, his beard growing tae his legs, his shoulders stooped as his mind was filled with questions.”

“He sounds mad!” Ruairi exclaimed.

Niall chuckled. “Aye, lad, in a manner of speaking, he was quite mad. He made his way tae the forest, and as he spent more time here, the spirits came tae see him. They sensed his sorrow and asked him what was wrong. He told them that he wanted tae know everything about the world, and he wanted tae see everything. He knew his time would be short compared with the stars, and he looked tae the trees with envy.

“‘Why cannae I be a tree?’ he asked. ‘Then I could live a long time and know everything there is tae know.’

“‘Aye,’ the spirits said in their high-pitched voices. ‘And ye could reach out with yer roots and touch the farthest part of the world.’

“Well, the man realized this was a way for him tae know everything, and he was eager tae ask them if they could make this happen. The spirits discussed it amongst themselves and decided tae help him. They told him tae stand in one place as they sprinkled their magic around him. At first, he didnae think anything was happening, but then he felt his legs stretching into the ground. His skin hardened, and soon enough, he was turned intae a tree. His roots keep growing, far and away across the land as he stays here and is still eager tae know everything. Sometimes it’s said that ye can hear his questions on the wind.”

Maura and Ruairi gazed up at the human features of the tree. Even though Maura knew it was just a story, she liked to think there were elements of truth to it, and her heart went out to the man who was never satisfied with the life that was in front of him. Ruairi, on the other hand, was not so convinced.

“Da, I know there is no such thing as spirits. Are ye really expecting me tae believe that there is a man in that tree?”

Niall wore a mysterious smile. “Ye can believe what ye want tae believe. I’m simply telling ye a story.”

Maura laughed at this. Ruairi had never had much time for their father’s stories, although Maura loved them, even if some of them were unbelievable. Ruairi pushed himself up and dusted the dirt off his hands as he went to get a large stick, practicing his fighting techniques, muttering to himself that these stories were silly. Maura and Niall exchanged a look.

“Would ye turn intae a tree if ye had the chance?” she asked.

“I like haeing two legs just fine, although I suppose it would nae be a bad life. Birds would come tae live in me, I could feel the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the rain, and in the winter, I’d be covered in snow. Yer ma would come out tae see me. It might be quite peaceful,” he said with a smile.

“I dinnae think she would come out here in the snow,” Maura said.

“Ye are probably right,” Niall laughed, and then he gazed up at the tree again. “I knew someone who would hae turned into a tree if she could. She’s the one who used tae tell me stories, and she used tae live in fear of the spirits of the forest.”

“What happened tae her?”

Niall arched his eyebrows. “Well, she was very old. She used tae come by the castle when ye were wee, but one day she didnae come at all. Yer ma and I went tae her hut tae see if she was there, but there was nary a sign. I often wonder what happened tae her. I like tae think that she finally went with the spirits.”

“Ye believe in the spirits?” Maura asked with more than a hint of shock in her voice.

“Aye. I never used tae. When I was younger, my da ridiculed any thought of things like that, but over the years I hae learned tae look at a wider picture and consider that there might be some things in this world that I cannae explain. It’s why we keep the wreath over yer bed. If there are spirits out there, then I’d like tae be on the right side of them, and it does no harm tae treat nature with respect.”

Maura peered into the depths of the woods, wondering about the mysteries that were contained in this place. At night the forest looked strange, and it was filled with all manner of unknowns. In many ways Maura was fearless, but even she was not willing to go into the forest by herself.

“If any spirits threaten us, I’d see tae ‘em,” Ruairi said, swiping his thick branch back and forth like a sword, his powerful muscles tensed, strength bursting to be free from his flesh.

They remained by the tree for a little while before it was time to ride back. Red streaks appeared on the horizon, and the horses had regained their stamina. Niall was halfway through telling them to go easy on the ride back before Ruairi had already challenged Maura to another race and sped off on Ash without a care in the world.

“There’s no changing him,” Maura said with a light laugh. She rode alongside her father back to the Calbraith land. The land was fertile, and their holdings had grown over the years, mostly thanks to Niall’s marriage to Moira, who had been a child of the Monroe clan, the eldest clan in the Highlands. Such a marriage brought prestige to the Calbraiths and made them powerful and strong. In Niall, they had a firm leader who was temperate and kind, unlike his unruly father, who had been devious and meddling in dastardly schemes.

“Dae ye truly think that one day he will be able tae be laird?” Maura asked. She didn’t want to cast aspersions on her brother, but he often seemed more interested in fighting than anything else, and she thought he lacked the wisdom to be a good leader.

“He is rash now, but then again, sae was I when I was his age.”

“Ye were?”