Kilts and Catnip

by Zoe Tasia

  “After a brief tour of thirty minutes, you will be taken through the caves. Depending on what group you’re in, you should return here in anywhere between thirty minutes and an hour. The first half of the tour is very easy. The decline is slight and there are rails to hold onto along the way. The second part of the tour is more rigorous. My brother, Fingal, may take some of you farther, depending on your interest and ability.”

  “I want to see the entire cave!” one of the Spanish girls called out. “I do have some experience in spelunking.” Her accent would have been enchanting had she not taken a snooty tone.

  “I’ll let my brother know, but he decides who continues and who returns. Of course, if you don’t want to go, you won’t be required to.”

  The young lady looked as if she was about to protest, but her companion spoke to her in Spanish. They giggled at whatever she said as Davina led us into a large room with several display cases. One contained a map showing the known tunnels that ran through the cave.

  “These are the tunnels which we have mapped out. This cave system is quite extensive and parts are dangerous. There’s much that we haven’t been able to access.” She waited a moment for us to look at it and then moved onto the next exhibit. “These are some of the artifacts we found in the cave. The skulls, we believe, are from people who were sacrificed. Ritual objects were discovered with them and bone chipping indicated they were murdered. It’s said that deep down in the cave, there lives a goblin. As long as she is happy and people stay out of her home, she will remain where she is, and the island will prosper. If her domain is violated, there will be death.”

  “Have there been any deaths in the cave more recent than these?” the snooty girl with spelunking experience asked.

  “Yes, there have been a few. Three teens on vacation snuck into the cave ten years ago, and they were never found.”

  “Oh, come now, you are just trying to make the caves interesting and scare us so your brother won’t have to take us all the way through,” one of the Spanish girls said and rolled her eyes at the other.

  “You did ask,” Davina pointed out and spoke about more of the relics found.

  One glass display case held tools and bits of clothing made from animal hides. There were also items that were thought to be gifts to the goblin. Plates, that Davina said may have held food, and empty sacks.

  “I’ll bet someone just snuck in after the sacrifices and stole whatever was left, making everyone think there was some goblin,” one Spanish girl commented in English, loud enough to be heard.

  “Perhaps so,” Davina said, completely unruffled. “We shall probably never know for sure.”

  As Davina led us through the building, she told us more about the original settlers and what their lives were like, given what had been found and by extrapolating. The last ten minutes, Davina allowed us to explore the whole of the museum and focus on what exhibits we were most interested in as she looked on. A young man, sharing Davina’s white hair and dark eyes, entered and motioned to the tour guide. They spoke for a few moments, then he left.

  “If you’re all ready and want to see the caves, now is the time to go. If you choose not to come and don’t want to remain here, you may wait at the café where we’ll meet up afterward.”

  The German lady with the plant rash had been given some anti-itch ointment that must have worked because the only time she scratched was when she noticed someone was looking at her. I felt sorry for her poor husband, but he was a good-natured sort and patted her, making reassuring murmurs when she told him she would rather not go. Another German lady also declined attending the cave tour and said she would accompany the wife to the café. Before he joined us, the husband kissed his wife goodbye. I heard the American couple discussing the venture. She was fine with the boys going, but he was resistant. When they realized everyone was waiting on them, the wife asked Davina, “Do you think the boys can manage the trip? I don’t think I’m strong enough to carry them and my husband has back issues.”

  “They should be fine. The first part of the trip is only fifteen minutes in and fifteen minutes out and, as I mentioned, it is very gently sloped. We’ll be stopping several times for me to point out some features, and there are places to sit at some of the stops. We haven’t ever lost anyone yet.”

  The German wife looked at her husband and took a step toward him.

  He waved her back. “See, I’ll be fine, dear,” he said.

  As the boys chattered and teased each other, Tate practically danced in anticipation. Seeing her so enthusiastic, brought home how unlike herself she’d been acting while that energy-sucking thing leeched from her. Smiling, I gave her a hug. She returned both.

  We stepped outside. Davina admonished us not to walk ahead of the lead guide. If anyone did so, they would be escorted back to the top and the second part of the tour would be canceled since they would be one guide short. Nothing like peer pressure to get people to behave.

  Once we stepped outside, Davina introduced her brother, Fingal. The young Spanish girls quickly latched onto him. While his coloring was almost as pale as his sister’s, I had to admit he was attractive in a striking way.

  The senoritas crowded directly behind Fingal, then the American family and Tate and I fell in line, followed by the elderly crew. A switchback trail zigzagged down. Thanks to the rain, it was a bit slick, but manageable. The Spanish girls chattered at Fingal whose answers were monosyllables. The young man forced the girls to wait for the rest of us at each turn. Davina and her brother shared glances and frowned as the young girls chattered obnoxiously. As the senoritas wove down the path, they turned back and forth to take in their surroundings and narrowly missed hitting Tate with their backpacks twice.

  When a backpack hit one of the little boys hard enough to send him into his father, the man gripped the backpack’s strap as he said, “Hey!”

  The girl whirled around, one corner of her mouth raised in a snarl.

  Not an attractive look, I thought.

  “You need to be careful with that thing,” the father said with his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You almost knocked that little girl down twice already, and you just hit my son with it.”

  One of the girls poked her friend and snickered. “Well, just walk a bit farther back.”

  Before the father could respond with what I was sure were going to be some harsh words, Davina said, “The backpacks will need to be left outside the cave.”

  “But they have our passports and money!” one girl protested.

  “They’re too large and will get in the way. If you intend to go farther into the cavern with them, you wouldn’t be able to get through some of the tight spots. Size is one of the factors that Fingal considers when deciding who to take farther and who to send back. Plus, the gentleman is correct, wearing them and not being ever-aware when moving is perilous. You wouldn’t want to knock someone down into a sinkhole, would you?”

  The girls looked ready to complain again, but Davina had one last thing to add to close the conversation. “There’s a locker where we have spelunking equipment. We can lock your backpacks in there where they’ll be perfectly safe.”

  The path ended at the mouth of the cave. The girls reluctantly gave over their bags, which Fingal locked into a chest. Small lights hung from the top of the tunnel. Davina and her brother carried flashlights. Fingal led us into the cave, which turned sharply to the left and narrowed quite a bit, but not claustrophobically so, at least not to me. After walking for a few minutes, the Spanish girls complained about not seeing anything and wanted to know how much longer they would have to walk down the tunnel.

  I admitted to being a bit disappointed but kept it to myself. Tate passed the time by chattering with the two boys. She told them about the Samms and the horseback riding.

  The boys’ mother turned to me. “Did you think it was worthwhile to go riding? Was it safe?”

  “I believe so. My oldest daughter enjoyed it so much that she’s going there to help out s
ome while we’re here.”

  “So, you actually live on the island?”

  “Yes, we rented a cottage.”

  “We’re only here for the day, but if you have the information, I’d like to call and set it up.”

  “No need to call. We were told to just go over. The boys can meet and feed the horses and other farmyard animals like ducks, chickens, and cows, if you decide you would rather not have them ride. Tate and her sister both took riding lessons in the States. I should look into riding lessons for them in Aberdeen when we get back there.”

  We talked about Scotland and the differences between here and the US. The small lights illuminated, but not enough to give a view very far down the tunnel. We heard a gasp before we saw anything. Then the tunnel opened up into a chamber. As we walked closer, I realized that we stood on a manmade balcony, projecting us out into an open cavern. Stalactites and stalagmites festooned the chamber, some several stories high and meeting to form one long rock strand. I listened as the guide gave some basic information about caves to the group. The Germans took advantage of the available benches in short order while they paid attention. The rest of us ranged back and forth in front of the opening, looking up, down, and around in awe. Majestic rock pillars, with shining white curves, stood wider than a person.

  “We’ll stay here a few minutes so you can enjoy the view,” Fingal said.

  Very few people tarried at the edge farthest from the way we entered. That area lacked as interesting rock formations and some of the lights had gone out. I sat and turned so my back rested on the rock. I shivered at the coolness and rubbed my goose-pimpled arms. I hadn’t been in a cave in ages and forgot how much colder it could be. I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, turned, and gazed into the darkness. Tate, noticing my attentiveness, joined me.

  “What do you see, Mom?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I thought I saw something moving...maybe a bat?”

  Davina overheard me and joined us. “Unlikely in this part of the cave unless it is a rabid one. We do have bats living farther back in the cave. There’s another entrance. We don’t take people back there because we don’t like to disturb the bats. They’re one of the rarer breeds in Scotland. The whiskered bat is quite small and has long hair. I plan to add an exhibit to the museum about it, but don’t have the funds.” She rushed to the opposite end where the girls were standing on their seats. One hung onto the other one’s jeans waistband as she leaned over the abyss snapping photos.

  Geez, to be young and stupid.

  Again, I saw something move.

  “Did you see that, Mom?” Tate asked.

  Chapter 20

  “I SAW SOMETHING.” I squinted at the darkness. “What did you see?”

  “I saw a woman. I think she—” Tate grabbed my arm and pointed. “There! Look!”

  I followed the line of her finger to a figure smaller than I, under five foot tall, for sure, but lithe—almost, but not quite, emaciated. The pale skin glowed. Light appeared to be attracted to it, and the figure seemed to absorb weak brightness. I could see the undeniable curves of a small bosom. She wore a form-fitting bodysuit that shimmered gray, but changed colors as she moved—like an oil slick. I swallowed hard as my stomach roiled when I looked at it too long. Her long, pointed ears flicked and moved independently then angled toward me. She moved faster than my eyes could follow. One minute she crouched at the bottom of the cavern, and the next, she clung to a stalagmite, half way up. Her bare toes and finger tips adhered to the rock surface like one of the anoles that lived in our garden in Houston. No one else seemed to notice. Fingal and Davina argued with the girls who, in frustration, regressed to speaking Spanish which the Oggs obviously didn’t understand. The Germans had grown weary of the sights and were, in equal parts, conversing or resting. The American family sat angled away from our guides. The mother surreptitiously fed the boys Cheerios, despite the sign at the entrance which said eating in the cave was not permitted.

  “Mom—” Tate whispered.

  While I’d checked the locations of the guides and other members of the tour, the creature had traveled all the way up the column and, as I watched, leapt to the next one and continued to hopscotch until she was at the one nearest to us. She turned and grinned. I swallowed. Her teeth were sharp and long. She swung and propelled herself off the rock to land out of my sight. Then I could hear a sound. Not quite a hissing, but almost like a barely audible exhalation.

  “Mom—” Tate whispered again.

  “I know, honey.”

  I stood and pulled Tate away from the bench. As I did so, the creature peeped around, only half her face visible. The one eyebrow rose. Time froze.

  At the sounds of two loud claps, the creature’s head jerked up then vanished.

  I turned to see what had made the sound. Davina stared at me with her hands clasped together and eyes so wide open that I could see the whites around the irises. Her brother, with a hand on the arm of each of the Spanish girls, wore an expression of wonder.

  “The tour is over,” Fingal said as he propelled the protesting girls in front of him. No one else objected. The American mother encouraged the boys to stuff the remaining oaten treats into their mouths and move. The Germans wearily stood and followed. Soon, Tate and I were the only ones left, along with Davina. She came and stood next to us.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  She gripped my elbow and turned me toward her. I was so startled, I didn’t resist. She stared into my eyes. “You have the Sight,” she said.

  Before I could speak, she bent toward Tate and peered into her eyes too. “As do you.” Her shoulders slumped as she gazed at the stone ground. “How is this possible?” she murmured.

  I tugged Tate’s arm. Mesmerized, my daughter stared into the darkness where something glinted and moved.

  “Tate, don’t look.” I pulled her toward the exit—toward the others. I was relieved when Davina didn’t move. Instead, she turned and looked out over the chasm, searching for...I didn’t wait to find out what.

  Tate protested as I hurried us closer to the others. “I think she wanted to speak to us,” she ventured.

  “Honey, I don’t know that I want to speak to her.”

  “Mom,” she admonished. “You’ve always said not to judge others by their appearance. Besides, she really was beautiful—” She paused. “—until she opened her mouth.”

  I couldn’t argue with her about that. The lights overhead flickered. Tate and I sped up until we were jogging. We almost ran into one of the Germans lagging behind. She paused with her hand over her heart.

  I stopped. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she said in perfect English. “I don’t know what the hurry is, though.”

  “I think those girls broke the rules.”

  “Well, no surprise is it?” She took a deep breath. “I think I am ready now. Where is the other one?”

  “Oh, you mean the other guide, Davina?”

  “Yes.”

  “She was behind us.” I looked back and saw a shimmering figure definitely not Davina.

  “Let’s go.” Grabbing Tate’s hand and the German lady’s arm, I rushed us forward. We burst through the opening, startling the group.

  “Where is Davina?” Fingal asked.

  “I don’t know, but the lights started going out.” I knew it sounded silly, I mean, after all, even a person with an awful sense of direction could get back here in the dark. It wasn’t like there was any other way to go once you were turned in the correct direction, which we had been.

  Fingal rounded us up. “Come along,” he said, turning toward the stairs.

  “What about your sister?” the American mother asked.

  “I will return after I accompany you all back to the café.”

  “I think we can make it back on our own,” one of the Spanish girls said.

  “Most of you could,” Fingal said pointed
ly.

  As he led the group back up to the café, I listened as the Spanish girls demanded their money back because they felt shorted. They expressed that they weren’t told not to stand on the seats. Fingal argued that there was indeed a sign and even the children in attendance had not done something so immature, not to mention unsafe. “You’re too juvenile to go on the extended tour, at any rate. You would have been sent back with the rest. Of the group, I think I saw maybe five that I would take farther, from the point we were, and we weren’t even done with the first leg that everyone can handle.” They huffed, and as soon as they entered the café, pushed up to the front to order. Before we could go inside, Fingal stopped us. “I’m going back to check on my sister. I would appreciate it if you would wait for us to return.”

  I mutely nodded.

  “What do you think the creepy lady wanted?” Tate asked.

  “I’m not sure, honey.”

  She reminded me of a cuter version of a lizard, though both could be pretty creepy. I ordered a pot of tea and Tate asked for a Ribena. After collecting our drinks and a plate of biscuits, we sat. When everyone from the tour had an opportunity to finish their light snacks, the museum was showing a short movie which you could choose to watch or remain in the café. I noticed that the person behind the counter in the café also resembled the guides, and I assumed she was some relation.

  A little while later, Fingal returned along with his sister. She took those who were interested in to watch the film. Fingal came to sit at our table. Most of the group decided to watch the movie, even, surprisingly, the Spanish girls.

  “My sister will start the movie and return,” he said then rose, helped himself to some tea, and chatted with the lady behind the counter. Ten minutes later, Davina returned and sat with us. Fingal brought a cup of tea over to the table and gave it to her. They stared at Tate and me.

  About the time that I started to feel uncomfortable, Tate piped up. “Do you know the lizard-toed lady?”

  The siblings looked at one another. “They both could see her, and she rarely shows herself. I think we should tell them,” Davina said.