by Anne Forbes
“Neil’s probably quite right about the law of trespass, Shona, but we have to respect our neighbours’ wishes. I think you should stay off the mountain until Jamie Robertson comes back from Canada.”
Shona looked totally horrified. “Stay off Morven!” she repeated. “But … Uncle Jamie’s going to be away for months and months.”
“I know it’s hard, Shona,” her mother said comfortingly, “but it’s not our land, you know. Jamie’s just been kind in letting everyone use it.”
“Look at it from the Americans’ point of view, Shona,” her father pointed out. “They’ve paid a lot of money to rent the estate and they want it to themselves.”
Tears gathered in Shona’s eyes. “I know you’re right, Dad,” she admitted, “but the rest of the year is going to be perfectly foul. And what am I going to do in the summer hols? I spend most of my time on Morven. You know I do!”
“Let your father talk to the Americans first,” her mother suggested. “Once we explain the situation and tell them you love the mountain and wouldn’t dream of causing any damage then I’m sure they’ll change their minds.”
But, as it happened, the Americans didn’t change their minds. Ian Ferguson looked more than a little annoyed as he put the telephone receiver down and glanced across at his wife.
“They don’t seem a very friendly lot, do they?” Helen said, having heard his side of the conversation.
“No, they don’t,” he admitted. “I spoke to this Shane character that Shona told us about and he was really quite adamant. He didn’t want me to visit the castle to talk the matter over, nor did he want the children to come and apologize and as for giving Shona permission to climb the mountain when she pleased … no way!”
“We’ve been so used to having Jamie around,” his wife frowned, “that we’ve taken his kindness for granted. Shona said that the glen had changed and she’s right. It’s not a friendly place any more.”
“I think I’ll nip over and have a word with Hughie,” her husband mused thoughtfully. “He takes a few salmon from the river and the odd stag now and then. I wouldn’t like that lot to catch him at it.”
“It’s hardly likely is it?” Helen frowned.
“You never know,” Ian replied, slipping his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, “but I’d better warn him that they’re not exactly an obliging lot. Say goodnight to the kids for me, will you. I might be late! You know Hughie; once he starts talking, he can go on for hours!”
Although Hughie didn’t talk for hours, he nevertheless had a lot to say and as he listened, Ian Ferguson’s face grew more and more puzzled.
“They’re a weird lot, Ian,” Hughie said grimly, his weather-beaten face anxious. “I don’t know what they’re here for but whatever it is it’s something to do with Morven.”
Ian Ferguson ran a hand through his greying hair. “They’ve been at it ever since they arrived; taking rock samples, going over it with a Geiger counter … the lot. They chucked Shona and her friends off it this afternoon,” Ian remarked. “Told her she was trespassing. I phoned them, thinking that when they knew we were local it would be all right for her to climb on it when she pleased — but they weren’t having it. They made it quite clear that they don’t want anybody on the mountain at all.”
Hughie frowned. “Shona’s never off the mountain in the summer.”
“Well, it looks as though this summer’s going to be different. I don’t want the Americans complaining to Jamie Robertson about us. That’s why I came over, Hughie. To warn you to be careful. Taking a wee stag and a salmon now and then, might well land you in hot water.”
Hughie looked thoughtful. “Jamie Robertson always knew fine what I was at,” he said, looking Ian straight in the eye. “He never minded me taking a salmon for my tea and the only stags I ever shot were auld beasts that would never have lasted the winter — he agreed that it was better for them to be shot cleanly than die, freezing, in a snowdrift.”
Ian Ferguson nodded. “I guessed as much,” he grinned. “I really came over to sound you out about the Americans. They seem a weird lot. In fact, there’s something totally fishy about the whole set-up at the castle. I just can’t figure out what it is, though.”
“There’s always the secret passage that runs from your house to the castle …” Hughie reminded him.
Ian looked doubtful. “You mean we should spy on them?”
“Well …?”
“I don’t know … perhaps we should wait for a bit. I mean, they might be perfectly innocent … and there’s Jamie Robertson to consider, too. I’d never be able to look him in the eye again if he ever found out that we’d been spying on his tenants.”
Such considerations, however, weren’t worrying Shona, for even as her father was discussing the secret passage with Hughie, she was rolling back the fitted carpet in her old playroom. Set flat within one of the flagstones was a heavy round ring.
“Here let me help you,” Lewis said as she grasped the ring and hefted the stone upwards. It must have been on some kind of spring for as it rose, it tilted sideways so that it rested against the wall.
“There it is,” she said proudly, pointing downwards, “our very own secret passage. It goes all the way to Morven Castle!”
Neil and Clara looked excitedly at the square, black hole that had opened up in the floor.
“How deep is it?” Neil asked, kneeling down to peer into it.
“About six or seven feet,” she said shining a torch into its depths, “but Dad put a big, wooden box there so that we can jump down onto it first.”
“It smells a bit musty, doesn’t it?” Clara said, sniffing the air.
“Mmm. We don’t use it all that much. Mostly in the winter when we get snowed in and the drifts are too deep to use the road. Uncle Jamie always invites us for Christmas dinner at the castle and once, when I was small, we took our presents through it with Dad dressed up as Santa Claus. I’ll never forget it,” she laughed, “it was so exciting!”
“Where does it come out?” Neil asked.
“In the Great Hall of the castle,” Lewis said. “Shona took me through it the last time I was here. Of course, she asked Lord Robertson first if we could come and he didn’t mind.”
“He had tea and cakes ready for us when we reached the hidden door in the panelling and climbed out,” Shona grinned. She looked at her watch. “It’s a bit late to take you along the passage just now but we could go down tomorrow after dinner. We’ve got Jennifer to visit in the morning and her mum promised us lunch.”
“Sounds like a busy day,” Clara smiled.
“Yeah,” agreed Neil, his mind still on the secret passage, “and with any luck we might find out what Shane and his lot are up to! I’m just dying to find out!”
It was late when Ian Ferguson left Hughie’s cottage and made his way along the dark road towards the shafts of light that streamed from the windows of his house.
Hughie watched him go and sighed. Many years ago, he had made a promise to the Lords of the North that was proving difficult to keep; for while exploring the mountain as a youngster, he had found his way inside.
It was like a dream now, he thought, as he visualized the blue and silver halls of the Lords of the North. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for the little hobgoblins slipping shyly round his door of an afternoon craving biscuits, honey or a piece of cake, he would long ago have decided it was just a childhood fantasy.
Nevertheless, a worried frown creased his forehead as he tidied his kitchen and, like Ian Ferguson, wondered what on earth the Americans were up to in Glenmorven.
13. Jennifer’s Glen
“Keep going, Lewis,” Shona said, pointing upwards. “Once we reach that outcrop of rocks, it’s downhill all the way!”
Eventually they reached the top of the ridge and, panting slightly, looked over Glen Garchory; a deep glen that nestled between the steep slopes of high mountains.
“That’s Jennifer’s house over there,” Shona said, pointing towards a
white, two-storey building with high gables that was surrounded by a considerable sprawl of barns and outhouses. “Another half an hour and we’ll be there.”
Lewis was glad to hear it. He wasn’t nearly as fit as Neil and Clara and his muscles were already aching.
Jennifer saw them coming and met them half way. She was slim, blonde and wore a heavy sweater over her jeans.
“Hi, Shona! Hi there, Lewis,” she said, cheerfully. “Glad you could make it!”
“I warned them that it was a bit of a walk, Jenni,” laughed Shona, introducing Neil and Clara.
“You’ll be used to it, though,” Jennifer said with a laugh. “Lewis tells me you live beside Arthur’s Seat! He’s the one who needs the exercise!”
“This’ll last me for some time, believe me,” Lewis groaned. “I’m still stiff from climbing Morven yesterday!”
Mention of Morven reminded Shona of the Americans. Her temper flared immediately and she looked indignant. “You’ll never guess what happened to us yesterday, Jenni,” she began and tucking her red hair behind her ears, promptly poured out the whole story of their meeting with Shane and his friends. “And now,” she finished, irritably, “I’ve been banned from climbing Morven.” She was still furious at the whole affair and they were so busy discussing it that the last part of the journey passed quickly and in no time at all, they reached the farmhouse.
“Dad’s gone into Aberdeen today,” Jenni said, opening the front door, “but Mum’s making us lunch and after that I thought I might show you round the farm.” She looked enquiringly at Neil and Clara.
“Great,” Neil smiled.
Her mother put down the telephone as they came into the kitchen. “Anything wrong, Mum?” Jennifer asked, seeing her face.
“Not exactly,” Mrs Sinclair smiled at Neil and Clara. She was as blonde as her daughter with bright blue eyes and a wide smile. “Nice to meet you both,” she said. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Lewis. Why don’t you sit at the table? Lunch is ready.”
“Who were you talking to on the telephone, Mum?” Jennifer persisted, passing round the vegetables as her mother served them with slices of roast chicken. “It’s bothering you, isn’t it?”
“Not bothering me exactly,” her mother said, sitting down and reaching for her napkin. “It was Morag on the phone. You know Morag, don’t you Shona? Well, she was saying that the people in the next glen to her saw a stone giant last night.”
“A stone giant?” Jenni looked at her in surprise.
Clara, too, looked up so abruptly that she choked on a mouthful of chicken.
“Here, have a drink of water,” Lewis said, pushing the glass into her hand as her face reddened and she coughed.
“You all right, Clara?” Neil managed to keep his voice calm. He had almost choked, too, for in the past they had both come across a stone giant in terrifying circumstances.
“A stone giant? That’s impossible,” Shona frowned.
“That’s exactly what I said,” Mary Sinclair nodded as Clara drank some more water and stopped coughing, “but there have been lots of rumours going round of giants appearing on the west coast. I read about them in the paper the other day. Anyway, you know what Morag’s like. She’ll believe anything.”
“Something must have happened for people to talk about a stone giant, though,” Jenni pointed out.
“It sounded quite frightening really. Apparently a terrible crash of thunder woke them in the middle of the night and when they looked out of their windows they could see this huge giant walking down the mountainside lit up by the flashes of lightning. They were so scared that they … well, they left their house and headed for the next glen. Morag said they woke her up in the middle of the night, soaked to the skin and dead scared. Anyway, they’ve decided to stay with relatives, near Ballater.”
“Did anyone else see the giant?” Neil asked.
“I don’t think so. Theirs is a pretty lonely glen,” Mrs Sinclair said, “but the next morning, Morag’s husband went back with them to look for it and there was absolutely nothing there. Mind you, the storm must have loosened the side of the hill for there was a landslide over the road near the head of the glen. It’s quite impassable now,” she said.
“So they just imagined the giant, then?” Shona said.
“Well, they certainly didn’t find it and if it was as big as they said it was … well, it would be quite difficult for it to hide.”
After lunch, Jenni took them round the farm. Neil pressed Clara’s arm and they let the others go ahead into the barn on their own.
“This is turning out to be a very queer holiday, Clara,” he said. “Weird Americans, a magic mountain and now — stone giants! What on earth is going on?”
Clara shook her head. “I don’t know,” she whispered, “but whatever it is, I don’t like it. Remember, I saw the Old Man of the Mountains,” she said as they walked to join the others, “and I’ll never forget his face; all rock and stone. He was dead scary!”
Shona and Jenni were crouched over a basket at one end of the barn.
“Oh, aren’t they beautiful,” Shona was saying to Lewis as they made their way across the barn. “Come and look, Clara; the farm cat has had kittens!”
“Actually, they’re old enough to leave their mother, now,” Jenni said. “I’ve found homes for two of them but I’m keeping this one,” she showed them a thin, rather ugly-looking tabby and white kitten. “She’s really adorable but just so ugly that nobody wants her!” She kissed the kitten and perched it on her shoulder where it clung to her sweater with sharp little claws. I’ve called her Ugly Mug!” she laughed.
Time flew past as they explored the farm. “Almost three o’clock,” Shona remarked as they wandered back to the farmhouse kitchen. “We’ll have to think about heading for home, I’m afraid.”
“Yes,” Jennifer’s mother agreed. “You don’t want to leave it too late.”
As they waved goodbye, Mrs Sinclair glanced round the sweeping slopes of the mountains and shivered slightly as she realized how very lonely the glen was. She’d be glad when her husband returned.
Sharing her mother’s thoughts, Jennifer, too, looked warily round the glen and, giving one last wave to Shona and her friends, turned and followed her mother into the house.
“Cheer up, Lewis,” Shona grinned as they strode towards the narrow track that led up to the ridge, “once we reach the top, it’s downhill all the way!”
“Yes,” Clara grinned, “and don’t forget that after dinner tonight we’re going to go through the secret passage to the castle.”
14. The Secret Passage
“I’m going to show Neil and Clara the secret passage this evening,” Shona announced as they were having dinner that evening.
“Haven’t you had enough exercise for one day?” her father asked, eyebrows raised.
“Going down a secret passage isn’t exercise,” Clara smiled. “It’s exciting!”
“Well, take a torch each,” Mrs Ferguson smiled, “and don’t get lost!”
Shona grinned. “We can hardly do that,” she said. “It only goes in one direction!”
“And put on an extra sweater,” her father warned. “It’s quite cold down there.”
It was chilly in the secret passage. The cold draught that wafted along made Neil realize that there must be air vents to the surface.
“It’s been well made,” Lewis said, shining his torch over the old stonework, “a bit damp here and there but not so you’d notice.”
“Just mind your head,” Shona warned. “It’s a bit low in places and mum and dad sometimes have to duck!”
Shining their torches in front of them, the tunnel stretched into the gloom. Although it only took them about a quarter of an hour to reach the castle, it seemed much longer in the dark confines of the secret passage.
“We’re here,” Shona said, thankfully, as she noticed the change in the stonework. “Not far to go now, so keep your voices down!”
They followe
d her up a narrow flight of steep, stone steps and soon found themselves in a tall, thin passage. One wall seemed to be made of wood and as she ran her fingers over it, Clara realized that they were walking in a space behind the walls of a room for she could vaguely hear the sound of voices.
Shona stopped and, putting her fingers on her lips, stood on a large stone. The stone had been put there for a reason and, as Clara watched fascinated, Shona balanced herself carefully, slipped back a catch and pushed a tiny piece of panelling to one side. Immediately the voices became clearer and they were very definitely American. Lewis gave Neil the thumbs up sign. They’d done it! Now, with any luck, they might find out just what the Americans were doing in Glenmorven.
“I’m telling you, it’s all over Aberdeen,” Steve was saying, leaning forward excitedly in his armchair. “People were talking about it in every shop I was in. They’re full of it and, I kid you not, they really believe it!”
“What?” Chuck said, frowning slightly. “That there are stone giants in the mountains?”
Shane looked sceptical. “You shouldn’t listen to that rubbish. I heard about it on the news and they’re playing it down big time. Somebody thinks they see a giant and all of a sudden everybody’s seeing giants everywhere!”
“I reckon it might be a good idea to go out and look for them,” Sam said, getting to his feet and moving over to a huge wall map of the area. “It’s getting kinda boring sitting around here. Whadya say, boys? Fancy a giant hunt?”
“Come off it!” Jake said. “Giants? Look, man, the weather’s bad, there’s a landslide and maybe it does, for a few seconds, look just like a giant and then — it’s gone. And what’s left? A pile of rocks and rubble.”
“Rocks and rubble,” repeated Chuck. “Say … that’s not a bad idea. We talked about it before, remember? Blowing the side off the mountain! These giants are the perfect cover. We just wait for the next thunderstorm and detonate the explosives in the middle of it.”