Highland Justice

by Larry Stuart

  Alex’s anxiety increased with each step.

  ‘We’re in here,’ murmured his father, in an unusually restrained manner.

  Turning into the sitting room, Alex’s steps faltered.

  The sight before his eyes alarmed him like nothing ever before. His father’s shoulders sagged, and his hands trembled. His face, which until now had always been strong and full of colour, was drawn and sallow.

  Close beside him on the couch, sat his mother.

  She was never what Alex would have called pretty, although her complexion was clear and her eyes usually sparkling and warm. She always kept her hair brushed and tied-back off of her face; and what few clothes she had were, without exception, neat and pressed.

  Being clean and presentable had always been important to her, which was why the woman he now beheld seemed almost a stranger. Her face was ashen, her eyes puffy and bordered in red. Her hair lay unkempt in straggly strands all over her head; while her dress was a wrinkled mess, and stained down the front with damp patches.

  For the first time in his life, Alex was really frightened. His parents, who had always been his teachers, providers and protectors, had now fallen apart in front of his eyes.

  This time it was his mother who broke the stillness.

  ‘Please, Alex…Please, sit down over here,’ she sniffed, patting the seat beside her. ‘There’s something you need to know.’