Auld Acquaintance

by Ruth Hay

  Making a mental note to bring one of her library books with her on the next expedition, she climbed back to the ridge and began to move west along the crest. She was looking for the cottage where Alan Matthews must live.

  After scrambling around for ten minutes, she caught sight of a coil of smoke far below and guessed the shepherd’s house must be beneath her, hidden by the mountain’s bulk.

  She was turning back to her point of descent when, looking up from her feet for a moment, Anna saw the gleam of the sea in the distance.

  She stood still with the wind in her face and gazed at the sight. Something about seeing things from this height was fascinating. It was almost like being a Greek God in Parnassus watching the world below.

  She could track cars on the road to Oban and see sheep move on the slopes below her.

  A huge hawk-like bird rose up from the trees to the west and soared beneath her on the wind’s arms. Best of all was the blue glint of the sea. Anna could just spot a ship on the far horizon beyond the coastal islands.

  I must go there, she promised herself. Maps had shown her there were Inner and Outer Hebridean isles within reach of Oban. Although she had enjoyed summers in Canada at Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, nothing she knew had ever compared to the easily-accessible, rich and varied scenery in this part of Britain.

  Binoculars next time, she promised herself. This is too good to miss.

  * * *

  The trek down to the farm house was accomplished with ease now that she could depend on the hiking pole for support when the trail was steep or slippery.

  Anna unlocked her back door and sighed in contentment. Not only was she coping with an environment so different from what she had known in Ontario, but she sensed she was also gaining physical and mental strength, both from the outdoor exercise and the challenges of daily life indoors

  “This is a win/win situation, Anna!” she congratulated herself. “Now, if I could just decide what to do with the rest of my life..........”

  Thinking this might be too big a task for such a good day, she made a sandwich instead and with a full teapot balanced on a tray, she ventured outside to see if the bench below the south-facing sitting room window was capturing the sunshine.

  This involved opening two doors and backing through them carefully and she was just about to set the tray down outside, when a car horn blared in the lane behind her and almost caused her to drop the whole thing.

  Turning around angrily, Anna saw at her front gate, a white van with a huge fish painted on the side. She marched down the gravel path to remonstrate with the individual who had the nerve to despoil the peace of the afternoon with unnecessary noise pollution, when the driver’s window rolled down and a smiling face surmounted by a white hat popped out.

  “There you are, my dearie. I heard you was living here for a whilie. Would you be after wanting any fresh fish for your tea now? I can tell you they was caught this morning and haven’t stopped flopping around yet.”

  As Anna stood still in amazement, an energetic young man jumped out of the van and opened up the rear doors to reveal a display of fish on metal trays that slid out. Before Anna could reply, he was offering her a whole fish, complete with head and tail attached. The stranger continued to talk rapidly. “That nice lady, Helen, was particular fond of this salmon, you know, but I can fillet a cod or sole for ye, in the twinkling of an eye and you’ll no find anything better anywheres at all.”

  Once she had recovered from the surprise of finding home delivery this far from town, Anna took advantage of the opportunity to buy fresh fish and by the time she had fetched money from the house, the voluble man had prepared a few slices of haddock for her and presented them, wrapped in clean white paper.

  Thanking her for her custom, he departed back down the lane and the van soon disappeared from view.

  When Anna placed the fish on a cool pantry countertop she was already planning how to fry the fish for her supper. She cut off a small portion from one slice and left it on a plate. She was going to open the barn doors today to remove anything useful from the crates inside. Following Fiona’s advice meant she would not be inside the barn again for some time, and Anna could not resist leaving a forbidden treat for the cat.

  No one will know, she told herself, as she returned to the tea tray outside.

  The tea was cold by now so she looked around for somewhere to pour it out in the garden. Just behind the bench where she was seated, right against the wall of the house, she spotted snowdrops and primroses raising their faces to the sun.

  “You shall have a nourishing drink,” she informed them and watched as they absorbed the cold tea.

  This place is a continual surprise to me, she thought. I wonder what else will spring up from this garden in a few months, and, more importantly, who will be here to see?

  * * *

  Anna opened the barn doors very slowly. She was prepared to duck down if anything seemed to be moving toward her, but the barn owls must have been sleeping.

  She grabbed a tool from a box and quickly prised open the lid of the nearest of the three wooden crates.

  Carefully packed inside were a number of useful household items.

  She extracted two round mirrors, a folding frame that she recognised as a wooden rack for hanging washing in front of the fire to dry, and a heavy, black, flat pan with an iron handle spanning its width that she was sure could be suspended on a hook over the fire to cook food speedily. Just the thing for frying my fish tonight, she observed with a grin.

  Near the bottom she found an old-fashioned, wind-up clock in a separate box.

  The second crate held mostly books which Anna decided to leave for now. Her busy days did not seem to allow much time for reading at the moment.

  The last crate was farther into the barn and beyond the reach of daylight. As she did not have the torch with her, Anna decided to leave this crate for another day and concentrate on moving the things she had selected to the area outside the barn doors.

  Until now, she had been deliberately quiet in her actions so as not to alarm any wild animals in the vicinity. She was aware of the warnings Fiona had given about the ferocity of the Scottish wildcat and although she was willing to take the risk of leaving a fish treat, she was not willing to risk an encounter with a large animal defending its territory.

  In the silence, she suddenly heard the unmistakable mew of a tiny kitten.

  Afraid she might be imagining things, Anna stopped still and listened intently.

  She was about to turn and leave the barn when the pitiful sound came again. Anna’s mind raced as she tried to fit this with the picture she had been given of an adult feline taking shelter in an abandoned barn during bad weather.

  Could Fiona have been wrong? Could a stray cat be what Anna had seen vanishing under a stone on the barn floor, and not a wildcat? Could a litter of kittens be hiding here? What if the litter had been abandoned?

  Without any evidence to support this idea, Anna jumped to the conclusion that she must intervene to save the kitten. But how?

  To give herself time to think, she lifted the selected items from the floor of the barn and placed them outside, then closed one half of the barn doors.

  It occurred to her that she should first check at the back of the barn where the cat hairs had been found in case there were more signs of recent entry.

  Immediately, on rounding the corner of the barn, she saw a tiny body and a trail of bloody paw prints leading away from the hole she had seen before.

  The dead kitten was lying in the mud just outside the hole at ground level.

  Anna drew in breath sharply with shock. She stood with her hand at her mouth trying to figure out what had happened. The bloody prints were much larger than a kitten could make. Were those belonging to the mother cat or was the kitten a victim of some other animal?

  It did not occur to Anna that this dead kitten could not have made the sounds she had just heard, until the mewing sound came again. This time the s
ound was from inside the barn.

  * * *

  At once she was galvanized into action. Throwing all caution to the winds she ran back

  inside the barn to the toolbox. Grabbing a trowel, she raced to the rear of the barn again and gently moved the dead kitten aside. Trying to be as quiet as possible while still glancing over her shoulder to inspect the hillside in case her mission of mercy could be interrupted, she dug the frozen earth away until she had widened the hole.

  Down on her knees, she peered into the cavity between the cold stones and slowly reached her gloved hand into the space. She could feel nothing, but a tiny scrabbling sound indicated that there was a live animal there. Praying that it was not a rat or an adult wildcat, Anna tried again. Her arm at its full extent, she wriggled her fingers.

  Still nothing. Then she remembered the hole had an exit inside the barn.

  Rushing around to the front again, she slowly tiptoed inside and toward the rear corner where she had first seen a cat disappear. The slow pace allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark, and with the additional help of her ears, straining to hear the smallest sound, she knew she would spot any movement.

  She waited with her heart racing, and finally saw the small face of a young cat emerge from the ground. Identity confirmed, she thought, but how do I catch it?

  Turning her head, she saw one of Helen’s old coats hanging on a hook to her left.

  If she could reach out without alarming the kitten, she might be able to throw the coat over the little creature and trap it inside the folds.

  With utmost caution, Anna lifted the coat and held it in front of her. The little face had withdrawn again but Anna knew the kitten was there and she waited patiently, hoping it would not choose to escape to the outside.

  Minutes went by. Anna scarcely breathed as she shuffled forward, inch by inch.

  The kitten would have to come right out of its lair if her plan had a chance of working, but how could she entice it to come out?

  In her coat pocket was a piece of raw fish wrapped in plastic. Anna had no illusion about fish being a suitable meal for a new kitten but at least, she thought, it might be an interesting smell to be investigated. She pulled out the packet, opened it, and tossed the fish as close to the hole as she could.

  It took several more endless minutes but finally the kitten moved far enough into the open, with its nose twitching, for Anna to drop the coat over it and scoop the coat and its squirming contents up into her arms.

  She managed to run back to the garden without tripping over anything inside, or outside, the barn. She jumped through the gap in the stone wall and raced for the house.

  Backing through the unlocked outer pantry door and then into the kitchen the same way, she dropped into a chair and while she caught her breath, contemplated her next move.

  The interior of a house would be a foreign environment to this creature, but Anna could hardly hold it in her lap forever. She really wanted a closer look at her captive yet she did not dare to unfold the coat. At the very least, this was a wild animal and its behaviour would be unpredictable.

  Saner second thoughts were crowding out the impulsive actions of a few minutes before.

  Anna began to understand that she had a responsibility to this creature now that she had removed it from its home. The bundle in her lap was silent and not moving. Had she killed the kitten? Looking around frantically she saw the floor level cupboard at the base of the shelf unit housing the kitchen china. If she placed the coat with the kitten in front of the deep, empty cupboard and opened up the door, perhaps the kitten would feel safer inside a dark place for a while. If it was still alive, that is.

  Afraid to wait any longer, Anna moved over to the cupboard and nudged it open with the toe of her shoe. Then she bent down and gently opened up Helen’s coat to let the little prisoner go free.

  Retreating back to her chair, Anna waited anxiously to see what would happen.

  In the end, she missed it. After what seemed like an hour, she quietly removed the coat from the floor and gently shook it. Nothing fell out. Anna backed away and kneeled down so she could peer inside the cupboard without getting too close. If there was no kitten in there, she decided, the whole operation had failed and the creature had escaped inside the barn.

  In the dim light from the window it was not easy to see anything at all. Anna strained her eyes. Was that a little round ball in the back of the cupboard or just a shadow? She could not make up her mind which it might be until a rumble of thunder rolled by the farm house and a face emerged for just a second and Anna saw, with relief, white rims around a pair of frightened blue eyes.

  She tiptoed over and closed the cupboard door, leaving a narrow opening for air.

  Just then, heavy rain began to patter on the roof of the house. Anna remembered the household items she had left outside the barn and raced outdoors again, closing the kitchen door firmly behind her.

  In the few minutes it took to collect the items, relay them back to the house and lock up the barn, Anna was drenched.

  The cold drops running down her face, brought clarity to her thinking.

  If the kitten was to survive, she must feed it soon. It was reasonable to assume that the mother cat was injured and had left the lair. There was no way to tell how long ago she had last fed the kitten so Anna had to act quickly.

  Looking around at the pantry’s contents she took a carton of cream, poured a little into a pan and diluted it with milk. While the mixture warmed up on the stove, she found a kitchen towel and cut off the corner. If the kitten would not drink from a saucer, she would have to soak the cloth and put it into the kitten’s mouth herself.

  Anna slid the saucer carefully into the cupboard and waited on the chair again. It might take a long time for the kitten to overcome its fear and approach the warm milk, or it might be too weak to lap the liquid.

  Anna realised she was out of her depth in this situation. She suddenly thought of Fee’s help and latched on to that lifeline.

  Without taking her eyes off the cupboard door, she reached the cell phone on the kitchen table and called Fee’s number.

  “Fiona’s Taxi Services,” said the familiar voice, “We’re here to help you.”

  “Thank God, Fee!”

  “Anna, is that you? What on earth is the matter? You sound frantic.”

  “Oh, Fee, I think I’ve got myself into a mess. I rescued a kitten from the barn and now I don’t know what to do with it.”

  “A kitten? You don’t mean the wildcat had a litter in there?”

  “Yes, it could be, I suppose. One kitten is already dead, I’m afraid.”

  “Have you touched the live one, Anna?”

  “No. The poor little thing is in a cupboard in my kitchen here and I am trying to feed it.”

  “Right! Stay there. I am on my way. I just dropped off the school children at home.

  I’ll take the short cut and be with you in fifteen minutes.”

  “Thank you, Fee. Thank you.”

  The relief that poured out of Anna as soon as she had unloaded the problem on Fee, was

  huge. She began to realise the toll the stress of the last hour had taken on her nerves.

  Her hands, and her legs, were shaking.

  My mother would make tea to soothe nerves, she remembered, and sweet tea is probably a good idea at this point. Afraid that any strange noise would further frighten the kitten, Anna decided to boil water on the hot plate of the stove rather than in the kettle. She did what was required as quickly and quietly as possible while keeping an eye on the cupboard.

  By the time Fiona arrived, she was feeling a little calmer.

  Fee looked concerned when she listened to the tale Anna had to tell. She insisted on going out to the barn to inspect the dead kitten and examine the paw prints, and then she returned to report her findings to Anna.

  “I’m afraid this is a wildcat kitten, Anna, and not a stray. Judging from the size of the dead kitten, the female may have given birth
prematurely and that means this live one is in danger if we can’t feed it.”

  “What do you think happened to the mother?”

  “I don’t know for certain, but there is enough blood left to indicate she was badly injured. I am no expert, but I think she was on three legs from the prints. I followed them up to the burn then the rain washed the rest of them away.”

  “Will she come back?” asked Anna fearfully.

  “I doubt it. The bigger issue is that as wildcats are the rarest mammal in Britain, we may already have broken a number of regulations about their protection.”

  Anna jumped up as this information sunk in. She stated firmly, “You have no responsibility here, Fee. I am the one who took action and I don’t regret it if this animal can be saved.”

  “I admit I have to agree with you, Anna. First, let me make some calls and then we’ll see what can be done with the kitten.”

  Fiona went through to the sitting room to make her calls while Anna kept watch on the cupboard again. In a few minutes Fee returned and announced that part of the problem was solved. Alan Matthews had found a dead, wildcat female in a thicket of bushes when he was out with the sheep. Prince alerted him to its presence and he saw the injury.

  One foot was entirely chewed off causing huge blood loss. Alan was now checking all the high cover in the area looking for a suspected illegal steel trap which probably caught the wildcat by the foot.

  “Oh, Fee! That’s horrible news!”

  “Unfortunately, that’s not all the bad news, Anna. I got the information about Alan Matthews’ discovery from the local vet, Callum Moir. He is not happy about the situation we have here and demands the kittens, both the dead and alive, are brought to his surgery without delay.”

  “Can he do that, Fee?” Anna was incensed that this man could dictate to her on her own property.

  “I don’t think he can forcibly remove them from you, but I fear he does have the authority to investigate and report to the Wildlife Service.”