My heart is pounding. A real living breathing dinosaur….
“Can we get closer?” asks Valentina. Her eyes are shining.
“Sorry, she won’t come to the shore, she’s very shy. And we can’t let you go in a boat on Loch Glas, it’s too dangerous. She might capsize us by accident. And there are other creatures in there.”
The dinosaur gazes about. She turns her head left, then right, slowly. It’s like time has stopped. Like all centuries past have come together in one instant, here, now, on the shores of Loch Glas. Just for us.
Then she dives underwater, and disappears. Nobody speaks for a while, as the ripples break on the shore, one after the other.
That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
22. DARKNESS
Alistair Grant’s Scottish Paranormal Database
Entry Number 332: The hunters and the cù sìth
Type: Fairy
Location: Dornie, northern Scotland
Date: 13 April 1909
Details: A group of unfortunate hunters, out on the moors around Dornie, met a cù sìth – an enormous hound with red ears and red eyes and a long braided tail, which it uses as a whip. The cù sìth is said to carry souls to the Otherworld. Sometimes he hunts silently, sometimes he announces himself with three barks, so powerful that they can be heard out at sea. Only one of the hunting group, a Tain McHarg, survived to tell the tale. All that was left of the others were tweed caps and a boot.
You know when people say “I saw my whole life flash in front of me”?
Well, it really works like that.
As I was flying above the woods in the arms of a vampire, I saw myself as a wee boy, I saw my parents, and my home, and my school, I saw the beaches and the sea of Eilean, and the landscape I know as well as the back of my hand, I saw them right there, in front of my eyes, one scene after the other.
And I thought, “So this is what dying is like…”
I’ll tell you how it happened.
***
At dinner we sit around a huge mahogany table in a room that’s as big as my house. On the table there’s a spread of lovely food. The McTires seem to like their meat: boar, pheasant, venison, and a few unidentified animals. I don’t ask. I wonder what you could hunt, in the woods surrounding Loch Glas…
“Lord McTire, I was wondering. With all these dangerous creatures around here, are you not scared? Do they not attack you?”
Sorley laughs. “I’d say they wouldn’t dare attack my father or me, or any of our family.”
I’m dying to ask why, but it seems rude, so I decide against it.
“Why?” asks Valentina.
“Because we’re more dangerous than them,” says Lord McTire. His eyes are very clear, almost white.
“Am I at liberty to tell them?” asks Alistair.
“Of course. Tell them on the way back,” answers Lord McTire with a smile. He has a toothy smile, I notice for the first time.
Valentina and I look at each other.
“Sorley, any chance that I could see the mermaids, before I go? And Finlay?”
“Of course. Tomorrow morning,” he replies, and bites a big chunk off his roasted boar leg.
Our bedroom is huge, with two four-poster beds and a stone fireplace.
“Goodnight, children.” Lady Margaret is tucking us in. She’s brought us some chocolate milk and biscuits. I’m surprised it’s not a steak, given the amount of meat they eat here.
“’Night, Margaret, and thank you.”
“Oh, and children, if you hear noises out of your window, don’t be alarmed, it happens all the time.”
We nod.
The second she closes the door, I jump into Valentina’s bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Valentina, whatever happens, don’t go out of this room tonight.”
“Why?”
“Uncle Alistair and Lord McTire are going to go out and look for… creatures. They said we can’t go with them.”
“Why?” she repeats. I can see she’s disappointed.
“Why? Er, remember the kelpie?”
“Yes, but we have our pouches.” She curls her hand around it.
“The pouches work against the kelpie, but Lord McTire said that there’s worse than that out there. Big cats. And vampires!”
“Seriously?”
I nod frantically.
“Well, then, I’m getting dressed!”
“Valentina, no! Uncle Alistair told me to make sure you stay in.” I’m praying she listens.
At that very moment, terrifying wild howling cuts through our talk.
A look between us, and then we both run to the window.
Uncle Alistair is outside, standing in a pool of moonshine. And beside him are two big dogs.
No, not dogs.
Two wolves.
The light of the moon is so strong, so white, that I can see the wolves’ eyes. They’re a bright clear piercing blue. Valentina and I look at each other again, and her face tells me what she’s planning to do.
“Don’t go.” I whisper. My heart is beating so fast it’s jumping out of my chest.
Valentina shakes her head. “We’ve got to. Uncle Alistair is in danger!”
And she bolts out of the room in her spotty pyjamas.
I have no choice but to follow, and we run out into the darkness. But the second we set foot on the grass, we both throw ourselves on the ground with our hands over our ears to shelter from an explosion of noise far worse even than the howling. A terrible sound, a sound so powerful that it hurts, has filled the air: three barks, each one louder than the one before, echo over the loch and the woods, and reverberate for a long, long time.
***
When the echo of the three great barks finally dies down, we get up and run towards Uncle Alistair and the wolves, with Valentina shouting, “Uncle Alistair!” at the top of her voice.
Uncle Alistair turns towards us, and so do the wolves. One is dark grey and enormous. The other one is smaller, leaner, with light grey fur.
They look at us for a few seconds with those crazy blue eyes… then they attack.
First, Valentina. She gets thrown on the ground with the light grey wolf’s paws on her chest. Then it’s my turn: the darker wolf pounces towards me and in an instant I’m on the ground too, waiting for the first bite…
The wolves’ low growl is in my ears, and I keep thinking of my parents, of how devastated they’ll be when they know we’re dead.
I brace myself, but the bite doesn’t come. The wolf’s paws are heavy on my chest though, and I can’t breathe. I feel like my ribcage is going to give way.
Soon I’ll suffocate. Either that, or the wolf will bite my head off… I open my eyes in a panic.
But the wolf doesn’t seem to be about to bite. It’s not even looking at me: it’s looking behind me. And growling. What’s behind me? I can’t turn to see, I’m stuck under the wolf’s weight.
Suddenly, both wolves pounce. I take a big breath and scramble to my feet; I know I should turn around and find out what’s there, but I can’t help looking to Valentina instead – and I see that Uncle Alistair has her in his arms! Thank goodness, she’s safe!
“Luca! Valentina! Run inside! Run, NOW!” he screams, pushing Valentina towards me.
I grab her hands, and we start towards the house. But between us and the door stand three growling beasts. The wolves, and what’s the third one? I can barely make out its shape in the darkness; what’s certain is that we can’t reach the house. We have no choice but to stop, and pray that the beasts will be too busy with each other to notice us. They’re staring at each other, growling low in the backs of their throats, baring teeth– is it another wolf, maybe? Suddenly, they’re rolling on the ground, all three of them, one on top of the other. I can make out light grey fur, dark grey and one pelt of pure spotless white.
Now I know what’s attacked us. It’s not another wolf. It’s the cù sìth.
The w
olves are fighting it with all their might. I see a flash of red, and then suddenly the wolves take a step back – both of them at the same time. They stand in front of the cù sìth and growl, and look at it with eyes that command obedience, but they’re not attacking anymore.
The cù sìth is huge, perfectly white, with red ears and bright red eyes. Its tail is so long it looks like a snake, and is made of three braided strands. It bows its head reluctantly and kneels on the ground, as in defeat. There’s blood on one of its paws.
The cù sìth stays, immobile, for a few seconds and then, in perfect silence, with a single jump, it disappears into the woods.
Valentina and I are rooted to the spot, both panting in fear and awe, like we’ve been running miles.
Then something amazing happens.
One of the wolves, the darker one, turns its mighty head towards us solemnly, and speaks. A low growly voice, deeply frightening, and yet familiar… My heart stops. I know that voice.
“I told you to stay inside.”
“Lord McTire…” whispers Valentina. She’s shaking with fear and cold.
“I’m sorry, Hamish, I never thought they would…” Uncle Alistair tries to defend us.
“We thought… we thought Uncle Alistair was in danger…” I manage to whisper. My throat is so dry, and my knees are giving way. Valentina and I hold onto each other for dear life. I struggle to formulate the thought: Lord McTire is a werewolf!
“Follow me. I’ll take you inside,” says the light grey wolf.
“And Sorley,” murmurs Valentina, her eyes wide and white in the moonlight.
“That’s right. It’s me. Come on, children.”
I can’t believe what must be true. That’s Sorley. And he’s a werewolf too. Sorley’s voice, Sorley’s eyes… a wolf’s body.
“Go with him. We’ll speak tomorrow,” says Alistair, with a face like thunder.
Sorley walks towards us on silent paws, and we can’t help taking a step back.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. The cù sìth is gone, you’re safe. But we must get to the house now.”
Right then, something rips Valentina away from me, something strong, irresistible, like a whirlpool.
A face materialises beside me, floating in mid-air. It’s white – chalky white – with two black sockets instead of its eyes, and its mouth is open in a silent scream.
The creature has Valentina under one arm. She’s thrashing about, trying to get free, and she’s screaming, screaming.
“LET HER GO!” I try to grab her back, hanging onto her hand with all my might.
“It’s the baobhan sìth! LUCA, RUUUUUN!” shouts Uncle Alistair.
But how could I run? That thing has my sister!
And now it has me too. It slips its arm around my waist as I am trying to free Valentina, and it lifts us off the ground, one under each of its arms… Below, I see the wolves jumping, growling, circling angrily where we stood one minute ago, and Uncle Alistair, his hands in his hair, his face a mask of despair. All noises drift away as we fly into the night, up above the woods, into clouds of icy mists, towards certain death.
23. A NIGHT OF FEAR AND MIRACLES
Alistair Grant’s Scottish Paranormal Database
Entry Number 9: William Freshwater and the baobhan sìth
Type: Fairy. Subtype: Vampire
Location: Unspecified, in the Highlands of Scotland
Date: 1801
Details: The first recorded sighting of a baobhan sìth was in 1801, though many stories precede it. An Englishman called William Freshwater was travelling in the Highlands of Scotland with his brother and two friends. A group of baobhan sìths attacked them, and William took refuge beneath his horse. His brother and friends were killed, while William survived. He was told later by the locals that baobhans hate iron; the horse he had hidden under was wearing, of course, iron shoes. The baobhan sìth is a vampire that drains the blood of her victims using her sharp claw-like fingernails. She can take the form of a beautiful woman in a green dress, or reveal her true appearance: a black-clad monster with chalky skin, empty sockets instead of eyes, and deer hooves for feet.
We fly for a long time, or that’s how it feels. Maybe it’s just a few minutes, but it’s so cold and I’m so scared that it seems like all night. Valentina has fainted; she’s lying limply under the baobhan’s arm, her blonde hair floating behind us.
Flying above the woods in the velvety night is the loveliest dream and the most awful nightmare, all mixed together. The moon is white, the sky is full of stars and the woods below are incredibly beautiful. Shame that I’m about to die, and I’ll never see all this again. I see my whole life leading to this point, and my heart lurches for my parents, who have no idea how much danger we’re in.
Suddenly, we head down at breathtaking speed. For a second I’m sure we’ll crash on the trees – I close my eyes in terror, and I scream…
At the last instant, we land on a soft patch of grass. The baobhan is still holding us under her arms, and her grip is merciless. I try to break free, but I might as well not bother. She’s too strong.
If I want to save our lives I’ve got to think of another way. Right now, I don’t see any. Even if I could break free and run away – I’m a very fast runner – I couldn’t leave Valentina there. And she can’t run half as fast as me.
We both escape, or neither of us does.
The baobhan drags us towards a grassy mound with a black opening right in the middle. It looks like the entrance to a cave. A figure takes shape against its darkness… it’s a woman, a woman with a long green dress and a beautiful face. And another one, and another one, all lovely and tall and wearing green dresses.
They all come out of the cave, and run towards us. The baobhan who kidnapped us throws us both on the ground. Valentina yelps – she’s revived from her faint.
I scramble to my feet and then realise the chalky black-clad monster that has taken us has turned into a beautiful woman too, like the others. They’re all breathtakingly, perfectly lovely, all with the same red hair, all wearing these long, long dresses…
I help Valentina stand up, and hold her tight. She’s as white as the moon.
“How are we going to get out of this?” she whispers.
“I have no idea. Run?”
“They can fly! They’d catch us in a second!”
“Then let’s hope Uncle Alistair finds us, or this is the last night of our lives,” I whisper, shaking.
The women surround us, and they seem to be conferring in some weird language. It sounds a bit like the Gaelic we speak on Eilean, but it’s not Gaelic. It’s a melodious, singsong language that borrows something from the wind in the trees – it seems very ancient, like the language of the woods itself. If it weren’t so horrifying, I would say it was beautiful.
One of the vampires moves towards us. I catch a flash of her foot, peeping out below the green dress: it’s a hoof. A deer hoof. I shiver.
She raises a hand, and her long fingernails are sharp and curved like claws. She touches my face, then Valentina’s. Her hand is as cold as ice, and her nails scrape my skin ever so slightly…
She’s smiling. Thinking of dinner, no doubt. The other baobhans imitate her: they move towards us, touch our faces, our hair… They’re all over us. I’m wondering if these are our last moments…
Then one of them says some kind of instruction in that melodious language, and they all get busy. They disappear into the woods, all except for one who’s keeping guard. She’s sitting right in front of us, looking at us longingly, like you’d look at a nice warm bag of chips on the way home from school.
Valentina and I hold onto each other. It’s really cold, and we’re in our pyjamas. We’re both shivering, with cold and with fear.
“Can you call Camilla?”
“No, no….”
“Is it not working? Your telepathic thing.”
“It’s not that. I don’t want to bring her here! What if they hurt her?”
“So are they, in a way! What if they vanquish her, or something?”
“You’re right. Better not risk it.”
“We have to try something, Luca.”
I nod. “We need to make a run for it. There’s nothing else we can do.”
She nods. “Ok. At my three. One, two, three… RUN!”
We jump up, and take a step. Just one step. No more.
Because all the baobhans are back, their arms full of kindling, standing in a row in front of us. Smiling at us, indulgently, as if we were naughty children trying to skip class.
“That didn’t work.” I whisper. “What is all that wood for?”
“Luca, this is bad. They’re going to light a fire!”
“Oh, no… They’re going to cook us!”
“They’re not going to cook us, Luca! They’re getting ready to bleed us dry! I read it in one of Uncle Alistair’s books. It’s like a ceremony. They light a fire and do a sort of dance and sing a special song and then they bleed their victims…”
I swallow. Where is Uncle Alistair? We need him to find us. We must try to delay the baobhans, to give him time. But what can he do, even if he gets here while we’re still alive?
The baobhans make a little smouldering fire. They keep putting more wood on it and then some foul-smelling things that look like furs, or maybe little animals they hunted, and it grows bigger and bigger. It gets as big as a bonfire, its flames dancing red and yellow against the black, black sky.
“Luca, we have our pouches! Maybe that will work! It worked with the kelpie.”
“Worth a try!” I take out the little pouch hanging from my neck, and thrust it up to the baobhans.
“Look! You don’t want to drink our blood! We’re poisonous! Look!”
The vampires stop throwing things on the fire for a second. They all turn towards me. And they laugh, a horrible barking laugh that sounds like a pack of hyenas, in contrast with the melodious voices they have when they speak.
I wince, and Valentina has her hands on her ears.
“That didn’t work.”
Really Weird Removals.com Page 17
