“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.”