A BREATH IN TIME. Susan and the Scotsman.

Chapter 3

I stretch my body around and wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth, the room was cased in a gentle light, I throw back the quilt and limber out of bed, my body almost sighs in content as it's hit with warm air from the radiators. I stroll over to the curtains and fling them back.

My breath catches in my throat as I stare out of the window. The loch was there stretching and winding in between the grassy hills that was covered in heather. The sky was overcast, even with the sky behind darkening clouds, every once in a while, it's rays would escape and send beam traveling down onto the land below.

I'm lost in the beauty for a minute or two as I just take it all in, in the distance I spot a stone castle it's walls crumbling and weeds and leaves swaying to and fro. A crazy but determined thought crosses my mind. Right Susan.... let's get dressed into something warm.... and go collect some ghosts!

As I'm dressing, the ghost busters song plays in my head, and I sing along. Glancing into the mirrored wardrobe to assess my appearance, I'm at least glad I don't look like a crazy old cat lady.

My hair is pulled back into a lazy pony tail, my face free of makeup, today I had on a thick grey woolly jumper, over woolly black tights, two odd socks peek it at me, that is until I pull on my boots. I skip downstairs and make a coffee, coffee drunk, I head to the front door, where my coat, hat and scarf hung from the peg by the door.

I fumble around trying to quickly put them on, and throw open the door, my body is buzzing with excitement as I venture off, all the thoughts of adventures ran laps around my mind.

I trudge along through the muddy grass, it seemed as I had been climbing then running, up and down, around and around the hills, my legs were burning, and the cold air seemed to pierce my lungs like a thousand little daggers, I bend over, my hands on my knees as I try and breath in and out slowly. The burn quickly disappears and is replaced with awe as I slowly glance up.

There, right in front of my face, was the McKenzie Keep. It stood tall and proud, the stones were crumbling, weeds and ivy grew in and around it, I could imagine how proud it must have looked, centuries ago.

A rotten, wooden door hung from its hinges, it led to the courtyard, curiously, I ventured closer. The dead leaves on the ground were scattered, inside it was round and circular. The courtyard consisted of what looked like little stone outbuildings, the stone pavement on the floor was covered in grime and weeds.

I glance around and slowly make my way to the first entryway on my left, it was dark inside but as my eyes got accustomed to the dark, I noticed that inside, may have been a bakers once a time. There was a long wooden counter against one wall, behind it was another door what must have led to the back, where the bread and such was made.

Shelves lined the wall, but most were broken or at least falling off, i tiptoed around, as if frightened of being caught, which was amusing, as all occupants had deceased. I ventured into each brick shop.

One bakers, one what appeared to have been a book store of some sorts, one butchers, the meat must have rotten, for all that remained behind was the bones scattering the floor, a blacksmiths, and also what looked like an old ale house.

The one thing that really threw me off and sent shivers down my spine was, if you listened really carefully, and stood stock still, you could hear voices, laughter and the occasional clink of the blacksmiths metal banging together.

Suddenly behind me the dead leaves stirred on the ground, I whipped round and thought I saw a flash of cloth disappearing around the corner leading to the main part of the keep, the castle. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on end as if, there was something there that my eyes could not see.