Tuesday Tales: From a Picture

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. We’re mid-way through October. Days are shorter and there’s a definite nip in the air. This week, I’m continuing with Listen to the Stones. This is picture week, so we’re limited to 300 words.

Here’s the picture I chose.

“Angus gave Eileen a sum of money and sent her back to Canada, making her promise never to contact anyone nor to come back. As far as I know, she was as good as her word. It broke my Maeve’s heart. She and Eileen were friends. Angus locked up the croft they’d lived in, leased his own, and moved into the Hall. I can tell you Maeve is looking forward to seeing her again as am I. We just hope she’ll bear us no ill will.”

It was obvious the old man wanted to talk. Maybe it was the magic of the stones making him so loquacious.

“So, she accepted his terms and is coming back.”

“Oh tha,” he reverted to Gaelic once more. “She’ll be here on September 30. I’ve got to go to Tarbet to see about a ram for the ewes. Brian Lennox, the Hall’s handyman, will be coming with me. We’ll be gone the day, more or less, but we’ll be back before she arrives. Brian’s got all the appliances running, but he hasn’t turned on the heat. The light bulbs for the new fixtures arrived a while ago with the groceries. He’ll have plenty of time to put them into place before she gets here. We don’t want her to spend her first night in the cold and dark. We want her to stay here where she belongs. I spent the summer refinishing the furniture from Eileen and Hugh’s cottage and moving it into the apartment for her. All sunshine and light it is now, complete with the crockery reproductions her mother learned to make here. The stones want her to stay. As the rightful heir, she’s connected to them just as you are. Angus never understood that. They didn’t speak to him.”

Before Jerome could ask him what he meant, the dog barked.

That’s it. Stay safe, and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.