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"I’m getting very tired,
Bonnie," Bruce sighed. "We’ve been flying for ages."
"I know, but I want to make
it to Auchmithie tonight. Finally, we’re going to a place that I know. I
can show you around instead of you showing me, plus, you will never taste
better clover nectar in your life. The tops of the cliffs are covered with
wildflowers in the spring," Bonnie smiled as she remembered.
"Cliffs? We’re going to the
seaside again, are we? That makes me a wee bit nervous. Where the sea is,
birds are also!" Bruce worried.
"There are birds; puffins,
gannets, seagulls; the usual, but we’ll be careful."
They soon found themselves
fluttering above the village. "Auchmithie is high on the sides of the
cliffs. Don’t the people fall?"
"No, of course not. It’s
safe for them. They know not to get too close. It’s a 150 feet drop to the
beach below," Bonnie said.
"It’s a pebbly beach, not a
sandy one. My favorite! That means crabs and little sea creatures, doesn’t
it? I love watching them crawl around," Bruce smiled.
"Come on, there’s the
clover," Bonnie pointed out. The sun was beginning to set. "Bruce, we’d
better sleep amongst the clover tonight and explore the village in the
morning." Bruce agreed so they curled up under the fluffy, pink, flower
balls and fell asleep.
"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!"
went a seagull as if flew over the sleeping butterflies.
"What’s that?" Bruce said,
startled. "Oh no, it’s a bird. Stay low," he warned.
"It’s only a seagull,
Bruce. Come on. Stop being so afraid. There are so many fish, crabs,
mussels and other foods for them. Why would they want to eat a measly
little butterfly when they could have seafood?" Bonnie answered.
"You’re right. So, Bonnie,
tell me about this village. It’s rather small, isn’t it?" Bruce noted.
"A long time ago this
village was famous for smoking fish."
"You mean, fish smoked?"
Bruce said, his eyes showing curiosity.
Bonnie laughed. "Of course
not. The people smoked them. They put them on rods and hung them over
smoking fires so that the fish absorbed the smoke and tasted good. Did I
ever tell you my great grandmother was from this area? She used to tell me
stories of how the air smelled of fish here; fish and smoke."
"I didn’t know that your
ancestors were from Auchmithie. Wonderful! What else is here?" Bruce
asked.
"Well, as I said before,
there is the flowers and they are delicious ones," Bonnie reminded. Just
then a small gray mouse came running past, knocking the two butterflies
over. "What was that?" Bonnie said, standing up and brushing off her
wings.
Bruce stood up. The mouse
was a few feet in front of them. "Sorry. There’s a cat out there and he’s
after me. I can’t fly, like you two can. I can only run."
Bruce and Bonnie looked at
each other and then at the mouse. "Can we help you?" Bonnie asked the
frightened mouse.
It came running back
towards them. "If you could be so kind as to carry me down to the beach.
Then I could hide among the rocks. Cats don’t like water, so it won’t
venture down to the sea," the mouse pleaded.
"Of course we can," Bruce
answered. Bonnie grabbed one hand and Bruce grabbed the other. They tried
to fly but the mouse was heavy. "You weigh a ton. This isn’t going to be
easy."
They struggled and just as
they lifted off the ground, the cat came running by.
"MEOW!" It jumped up and
tried to catch the mouse.
Bonnie and Bruce flew
higher. HUFF! PUFF! HUFF! PUFF!
"My arms are nearly
broken," Bonnie cried. Finally they touched down on the pebbly beach.
"There you are," she said, dropping the mouse.
A wave rolled in and crept
slowly up to where they were standing. "I don’t think that cat will bother
you now," Bruce said, watching the water pull back out to sea.
"Thank you. I think I’ll
head over to the harbor. It’s wee, but there are always fishing boats
coming in with their catch. By the way, I don’t know if you knew this, but
there’s a huge cornfield just outside the village. Maybe you’re in the
mood for some?" the mouse asked.
"Thanks, we’ll go and see.
You run off now and be careful," Bonnie said. The two butterflies
fluttered back up to the top of the cliff. "That was one heavy mouse! My
arms are so sore." She rubbed them.
"I can’t say that I like
corn too much, but I’d love another chance at the clover," Bruce said.
"Clover it is then. It was
great to come back here. It brings back a lot of memories. I remember my
grandma telling me this was an old Norse town. I know that smugglers used
to hide their goods in the caves below," Bonnie said.
"Vikings and smugglers.
What a combination! Did anyone famous ever visit here? It seems like a
quiet place where you could write a book or something," Bruce answered.
"I believe Robert Burns and
Sir Walter Scott came here to get some inspiration. I think I need a good
dose of clover nectar for my aching arms. Are you hungry?" Bonnie asked.
"What a silly question,"
Bruce smiled. They butterflies landed on the puffy clover balls and spent
the rest of the day sipping nectar under clear blue skies and warm
sunshine!
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