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"Our tour of Scotland is
coming along wonderfully, Bruce. I’m learning so much and seeing the most
amazing things; flowers, statues, mountains and animals. Where are we
headed this time?" Bonnie, the butterfly asked as they flapped their wings
and fluttered across an azure blue sky.
"The east coast is very
pretty, though the further north we get, the more rain we’re likely to run
into. But, if you don’t mind that, we’ll head to this village called Brora.
I’ve got a surprise for you there," Bruce teased.
"A surprise? For me? What
is it?" Bonnie asked.
"Can’t tell you, but you’ll
find out when we get there," Bruce answered.
They looked down on the
coastline as they flew north. "It is rugged," Bonnie said. As they neared
Brora, she noticed fishing boats coming and going. "Is Brora a large
fishing port?"
"In the 1800’s it did quite
well during the herring days, but now it’s just a small fishing village.
Do you see over there?" Bruce pointed. "There used to be salt pans? In
1818, Brora provided salt for all the needs of the herring trade. They
also used to have coalmines here too, but none of that remains either.
Change comes and things progress."
"I see a river! It’s
beautiful," Bonnie noted, "but the town, is rather dismal looking. Even
though the sky is blue, it looks drab."
"They use gray stone in
their buildings. Imagine it on a damp, drizzly, overcast day. Let’s head
down to the center of town." The butterflies fluttered softly down,
landing on a bench. "Here we are."
"What’s the surprise then?"
Bonnie asked. "Herring, salt, coal, or a piece of gray stone?" she
giggled.
"You’re very funny, but no
to all. Come with me," he said, flying across the street. They landed in
front of a building.
"What’s this place?" Bonnie
asked. "Why are we stopping here?"
"Look in the window," Bruce
urged. They flew up and peeked inside. "Well?"
"It’s an ice cream store
called Capaldi’s. It looks like they sell a lot of ice cream. Is this the
surprise?" Bonnie asked.
"It is ice cream. Isn’t it
a sweet surprise? They make it here. It’s a special kind, from Italy.
Brora is famous for it. Don’t you like ice cream? It tastes good on a warm
day, like today," Bruce questioned.
"It depends on the flavor.
What kind is there?" she asked.
"Let’s go in and find out."
When a customer opened the
door, the two butterflies flew inside. They set down on the rim of a large
carton of strawberry ice cream. Bonnie stuck her proboscis into it.
"Delicious," she said. "It’s cold, creamy and tasty."
Bruce tasted some chocolate
chip ice cream. "This is good too. Wow. There are a lot of flavors. I see
one called Honeycombe, Rum and Raisin, Mint Chocolate Chip, Toffee and so
many more. It’s hard to choose."
Just then a man picked up a
container. It was mostly empty but had just a little butterscotch chip ice
cream left in the bottom. He couldn’t scoop enough out to make an ice
cream cone or dishful. Bruce and Bonnie followed him. "Where’s he taking
that?" Bonnie wondered.
"It’s butterscotch chip. I
love butterscotch chip. If he puts it in the rubbish, then we can eat as
much as we want," Bruce replied.
When the man opened the back door, they followed him out. Just as
expected, he put the container in the rubbish bin and then went back
inside. "Ah, butterscotch chip. It smells wonderful and sweet and," she
took a taste, "it tastes as good as it looks and smells. Fantastic!"
Bonnie said. She and Bruce licked the container until there wasn’t a drop
left. "That was delicious," Bonnie said, rubbing her tummy, which seemed
to be a little fatter than normal. "Ooops," she chuckled.
"That was good! Now that
we’ve feasted on ice cream, we’d better find us a nice flower to take a
nap in," Bruce suggested. "I noticed some purple, grape hyacinth growing
near the Brora River. Care to join me there?" he asked.
Bonnie was so full, all she
could do was nod. They fluttered away to the river and soon found the
hyacinth. Bonnie fell asleep right away and Bruce soon followed. They’d
not forget the delicious butterscotch chip ice cream!
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