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"I love the Western Isles,
though I must say, it’s a bit breezy here," Bonnie said, straightening her
bent antenna. "I’m glad I’ve got an extra layer of fuzz on this time of
year."
"It can be nippy here. Ah,
there’s Lewis, our first stop. I really wanted to show you the Standing
Stones of Callanish," Bruce said.
"Is it warmer there?"
Bonnie asked.
"There are plenty of stones
to stand behind and they’re large enough to block the wind," Bruce told
her.
"Good. I see them now," she
said, pointing. "Oh, they are magnificent and I’m sure you know all there
is to know about them. Am I correct?"
"Well, yes, I do know a lot
about them. They’re over 4000 years old and there are 53 stones, with 13
in the center," he began.
"They are also very light
gray. What kind of stone is that?" Bonnie wondered.
"It’s that Lewisian gneiss
again. Remember, we saw some stones made of that before?"
"Oh yes. I do remember that
odd name."
"The stones were probably
used for things such as predicting eclipses and such. There are plenty of
stones scattered about the island. It’s mostly peat, which means boggy and
marshy. Let’s land behind that stone in the center. It seems to be the
largest," Bruce suggested.
When they touched the
ground, it felt spongy to them. The stones did block the wind. Bonnie
leaned against the stone. "What a relief. Finally I’m not freezing
anymore!"
"Oh look, a mushroom,"
Bruce said. "In fact there are several of them."
"I see them. Do you think
there are any flowers about? It is rather chilly here."
"I’m sure there are
wildflowers. Say, once you warm up, there’s this whalebone arch down on
the beach. It’s made of the jaws of a whale and its quite interesting, so
I’m told."
"Maybe the beach will be
warmer than it is here. Let’s go and find the whalebone right now," Bonnie
said. The two butterflies fluttered down to the beach. They spotted the
arch right away and flew towards it. Bonnie noticed two seals lying in the
sand not far away. "Look at the seals!"
"I suggest we go quietly
and not disturb them." They landed on the top of the arch.
One of the seals opened is
eyes and looked at the two butterflies. "ARF! ARF! ARF!" The seal began to
bark at them. The other one woke up too. They sat up and headed towards
the arch. "ARF! ARF! ARF!"
"Yikes! They can’t reach us
way up here, can they?" Bruce wondered.
"I don’t think so. Just
stay still for a bit," Bonnie urged.
The seals came right under
the butterflies and started throwing sand at them with their flippers.
"Stop that!" Bonnie shouted. Sand flew everywhere.
"ARF! ARF! ARF!" The seals
kept on tossing the sand.
"It’s getting in my eyes,"
Bruce whined.
"I guess the seals don’t
want us on their beach," Bonnie said and flew into the air. "That’s much
better. The sand can’t reach us now." Bruce joined her and they flew away
from the beach, leaving the barking seals behind them. After a while,
Bonnie asked, "Where’s the nearest city?"
"It’s called Stornoway.
It’s the capital. I’m sure there is somewhere warm there and probably a
flower garden or two too," Bruce said.
Stornoway is a busy ferry
port. Boats go in and out of the harbor constantly. Many of them fishing
boats as there is a large fishing industry in the town. "You know what
happens when the fishing boats come in, don’t you?" Bonnie said.
"Yes, birds."
"And here they come, right
on schedule. Yikes!" Bonnie called. "Let’s get out of here. NOW!"
The two butterflies
fluttered away from the sea just as the boats came in with their daily
catch. Swarms of seagulls followed and filled the air like midges. "We’ve
got to be more careful of these fishing villages," Bruce snickered and
they flew towards a patch of yellow gorse for a good night’s rest.
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