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"Mum, where are we going?" Minna
asked. "We’ve been driving forever and I’m getting hungry. Can we pull
over and get a bacon sandwich and some chips?" she pleaded.
"Minna, we’re almost there. I
thought you’d enjoy going to the big city today. Be patient for another
few minutes and we’ll be in Edinburgh. I’ll park the car and we’ll have a
bite to eat. A bacon sandwich sounds delicious!" her mum replied.
Minna sat quietly looking out the
window as they drove into town. "Is that the castle up there, on top of
that huge rock?" she wondered. Her face was plastered against the window.
"That’s Edinburgh Castle all right.
First, let’s find somewhere to eat," Mum said. They parked the car in a
lot. "I’m sure we can find something to eat on Princes Street and you can
see the castle too." They soon found a restaurant and sat down.
"What a lovely view! Is that a
park?" Minna asked.
"It’s called Princes Street Gardens.
My mum and dad used to bring me here when I was wee. Would you like to
hear a story about that?" Mum asked. Just as Minna was about to reply, the
waitress took their order. Soon they had a plate of steaming hot chips,
salty and crisp, and a bacon sandwich. Mum had some tea and Minna had a
lemonade. "You eat and I’ll tell you the story. She nibbled as she spoke.
"One day, your granddad and gran brought me here to the Gardens. It was a
lovely day. The sun was shining and the Gardens were filled with flowers.
Granddad and Gran sat on a bench and I ran about on the grass, pretending
to be a bird. I saw the castle and ran towards it. I remembered my dad
telling me a story about how our ancestors climbed the big rock to get
into the castle. It seems the English had taken it over and the Scots
wanted it back. I was very curious. I went over to the rock and started to
climb it. I was about twenty feet off the ground when my dad shouted,
‘Maisie! Get down off that rock!’ I nearly fell as he frightened me. I
tried to get down but when I looked down to the ground, I was horrified. I
was up too high and was scared to move."
"Mum, did you climb it in your
dress?" Minna wondered, taking a bite from her bacon sandwich.
"I was in a skirt and blouse, which
was now filthy with dirt from the sooty rock. Your granddad wasn’t happy
with me. ‘Come down, lass, before you fall!’ he called to me. I still was
too scared to move. I clung to the rock like a bandage sticks to your
skin."
"What did you do, Mum? How did you
get down?" Minna asked.
"I refused to budge. Finally a park
warden came along. He wasn’t happy with me either. I heard him tell your
granddad that I would be fined for climbing on the rock. It ended up with
him climbing the rock and helping me get down with a rope. My skirt and
blouse were ruined, covered with black soot and grime."
"What did Granddad do to you?" Minna
frowned.
"At first he hugged me. He was glad
I wasn’t hurt and then he dragged me back to my mum and told her about the
fine and what I had done. I had to stay in my room for 3 days and I had no
sweets. I also didn’t get any pocket money for six months."
Minna looked at her mum and started
laughing. "That’s funny, Mum. When we’re done eating, can we go into the
Gardens and have you show me where you climbed?"
"If you want to, but don’t tell
anyone. Your dad doesn’t even know. It will be our secret, all right?" her
mum whispered.
After their chips and bacon sandwich
had been gobbled down, they had a bowl of trifle with fresh cream. They
crossed Princes Street and walked into the Gardens. Mum showed Minna the
flower clock and all the statues. She saw the Walter Scott Monument and
even fed the pigeons bits of shortbread that Minna had brought in her bag.
When they reached the rock, she showed her daughter the exact spot where
she had tried to climb. They laughed as Mum recalled how dirty her clothes
were. "Can we go to the castle now?" Minna asked.
"Let’s go, but I warn you, we have
to walk up a steep path to get there," Mum said.
"That’s okay, Mum. I can do it,"
Minna assured her.
They made it to the top and explored
Edinburgh Castle. They ended up at the wall, looking down at the rock.
"Imagine the brave men climbing the rock and capturing the castle back
from the English. It’s a high rock; much higher than it seems!" Mum said.
They had a grand view of the city of
Edinburgh and could see the Firth of Forth and the two bridges that
spanned it. They headed back to the car, cutting through Princes Street
Gardens, taking time to stop to look at the flower clock again. "That was
a fun day, Mum. Thanks for bringing me to the city and for telling me your
secret about Edinburgh Castle. I promise I won’t tell Dad," Minna said.
She sat quietly on the drive home, thinking about the fun day she had with
her mum. |
