Lochlainneach

Cheers To A New Life

Featured Gaelic and Pronunciations:

- Tha e còmhla ri mi (hah ey coh-luh ree mee) - He is with me

- Raighalt (roh-alt) - Gaelic form of 'Ronald'

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31 December, 1746

The Highlands, Scotland

There was a biting chill in the air, but in our small cave that we found in the mountains, we were relatively protected. A small fire burned to keep us warm, and we huddled close together for warmth to ensure none of us froze to death. "No' how I planned te spend Hogmanay, but lang may yer lum reek, aye?" Seàrlas said to us both, raising his flask of whisky.

"Aye, amen te tha'," Jamie said, also raising his flask.

"We twa hae run aboot the braes And pou'd the gowans fine; But we've wander'd mony a weary fit, Sin' auld lang syne," I said, reciting the old Robert Burns poem.

"How's that song ye sang go again?" Jamie asked me, passing me his flask to take a sip.

"May auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne. "

"I dinnae think I've heard that one," Seàrlas said when I'd finished the song.

"Tha's because it doesnae exist yet, nor yet has the writer even been born. No' fer a few years yet," I told him, causing his eyes to widen in alarm and glance at Jamie, who was unphased. "Ah, dinnae fash, he kens."

"He does?" asked Seàrlas with surprise.

"Tha' she's from another time? Aye," Jamie told him. I glanced over at Archie, who was sitting up drawing pictures in the dirt with his sticks, then turned my attention to the entrance of the cave, where the moonlight could be seen. The full moon had come a few days before so the light of the waning gibbous Oak Moon was bright, but from inside the cave, it was hard to tell if midnight had come and gone - all we knew for certain was that the sun had set in 1746 and when we awoke next at dawn, the sun would rise in 1747. I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the lads before me, raising Jamie's flask into the air.

"May the scent of the heather and bonny blue bell waft a message te ye tha' no words can tell. May the links of our friendship keep steadfast and true; Good fortune and health be ever with you," I said.

" Slàinte mhath ," said Seàrlas, sipping from his own flask, and I did the same before handing it back to Jamie, who took a sip.

"It's been one hell of a year, but now it's ended and hopefully, we've got a good one comin' te us," I said, watching as Archie stood up and toddled into his father's lap.

"Daddy, can I have? I'm thirsty!" he said, reaching for Jamie's flask.

"Ye can have some water, lamb. Tha's no' fer wee laddies," I said, reaching into the bag beside me for a flask of water.

"Oh, let him! It's Hogmanay, and he's a Scottish lad who deserves a Scottish toast of his own," Jamie said, unscrewing the lid of the flask.

"He's three years old! He's no' a man, Scottish or not!" I scolded him.