The Pillar of Horns

Chapter Three

Beatrice shivered, the air was cold and the water crashing against the side of the boat was casting a thin mist into the air. The water slammed against her clear plastic coat, running down it in rivulets, like rain against a window. Beatrice had never been on a boat, not once in her eighty-one years of living. It had seemed an excellent idea when she had picked up a leaflet advertising Raasay's new visitor centre. In her hotel lobby. Now, she was regretting it, her stomach performing a high wire routine inside her.

She glanced around at the other occupants of the boat, anything to get her mind off her turning stomach. A small crowd had been squeezed into the worryingly small boat, leaving little space to escape for the constant deluge. Most of the other occupants were like Beatrice, older people wearing clutching at their coats, desperately trying to keep the wet out. There was the ferryman, his hands grasping the wheel, whistling happily to himself. Nearby him were two people, a woman and a man who had spent significant time in discussion with the ferryman. Beatrice didn't consider herself the least bit nosey, which of course meant she was a curtain-twitcher of the highest order. She had used her considerably practised eavesdropping skills to determine the two were police officers.

She thought for a moment, concern washing over her. Why were police headed to the island? Beatrice shook her head, trying to eject the thoughts through her ears. She didn't want to think about it. This was supposed to be a holiday for her, away from her gaggle of relatives. Always clutching for handouts or loans they would never pay back. Beatrice had done fairly well for herself before her retirement, a success that had spawned several children and grandchildren with no concept of hard work.

The boat crashed over another wave, sending a fresh barrage of spray onto its occupants. It washed over Beatrice, and she realised she had come to quite enjoy it. It reminded her of her youth, of walking in the rain with her father to the nearest bus stop. Everything about this trip so far had been a throwback to her childhood. The houses in the town were scattered about on the upcoming island, like crumbs spread across a pond. It looked charming, a quintessential rural town, untouched by the nonsense of modern life. No internet, no signal strong enough for smartphones, no rushing around nonsensically. To Beatrice is was perfect. It was like a tiny French village, although with a considerably greyer colour palette.

Beatrice stepped down from the boat, the ferryman's hand clutching hers as she walked down the ramp. She smiled at him and nodded a thank you. She took careful steps, eager to not slip on the tiny pier. Its aged wood creaked uneasily, groaning underfoot. Slowly she edged towards the end, stopping to breath a sigh of relief as she felt the safety of concrete beneath her feet. She shook her coat, trying to remove the thick wet layer that had built up on it. Thankfully the weather itself was fine, which for Scotland meant that it wasn't raining yet. There was a clatter as the ferryman wheeled a suitcase across the pier's wooden boards. It clunked at the wheels dropped onto the concrete.

"There you go love," he said presenting the case proudly, as though it were an award. "Planning on staying for a while?"

"Only for a few days, see as much of the island as I can."

"Shouldn't be too hard, there isn't a lot to see. Where are you staying at?"

"Raasay house," Beatrice answered. "Is it nearby?"

The ferryman drew his breath in through his teeth in a loud hissing noise. "Not really. Clean on the other side on the island. It's not far, distance-wise, but no offence but I imagine you aren't up for a ten-mile hike."

"None taken. You're right there." Beatrice took the handle of her case, wheeling it behind her. "So, I need to grab a taxi."

"The Taxi. We've only got the one on the island. And I don't see him about, so he's off doing a job by the looks of it. Come with me, I'll take you to the visitor centre, you can stay in there until he's back."