cops!' said Mark, backing off. 'That is some scary shit.'
'God had no beginning,' I said. 'He always was, He is, and He always will be.'
'Get off,' he said. 'He's freaking me out.' We laughed and made our way over the rock, and we saw a cormorant rise from the reeds in the middle of the loch and fly off.
'He's a good laugh,' I heard Mark say behind me.
'He's wasted his life, though,' said Lisa.
'Don't say that,' said Mark.
'Why not?'
'Just don't.'
'Oh, bite it,' said Lisa.
Up there, west of the summit, a pillar of basalt rock called Kennedy's Nags conceals a cave once popular with smugglers. We found a path leading down to it, and I laid the rucksack at the mouth of the cave. The young people were shouting football slogans and other stuff into the darkness. They were startled to hear their voices coming back, and some of them ran inside. 'The walls in there are thick with bird shit,' said Mark.
'And markings,' said Lisa. 'Did people live here?'
'Some people tried to,' I said.
'What?' she said. It was hard to hear each other's voices for the screeches of gannets overhead. Thousands of them, swooping and perching with their yellow eyes troubled. 'The markings on the cave wall are quite ancient,' I said. 'People tried to live here. Apparently, two stone coffins were found in there several years ago.'
Apparently,
he said,' said Mark. Lisa giggled.
'You're so posh,' said Mark. 'The way you speak. The stuff you come out with. It's right posh, the way you go on.'
'Do forgive me,' I said. 'Perhaps I should annihilate my aitches and start saying "ken" instead of "know" or talking like one of your hip-hoppers.'
'See what I mean?' he said. 'You're a riot.'
We could still hear some of the others hollering into the cave and shouting oaths. 'Come on!' I said. 'Lunch.'
'What in Christ's name is that on there?' said Lisa.
'Roasted pepper,' I said.
'You must be joking,' she said. 'I'm not eating that.'
Mark and the others ate the food I'd prepared, lifting it out of the rucksack with pained but silent looks. Then they started agitating about a small apple-juice bottle filled with red wine. 'What is it?' said Mark.
'Valpolicella,' I said.
'Is that wine? Oh please. Just a swig.'
I gave him the bottle and he glugged until I pulled it away from him. Then he started dancing and fooling around. 'Telling you, man,' he said. 'When I start earning some money, I'm gonnae smoke Dutch Masters and drink Cristal till it runs out. I'm talkin' me driving the lowriding Lexus. That's how it's gonnae be when Chubb and me are your superstar DJs.'
Lisa was near the edge and I told her to come back. Then she screamed and said it was horrible.
'What's the matter?' I said. She came running back over the crags. Her face was red but I couldn't hear what she was saying for the noise of the gannets. Her eyes were full of tears when she reached us, and she struggled to get her words out.
'Horrible,' she said. 'Over there. At the bottom of the rock where the nests are. There's rats! I saw one of them with a tiny bird in its mouth, a puffin or something.'
'What is it with you?' said Mark. 'It's a bloody bird sanctuary. All about nature, Lisa. What did you expect?'
'Shut it,' she said. 'I don't expect fucken rats to be eating birds right in front of me. Baby birds.'
'Give her a slug of booze, Father,' said Mark. 'She's got her finger on the trigger. Give her a few slugs.' I passed her the cup, and she smiled into it and took a sip and said it was okay. I could see Mark had smoke coming from his hand, the one he held down the side of the rock.
'I can smell that,' I said. 'Mark, I'm not stupid. Put it out or there'll be trouble.'
'It's only a wee joint, Father,' he said. 'Come on, it's our day out. Nobody's bothered.'
All I said was that I refused to argue, and I told them I was going up the top to get the view. It was stunning up there with the breeze coming up a thousand feet from the water, the light now sparkling for miles in every
'God had no beginning,' I said. 'He always was, He is, and He always will be.'
'Get off,' he said. 'He's freaking me out.' We laughed and made our way over the rock, and we saw a cormorant rise from the reeds in the middle of the loch and fly off.
'He's a good laugh,' I heard Mark say behind me.
'He's wasted his life, though,' said Lisa.
'Don't say that,' said Mark.
'Why not?'
'Just don't.'
'Oh, bite it,' said Lisa.
Up there, west of the summit, a pillar of basalt rock called Kennedy's Nags conceals a cave once popular with smugglers. We found a path leading down to it, and I laid the rucksack at the mouth of the cave. The young people were shouting football slogans and other stuff into the darkness. They were startled to hear their voices coming back, and some of them ran inside. 'The walls in there are thick with bird shit,' said Mark.
'And markings,' said Lisa. 'Did people live here?'
'Some people tried to,' I said.
'What?' she said. It was hard to hear each other's voices for the screeches of gannets overhead. Thousands of them, swooping and perching with their yellow eyes troubled. 'The markings on the cave wall are quite ancient,' I said. 'People tried to live here. Apparently, two stone coffins were found in there several years ago.'
Apparently,
he said,' said Mark. Lisa giggled.
'You're so posh,' said Mark. 'The way you speak. The stuff you come out with. It's right posh, the way you go on.'
'Do forgive me,' I said. 'Perhaps I should annihilate my aitches and start saying "ken" instead of "know" or talking like one of your hip-hoppers.'
'See what I mean?' he said. 'You're a riot.'
We could still hear some of the others hollering into the cave and shouting oaths. 'Come on!' I said. 'Lunch.'
'What in Christ's name is that on there?' said Lisa.
'Roasted pepper,' I said.
'You must be joking,' she said. 'I'm not eating that.'
Mark and the others ate the food I'd prepared, lifting it out of the rucksack with pained but silent looks. Then they started agitating about a small apple-juice bottle filled with red wine. 'What is it?' said Mark.
'Valpolicella,' I said.
'Is that wine? Oh please. Just a swig.'
I gave him the bottle and he glugged until I pulled it away from him. Then he started dancing and fooling around. 'Telling you, man,' he said. 'When I start earning some money, I'm gonnae smoke Dutch Masters and drink Cristal till it runs out. I'm talkin' me driving the lowriding Lexus. That's how it's gonnae be when Chubb and me are your superstar DJs.'
Lisa was near the edge and I told her to come back. Then she screamed and said it was horrible.
'What's the matter?' I said. She came running back over the crags. Her face was red but I couldn't hear what she was saying for the noise of the gannets. Her eyes were full of tears when she reached us, and she struggled to get her words out.
'Horrible,' she said. 'Over there. At the bottom of the rock where the nests are. There's rats! I saw one of them with a tiny bird in its mouth, a puffin or something.'
'What is it with you?' said Mark. 'It's a bloody bird sanctuary. All about nature, Lisa. What did you expect?'
'Shut it,' she said. 'I don't expect fucken rats to be eating birds right in front of me. Baby birds.'
'Give her a slug of booze, Father,' said Mark. 'She's got her finger on the trigger. Give her a few slugs.' I passed her the cup, and she smiled into it and took a sip and said it was okay. I could see Mark had smoke coming from his hand, the one he held down the side of the rock.
'I can smell that,' I said. 'Mark, I'm not stupid. Put it out or there'll be trouble.'
'It's only a wee joint, Father,' he said. 'Come on, it's our day out. Nobody's bothered.'
All I said was that I refused to argue, and I told them I was going up the top to get the view. It was stunning up there with the breeze coming up a thousand feet from the water, the light now sparkling for miles in every
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