Ghillie Dhu

Somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland, sometime in the past

Jessie wrapped the heavy woolen plaid around her shoulders and picked up the basket of food.

"Now, mind ye don't be wasting time on your way there," her grandmother warned. "I wish ye wouldna think o' goin' so far by yourself."

"But, dearest, ye know we decided I must go. With a' those bairns, and a new one, too, Mrs. Graham needs my help." Jessie kissed her grandmother on the cheek. "Now, dinna fash yerself."

"I do know it, but I will fash m'self over you. Ye've never gone through the wood by yourself."

"But I've been through so many times with you, I could do it in my sleep."

The grandmother snorted in disbelief. "Just ye be sure ye're well out of the wood by dark. They say the Ghillie Dhu has been seen again and though he's never done any harm yet, still he's not one ye'd like to meet in the middle of a dark wood. Temptin' as ye are, there's no saying what any man would do, whether or not he be of the fairy folk."

Jessie laughed at her grandmother's warning. She had only ever half believed in her grandmother's tales of fairy folk, and, even if true, the Ghillie Dhu was the unlikeliest of all villains. According to legend, he was a tree nymph who had been cast out of his oak tree and sent to wander the Highlands. Naturally, he was drawn to forests, like the one through which Jessie had to travel to the Graham's croft. The Ghillie Dhu was said to be kindly disposed to people, especially children, but was still regarded with deep suspicion. He was a nymph and a friend of the fairy folk and, therefore, not to be trusted.

Jessie kissed her grandmother good bye and set out on her way.

By the time the light began to fade, Jessie finally admitted to herself that she was lost. She could find neither the way ahead nor the way back.

She sat wearily on a tree stump and let herself weep a little. She was far more vexed with herself for getting lost than frightened of being alone in the wood. She had known these woods for all of her seventeen years, and only the fact that she did not believe she could get lost had kept her on her feet for so long.

But now she had to face the harsh fact that she could get lost. She had gotten lost. She was lost.

As Jessie shook off her tears and set her mind to pondering the best way to spend the night in the wood, the daylight continued to fade until she could see only the trees closest to her. To her surprise, Jessie found that she was a little discomfited by the dark, for the trees and small forest animals which had seemed so friendly in the daylight began to cast sinister shadows and make startling noises around her.

Suddenly, through the trees, Jessie spied a gleam of light, as of a candle or lantern.

"Could I have come through the forest after all? Or somehow found my way back to Grandmother's cottage?" she wondered.

Jessie stood and snatched up her basket. Careful of pitfalls hidden by the darkness, she walked slowly toward the light.

"I will hate to admit my failure to Grandmother," she thought ruefully. "But it will be better than staying in the wood all night!"

Jessie was forced to keep her eyes on the ground, straining to see where to put each footstep. She glanced up, occasionally, though, to keep the light in sight and adjust her course toward it.

After a few minutes, Jessie looked up again and was surprised to discern that the light came not from a candle or lantern, but from a fire.

So, it was not Grandmother's cottage, after all. And yet it might well be someone able to help, so Jessie continued forward, though more careful to keep her movements quiet.

Finally, Jessie stood behind a large oak tree and peered into a small clearing. In the center of the clearing, a large fire burned, warm and friendly. Behind the fire, Jessie could make out the entrance to a small cave. She also noticed that though the fire seemed well-tended, the clearing was deserted.

Suddenly a deep voice spoke from the other side of the clearing.

"Come into the light. I'll not harm ye."

The voice was undoubtedly male, and yet Jessie heard no threat in it. In all events, she had been seen and could not hide any longer. So, slowly, cautiously, she stepped around the tree and fully into the light of the fire.

The voice came again, and the sound was like the wind dancing among the leaves of the oak tree.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Jessie strained her eyes but could see no one in the shadows. He might be any manner of man. His accent was foreign, perhaps English, perhaps something from farther away.

"I...I'm Jessie. I've lost my way in the wood. Would you be able to point me the way?"

Jessie stepped back instinctively and gripped the basket more tightly as the brush across from her rustled, parted and revealed the figure of a tall, muscular man. The light of the fire showed his homespun shirt and a dark plaid wrapped around him. His feet were bare, his legs thickly muscled and covered in dark hair. He wore no sporran nor any other mark of rank or wealth, yet he also had no weapon to mark him as a warrior.

These details Jessie took in quickly. What arrested her attention was his face. No one would have said he was a handsome man and yet there was something compelling about that face with its heavy brow, long nose and dark, shaggy beard. It was his eyes, though, which held Jessie fascinated. His eyes were green, but as she watched, the color leapt from nearly brown to the color of tremulous spring leaf buds and back again, through all the gradations of color between.

When she had looked her fill, the man spoke.

"Hello, Jessie."

Jessie started from her reverie and noted the look of amusement on the man's face.

"Oh, I...hello. How did you know my name?"

"You told me." Now there was a definite quirk of laughter at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh." Jessie could think of nothing to say. Some part of her was urging her to run from this man, this wild-looking stranger. He was large and strong and could easily overpower her, if he so chose. And yet some other part of her knew that while he could harm her, he would not.

"Won't you sit?" The man motioned to a thick, sturdy log which had been upended to make a seat. He turned and retrieved a similar log from beside the mouth of the cave, setting it a safe distance from the first.

"Thank you, but if you could just point the way, I really must..."

The man sat on the second log and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I cannot do that just yet. You will think me terribly selfish, and doubtless you are right, but I am a lonely man and I will offer you a bargain. If you stay and talk with me and share the contents of that basket, I will do better than point the way, I will take you there myself."

to be continued...