(This story was begun last week, and 17 readers commented to decide where the story should go. You can read it all here.)
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Allison rose from the table, put her dishes in the sink, and went outside again.
Duncarragh. Gabe had mentioned that name in his letter. Perhaps it was worth trying, especially after Mrs. Murchieson’s cryptic comment.
She glanced at the heavy clouds. Yes, she’d go visit Duncarragh this morning, and the sooner, the better.
“Are you going to Duncarragh, dearie?”
Allison turned around. “Yes, I am.”
Mrs. Murchieson hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Let me lend you a rain coat.”
Allison thanked her, followed her inside, than ran up to her little room under the eaves. She dug into her suitcase and pulled out a folder.
A photo fell into her lap. One that was six and a half years old.
She smiled. How she’d always loved the quirk in Gabe’s smile and the curly brown hair he’d hated so much.
She reached for the photo, and memories flooded through her. His laughter. His sense of adventure. How he’d dared her as a seven-year-old to climb the huge oak in his backyard, then rescued her when she got stuck and not teased her about it once. The way he used to jump the fence and help her drag the trash cans down to the road when they’d been too heavy for her nine-year-old strength to manage. How he’d defended her when they entered high school and continued to befriend her, even when his popularity far outstripped hers. How proud she’d been when he successfully climbed Mount Ranier as a Sophomore. The emotions that coursed through her when he’d asked her to the prom. How happy she’d been for him when he’d gotten a miraculous chance to climb Scotland’s mountains.. even though she’d known how badly she would miss him.
How much she still missed him now.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and tucked the photo into an envelope, then put both in her purse. Only a fool would think he could be alive after all these years, but since she was apparently that type of fool, she may as well bring them. Just in case.
Five minutes later she was covered in Mrs. Murchieson’s generous raincoat and carefully driving on the wrong side of the road in her little rental car. The castle grew bigger as she drew closer, and she pulled off the road next to the loch and parked in the shadow of the walls. She climbed out, flipped the lock on the door, and turned to face the castle.
What must have once been a guard tower loomed over her. To her left, walls stretched from the guard tower down to the water’s edge. To her right, they continued to a set of gates. Gates that looked open.
She hurried toward them, but as she drew near, she stopped. They were open by a couple of feet.
She took a tentative step inside, and looked around. Across from the entrance was a huge building that must have been the great hall once upon a time. Wide stone steps led up to a set of double doors. On the top step was a pair of muddy boots and a little tricycle.
Allison smiled. The thought of children running around inside a castle was curiously sweet.
To her right were several smaller buildings, and beyond one of them appeared to be a second courtyard of some sort. Sounds echoed from that direction. She listened and caught children’s laughter and shouting, as well as something more that she couldn’t quite distinguish.
She took at step back and looked around the doors again. Yes, there was an intercom button. She reached out a hand to press it, then paused and looked at the open door again…
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Okay, everyone! You get to participate in a little character development today! Is Allison the type of woman who would never dream of entering private property, unannounced and uninvited? Or does her curiosity get the better of her? In other words… should she press the intercom and ask to speak with the laird? Or should she go in immediately and deal with the consequences if she gets caught? After all, how severe could those consequences be?
9 Comments
Allison is definitely adventurous, as most heroines in novels are. Perhaps a bit shy as well. Who knows where her impulsive pressing of the button may lead her,and this could open up to a wide array of misadventures, humorous situations, perhaps even love renewed?
I definitely think she would walk on the wild side. Something brought her so far to Scotland and Duncarragh … why stop now? She should do some surreptitious snooping.
I think Allison would press the intercom button. I see her as curious, and besides that, she’s come so far already, so why not?
Push the button–then have no one answer it. *g* She’s done what courtesy demands yet her curiosity is unappeased so what can it hurt to take a wee peek?
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Awesome idea, Pat!
I’m working on the next installment, which I’ll post on Thursday.
Keep those votes rolling in so I know whether she should press the button and/or snoop!
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i think she should press the button, and then take a peek, whats life with out a little danger
I think she would press the button. If no one answers, she would go to where the voices and people are and announce her presence.
I definitely agree with Pat. She should ring the bell..but no one should answer.. She would be kinda loony to just bust up in there uninvited…the Laird would probably just call the cops and not tell her anything at all if she did.
I think she would knock lightly on the door, and when no one answers she will take a peek inside, and not be able to supress the urge to have a quick look around. If she gets caught, she can just say, “The door was open. I knocked but no one answered.”