Scotland With a Stranger by Ninya

Author:Ninya
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ninya

Twenty-Six

The alarm rang at six a.m., waking us from a deep sleep. The sun was up already, and so we got dressed and slipped downstairs to make instant coffee.

“I’m so excited for you to see Finnich Glen. You’re going to love it.” She was giddy with anticipation, having fully put the events of the night before behind her.

We jumped in the car, and she knew exactly how to get there without using GPS. Less than ten minutes later, we parked at a nondescript gravel lot and donned our backpacks before starting to walk. The air was clean and pure, and the pine trees were stunning, dropping handfuls of yellow needles to the rocky ground. It was cool, but I wore enough layers that I was incredibly comfortable.

I followed her, letting her get ahead of me a bit, enjoying the quiet. I savored chirps of the birds and the forest sounds, and then I heard rushing water.

She had stopped again and was waiting for me, a pile of trash to her left.

“That makes me so sad. This is private land, but people can always seem to fuck it up anyway.”

I agreed, it just seemed wrong on so many levels to leave drinking straws and plastic coffee cups behind in a place as beautiful as this.

“People make me sick.” She shook her head in disgust. Then she led me to a small entrance between two rock formations. “We have to climb down there.” She pointed.

There was a crack leading down to the water, which you could hear but just barely see. If you didn’t know it existed, you would never know it was there. If I had come here alone, I probably would have walked right past it.

Erika led the way, climbing down the slippery mud-covered rocks that were tilted at crazy angles, making the descent a little treacherous. I’m clumsy, always have been, and so I gingerly followed her, stepping where she stepped, choosing the same stones she chose. Taking my time, I occasionally clung to the massive tree roots that made up the sides of the path for balance. Then it got steeper, and there was a makeshift stone staircase with a rope handrail. I clung to it tightly, not trusting my balance or my footing on anything. The stones were muddy and damp and incredibly slippery even in my brand new hiking shoes. Half-climbing, half-sliding down the steep terrain, there was a sharp right turn, and then the view opened up. Stunningly beautiful, the water rushed in from a waterfall that was set deeper back. Orange rocks covered in lime green moss and lichen, vines and roots climbed from the soil, reaching up to the trees above. It was nearly prehistoric. Seeing an untouched natural phenomenon that had likely been there since the beginning of time was awe inspiring and almost otherworldly. I closed my eyes and reveled in it. Breathing in the scent of fresh moving water jam-packed with ions, that was so squeaky clean and like no other scent on the planet, was beyond soothing.

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