Iain Kelly

Mist rolled down the hillside into the base of the valley where the small hamlet lay.

Silence ruled as the hanging shroud dampened any sound.

Then, cutting through the atmosphere, a clear, sharp repeated noise emerged.

‘Slap, slap, slap’ footsteps against the rock path descending the slope. It was joined by another, louder noise. A voice shouting through the gloom.

‘The wait is over. I have seen the man to save our country!’

Beth Cameron, watching the livestock near the barn was the first to see the silhouette emerge.

She was surprised to recognise young Robert MacPherson. He had left for the big smoke of the city after the last harvest.

Others stuck their heads out from windows and doors.

Robert stopped in the middle of the hamlet next to the well and, finally catching his breath, bellowed out his message:

‘The Bonnie Prince has taken Edinburgh!’

The men of the hamlet approached him. There were cheers and congratulations.

‘He intends to raise an army and march on England. Who will join with me?’

The mist rolled away, revealing the scent of fresh revolution in the wild landscape.

This is a response to the Thursday Photo Prompt – Watcher  curated over at Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo. Click on the link to read other stories inspired by the image.

Bonnie Prince Charlie and the 1745 Jacobite Uprising in Scotland: Wikipedia