I can’t sleep. My ears burn listening out for Hector to begin. I know it will because Cat seems so sure something will happen. Something we must stop. I leave the door open so the light from the corridor spills into the room. I lie in bed and stare at the ceiling willing morning to come without any incident. I hear the soft puttering of Stella’s sleep and a single snore. It seems even Fiona sleeps tonight. And then the bagpipes drone in the distance and another sound, I strain my ears to hear. It’s a fiddle tuning up and the sound of my heart pounding so hard it makes my chest hurt. The pipes continue their nighty concert and Stella and Fiona stir. Cat said not to stop them. There is a rustle in the corridor and I see Rory and Allan shuffle past, slow, as if they are asleep. Stella and Fiona rise from their beds without a word and join them at the same pace.
Je n’arrive pas à dormir. Mes oreilles guettent le début d’Hector. Je sais que ça va commencer parce que Cat semble si certaine que quelque chose va se passer. Quelque chose que nous devons arrêter. Je laisse la porte ouverte pour que la lumière du couloir se déverse dans la pièce. Allongée dans mon lit, je regarde le plafond, en souhaitant que le jour se lève sans incident. J'entends le doux bruit du sommeil de Stella et un seul ronflement. Il semble que même Fiona dort ce soir. Et puis la cornemuse bourdonne au loin et un autre son, je tends l'oreille pour entendre. C'est un violon qui s'accorde et le bruit de mon cœur bat si fort qu'il me fait mal à la poitrine. La cornemuse continue son concert nocturne, Stella et Fiona changent de position. Cat a dit de ne pas les arrêter. Il y a un bruissement dans le couloir et je vois Rory et Allan passer au ralenti, comme s'ils dormaient. Stella et Fiona se lèvent de leurs lits sans un mot et les rejoignent au même rythme.
What have I done in trusting Cat? I have no idea what doom they are walking towards. I run after Rory and shake him.
"Wake up," I hiss. He brushes past me as if I am invisible.
"Fiona, stop."
But the once gentle girl pushes me into the wall. They are unstoppable. I look around for Cat but she is nowhere to be found. Has she abandoned me?
The
door at the end of the corridor is open. Our instruments, taken from their cases and
laid out carefully in a row on the floor. Rory
lifts his
fiddle, Allan his
guitar, Stella her
accordion and Fiona her
fiddle. Four players preparing
to go on stage and yet still asleep. My
pipes lie alone, ignored and
I feel drawn to leave them but Cat’s words
ring in my
ears. Be ready to act.
I might need them so
I pick them up and
cradle them in my arms.
I follow the others as they sleepwalk down the cellar stairs. The music ahead grows louder and I see the door to the cave is open too. I don’t know what Nell gave the others to drink but the music is drawing them forwa rd and I feel like running in the other direction. At the beginning of the tune’s second playing my friends and brother gather in a circle and lift their instrument as if to play. Then I hear a fiddle. Fiona? Rory? No, it comes from behind me and the tune is The Banshee and I know what I must do. As Rory starts a slow march towards the open cave door I rush forward and turn him towards the sound of The Banshee. And miraculously he pushes past the others as if they are not there and makes his way back across the cellar floor. I spin Fiona, she follows Rory.
Je suis les autres alors qu'ils descendent les escaliers de la cave. La musique s'intensifie et devient plus forte et je vois que la porte de la grotte est ouverte aussi. Je ne sais pas ce que Nell a donné à boire aux autres mais la musique les fait avancer et j'ai envie de courir dans l'autre sens. Au début du deuxième morceau, mes amis et mon frère se rassemblent en cercle et lèvent leur instrument comme pour jouer. Puis j'entends un violon. Fiona? Rory? Non, ça vient de derrière moi et l'air est The Banshee et je sais ce que je dois faire. Alors que Rory entame une lente marche vers la porte ouverte de la grotte, je me précipite et le retourne vers là d’où vient le son de The Banshee. Et miraculeusement, il repousse les autres comme s'ils n'étaient pas là et rebrousse chemin à travers la cave. Je retourne Fiona, elle suit Rory.
"No," I hear Nell shout from beyond the cave door.
I spin Stella.
I hear the sound of rushing footsteps echo through cave below. She’s coming.
J'entends résonner le bruit de pas précipités dans la grotte ci-dessous. Elle arrive.
I spin Allan.
I watch their slow march up the cellar stairs.
Je regarde leur lente montée des escaliers de la cave.
"Hurry" I shout as I hear Nell move closer but their pace remains slow.
The Banshee plays louder and Hector the Hero drifts into the distance.
"No, Hector, come back," I hear Nell shout from close by.
I slam the cave door closed but the latch has been removed so I can’t bar the way. I’m halfway across the cellar when the four disappear, following the fiddle music coming from somewhere inside the West wing.
I hear a crash behind me, Nell stumbles through the door, mandolin in hand, her face twisted into a grotesque mask of madness.
"No," she screams. "They must come." She tries to grab for me.
I bound up the cellar stairs, and she is right behind me. A hand grabs, I kick back and the hand releases. I scramble to the top step, I feel a scratch of nails on my leg. Fingers tighten their grip on my ankle.
"Non", hurle-t-elle. "Ils doivent venir".
Elle essaie de m’attraper. Je monte les escaliers de la cave et elle est juste derrière moi. Une main m’attrape, je recule et la main se relâche. Je grimpe jusqu'à la plus haute marche, je sens des ongles griffer ma jambe. Les doigts resserrent leur prise sur ma cheville.
"One piper will do," she hisses.
I turn and throw my bagpipes in her face, the drones wrap themselves around her neck, her grip gone and she tumbles down the stairs. Just as she recovers and makes another rush for me I reach the door, slam it shut. As it closes I hear the latch click, I yank the bolt across top and bottom.
"Un sonneur fera l'affaire," siffle-t-elle.
Je me retourne et lui jette ma cornemuse au visage, les tuyaux s'enroulent autour de son cou, une fois sa prise lâchée, elle dégringole dans les escaliers. Juste au moment où elle se remet et se précipite à nouveau sur moi, j'atteins la porte, la claque pour la fermer. En se fermant, j'entends le verrou cliqueter, je tire sèchement sur le verrou en haut et en bas.
Nell hammers. "No," she screams.
She sounds like a trapped animal but there is something else. There is a sadness to that plea.
"No," the voice fades and then stops as if it has never been.
The Banshee still plays and as I turn from the door I see Cat at the end of the corridor, fiddle under chin, bow flashing then ending with a flourish. In front of her Rory, Fiona, Stella and Allan crumple to the floor in a faint.
While Cat helps Stella, I lift Fiona to sitting, to standing, then walk her to the kitchen where I gently ease her into a seat. As I rush back into the corridor I see Rory on his knees helping Allan to get up. I help them both and we join the others in the kitchen. Cat stands at the stove. The four look around them. Rory scratches his head.
"What happened?"
Pendant que Cat aide Stella, je soulève Fiona pour l’asseoir, puis la mettre debout, enfin je la conduis jusqu'à la cuisine où je l'installe doucement sur un siège. Alors que je me précipite dans le couloir, je vois Rory à genoux aider Allan à se relever. Je les aide tous les deux et nous rejoignons les autres dans la cuisine. Cat se tient près du poêle. Les quatre autres regardent autour d'eux. Rory se gratte la tête.
"Que s’est-il passé ?"
"I think she drugged you. The music, Nell, she’s mad."
The words tumble from my mouth and suddenly tears run down my face and I start to shake.
Cat sits beside me and puts one arm round my shoulder and hands me a mug of hot chocolate.
"Rory, bring the rest of the drinks over for your friends," she says. "Rose has had a shock."
"Why does my head hurt so much?" Stella asks.
"Drink your drinks and I will explain."
The chocolate is thick and bitter like the kind you get in our local Italian restaurant. Like some miracle medicine, after the first sip, I begin to feel better. Cat pats my hand and sits back in her seat.
"The drink Nell gave you was charmed."
"Charmed?" Stella asks. "Like magic."
Cat smiles. "Something like that. I told Rose not to drink because I needed her help."
"It’s the Golden Cave isn’t it?" Fiona asks. Cat nods.
"This house has stood for hundreds of years. Built above the Golden Cave by the MacLeod family. The MacLeods had a Glaistig."
Cat looks at us. "You know what that is?"
"A benevolent mythical creature who cares rather than hurts," I say remembering Fiona’s tale.
"Yes, that right. The MacLeod's Glaistig did a good job of looking after the family but they were great pipers and were interested in the language of the pipes. One day one of the MacLeod pipers entered the cave with a view to find the language of the pipes. He never returned."
"So is that the ghost we heard."
"No, the body was found washed up on the shore a couple of miles down the coast. Many years ago when Nell was a little girl her parents brought Nell and her brother here on holiday. They came twice a year for many years. The two children would play on the beach and in the cave. As they grew older Nell’s brother, Hector became a great piper and was fascinated by the legend of the cave. One night without telling his family he went into the cave to play. He never returned. The Coastguard, Mountain Rescue and the Police searched the cave thoroughly but he was never found. The night before the family were forced to return home without the boy Nell heard Hector the Hero play. From that day till this she has worked to buy this house and find her brother. She believes that by luring you into the cave she could create an immortal band to join him."
"Non, le corps a été retrouvé échoué sur le rivage à quelques kilomètres le long de la côte. Il y a de nombreuses années, quand Nell était une petite fille, ses parents l’ont amené elle et son frère ici en vacances. Pendant de nombreuses années, ils venaient deux fois par an. Les deux enfants avaient l’habitude de jouer sur la plage et dans la grotte. En grandissant, le frère de Nell, Hector est devenu un grand joueur de cornemuse et il était fasciné par la légende de la grotte. Une nuit, sans le dire à sa famille, il est allé jouer dans la grotte. Il n'est jamais revenu. Les garde-côtes, les secours du Mountain Rescue et la police ont fouillé la grotte de fond en comble, mais il n'a jamais été retrouvé. La nuit précédant le retour à la maison forcé de la famille sans le garçon, Nell a entendu quelqu’un jouer Hector le héros. Depuis ce jour et jusqu'à aujourd’hui, elle a travaillé pour acheter cette maison et retrouver son frère. Elle pense qu'en vous attirant dans la grotte, elle pourrait créer un groupe immortel pour le rejoindre."
"She’s mad," Stella says.
"So you were trying to stop us. And yet tonight you let it happen," Rory says.
Cat sighed. "The ghost only appears during two weeks of the year – during the October school holidays and again during the Easter school holidays, these were the times the family visited here. Nell bought this house last year. The first thing she did was open that door into the cave. I suspected then what she was planning. It wasn’t until this week I knew for sure."
"So why couldn’t you keep protecting us until it was time for us to leave?" I ask.
"Alors pourquoi ne pouvais-tu pas continuer à nous protéger jusqu'à ce qu'il soit temps pour nous de partir?" Je demande.
"I could have, but I knew Nell would never give up. If she failed this time she would try again at Easter."
Cat smiles, a strange and wonderful sight. "You are a strong and smart group with two MacLeods, one a piper. That is a powerful combination. I thought together we could stop her. And I was right."
"What’s going to happen now?" The cheery smile has left Allan’s face. He’s grey and I notice his hands shake as he lifts his cup.
"You will all go to the front of the house and call the police from the payphone there."
Cat hands me some coins. "And wait beside it until they arrive."
"What about you?"
"I will go and see to Nell."
"You really are a Glaistig aren’t you?" These are the first words Fiona has uttered since we left the cellar. "And you have been the MacLeod’s Glaistig all this time. That’s why you chose Rose to help you."
"Don’t be soft, Fiona," Stella says. "That would make her hundreds of years old. Look at her, she’s only a couple of years older than us."
Cat shrugs. "If that’s what you want to believe, Fiona, go ahead."
Fiona continues to stare at her.
"What will happen to you now? If the family MacLeod aren’t here for you to look after."
"I will be fine." Cat rises to her feet. "Go and phone the police."
She picks up her fiddle and leaves the room.
After we call the police and explain there has been an incident at the school we dash back to our dorms to pack our belongings. The cellar door is still bolted top and bottom. My bagpipes are behind it but I decide to wait for the police to retrieve them.
Après avoir appelé la police et expliqué qu'il y a eu un incident à l'école, nous nous précipitons vers nos dortoirs pour emballer nos affaires. La porte de la cave est toujours boulonnée en haut et en bas. Ma cornemuse est derrière la porte, mais je décide d'attendre que la police la récupère.
The sun is creeping over the hills in the east by the time the police arrive.
We sit in the big hall where the selection was made while the police search the West wing. We don’t speak, it’s as if we are all still in a dream.
A sergeant comes in, drags a chair to where we are sitting and joins us in a round.
"We can’t find anyone. We’ve searched the house, top to bottom, and my men are now waiting for the Mountain Rescue to arrive to help them search the cave. But it’s not looking too promising. There is no sign what so ever of the other two people you say were here. No clothes or possessions, nothing. It’s as if the owner, Nell Mahoney was never here."
Stella begins to whimper then cry. "Does that mean you don’t believe us?"
"Oh we believe you. We know there is a music school here, we just don’t know what happened to your carers. It’s a mystery". He stands up. "Now let’s get you home. There’s a mini bus outside."
"My bagpipes?"
The sergeant thumps his head with his hand. "I forgot them, they’re in the kitchen. I’ll go for them."
"No, I’ll go," I say.
The house seems to breathe as I walk along the corridor to the West wing. I pass the, now deserted dorms, and enter the kitchen. My bagpipes lie broken on the table like an injured bird. I lift them and cradle them into my arms. As I leave I take a last glance to the cellar door which now lies open. From somewhere far off there is a sound. The police in the cave? No. It’s Hector the Hero, the faint but melancholy melody is unmistakable and there is something else.
La maison semble respirer alors que je marche dans le couloir jusqu'à l'aile Ouest. Je passe devant les dortoirs, maintenant déserts, et j’entre dans la cuisine. Ma cornemuse git cassée sur la table comme un oiseau blessé. Je la soulève et la berce dans mes bras. En sortant, je jette un dernier coup d'œil à la porte de la cave qui est maintenant ouverte. De quelque part au loin, il y a un son. La police dans la grotte? C'est Hector the Hero, la faible mais mélancolique mélodie est facilement reconnaissable et il y a autre chose.
The bagpipes are being accompanied by a mandolin and fiddle.
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