Page 11 of Surprises on the Scottish Isle

‘Can he still have the squinty eye?’ Cal screwed his left eye shut and pulled a face.

‘Now you’re being silly. Is there a princess?’

‘Of course there is.’

‘A witch?’

‘If you want one.’

She nodded. ‘Can the witch have a dragon?’

An image of his ex-mother-in-law, Bonnie’s other grandmother, popped into Cal’s head. She’d been a right old dragon. She still was, but thankfully Cal didn’t have much to do with her.

An idea began to form. He mightn’t be any good at making up stories, but he could adapt a real-life one. He would have to amend the ending, but that was OK.

He began again. ‘Once upon a time there was a prince, who would have been handsome if it wasn’t for his squinty eye, but he made up for that with oodles of charm and charisma.’

‘What’s charisma?’

‘Who’s the most popular girl in your class?’

‘Alisha.’

‘Why is she popular?’

Bonnie shrugged. ‘I don’t know. She just is.’

‘That’s what is meant by charisma. You don’t know why someone is popular, so they call it charisma.’

‘Can anyone get charisma?’

‘Not really. You can’t go to a shop and buy some, and it’s not catching like a cold or chicken pox.’

Bonnie pulled a face. ‘That’s not fair.’

‘Do you want to hear this story or not?’

His daughter subsided and Calan carried on. ‘The prince was very intelligent, so the king and queen sent him away to university to learn how to be the best ruler ever when it was his turn to be king. While he was at university—’

‘How do you be a good king?’

‘By being just and kind. You also have to be—’

‘Just what?’ she interrupted.

‘Eh?’

‘You said he has to be just, but you didn’t say what.’

‘Oh, I see. In this instance “just” means “fair”.’

Bonnie nodded to show she understood.

‘Where was I…? Oh, yes, whilst he was studying hard – because he really wanted to be the best king ever – he met a beautiful princess.’

‘What did she look like?’

Calan stiffened as a memory leapt into his mind. ‘She had long dark hair down to here,’ he touched the middle of his chest, ‘and grey eyes, like the sea on a stormy day.’

---