Page 86 of The Moon Sister
‘Please try to remember that your track record at university and at Servion Zoo would place you anyway at the forefront of suitable young candidates. This is not a favour, Tiggy, however fond I might be of you. It is a serious proposition, although I will expect a lot in return.’
‘I’m sure,’ I said, trying to cover up any irony in my voice. ‘And it’s an amazing opportunity,’ I agreed, ‘but—’
‘You need time to think it over.’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘That is okay, you shall have it,’ he said as he stood. ‘I think we would work together very well.’ Zed made to walk towards me, halting abruptly as Thistle began to growl. ‘I will leave you to think about it and when you are ready we can discuss it further.’
‘Okay, I will,’ I promised. ‘And really, thanks for the opportunity.’
‘Goodnight, Tiggy.’
‘Night, Zed.’
Later, as I lay in bed in my freezing room in the cottage, and despite the massive drawback of Zed being my boss, I couldn’t help myself fantasising about the plains of Africa, all that money, and the countless animals I could help to save with it . . .
*
I was awake very early the next morning and padded into the kitchen, where Cal was ramming a piece of toast into his mouth in readiness to leave.
‘Morning, I was just off tae feed your cats. Up tae coming and say hello to them yourself?’
‘Yes, my cough seems much better after being stuck inside for the past few days, and I could do with some fresh air. How have they been?’
‘As antisocial as usual. We’ll take Beryl, as I want tae go on and see where the deer are hidin’ in the snow. We have a big shoot here tomorrow, your Lover Boy included. Hopefully it will bring in a few pennies tae put towards a new Beryl. I’ve finally got a phone call booked with the Laird later today.’
Thistle, who was still coughing, clambered into the back of the car with us, and we set off.
Gratifyingly, the cats came out to say hello to me, almost as though they’d missed my presence.
‘You know, I really think it’s doubtful they’ll breed this year. If ever,’ I muttered, as I threw the kill into the enclosures.
‘Not like you tae be negative, Tig.’
‘I’ve got to be realistic, Cal. And I really am wondering if there is a job here for me to do,’ I said as we got back into Beryl.
‘Well now, I’m going tae tell you something that might perk you up.’
‘And what would that be?’
‘It’s your kind o’ thing, Tig. You’ll laugh when you hear, especially comin’ from me.’
‘Tell me, then,’ I urged him, as he pulled Beryl to a stop in front of the birch copse of his own accord and trained his binoculars on it.
‘Well now, that night I came out tae find yae, the blizzard was something else, one o’ the worst I’ve ever seen. I got tae about where we are now, an’ I was nervous of driving any further, what with the burn being so close. Even for me, who knows the road like the back o’ my hand, I was disorientated. And then – and this is the bit you’ll laugh at – the snowflakes on the windscreen seemed to morph together and form a shape. And . . .’ Cal took a deep breath. ‘I saw a white stag standin’ just there.’ He pointed through the window. ‘It was staring at me – I saw its eyes glinting in the moonlight. Then it turned and began to run along in front of me, stopping tae turn its head back as if it was encouraging me tae follow it. So I did. A few minutes later, I saw the shape o’ Beryl, covered in snow, with you inside. The stag stood there for a few seconds, then as I made tae get out, it disappeared into nowhere.’ Cal continued to train his binoculars on the copse. ‘It was like he was leadin’ me to you.’
‘Wow,’ I breathed, then eyed him. ‘You’re not teasing me, are you?’
‘I only wish I was. Problem is, now I’m as eager as you tae spot the damned thing, otherwise I’ll start tae believe in those faeries that live in the glen too.’
Despite his joking, I could sense that the whole experience had really affected him. One part of me was happy that I might just have won over my most challenging convert, and the other was full of wonder and awe that perhaps my mythical creaturehadsaved my life.
‘I didnae tell you at the time, but if it hadnae been for that stag, or what looked like a stag anyway, I’d never have found you,’ Cal admitted. ‘Now, let’s take a walk over there, shall we? See if your familiar will come out and say hello tae his girl.’
We did so, crouching behind a row of gorse bushes so that the deer wouldn’t notice we’d come closer. As it was early, they were still there, packed together under the meagre shelter the trees provided, but fifteen minutes later, we headed back to the relative warmth of the car, having seen nothing except the red deer.
‘What d’you say tae staking out the copse at dawn every morning?’ Cal suggested.
