Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The Three Herons.
The House Elves of Breck.
The Trolls of Trolla Vatn.
Horda and Junka.
The Elvar Wedding
The Three Herons
The sea was calm. Yet into the salt marsh the water slowly crept. In the grimlin light, there stood three herons, motionless, their heads tucked under their wings; their bodies upright …like black folded umbrellas pushed into the higher grass. They were resting, digesting their catch from a day of fishing.
From the dark pools flooded by the neap tide of the previous night, they had taken tiny fish and crabs.
Normally they would be solitary but it was the beginning of spring and partners were being sought.
In the croft above the marsh the chickens were seeking their roosts in the hen hut. One by one they entered the pop hole and fluttered up to a spar. The hens flustered their feathers then began to doze.
The farm dog was let in to be near the fire for tonight was promising to be a frosty one.
Already a star or two shone in the darkening sky.
In the croft the family gathered at the table for the evening meal.
“I saw three herons down at the salt marsh,” said Magnus.
“Three? Why thets unusual,” said his father.
“What does it mean?”said his sister.
“It means good luck,” said his mither, “herons are a sign of good luck.”
“Not for the fish,” said his father.
“What sort of good luck?” said Magnus. “Money… a good harvest, a mild winter, …anither bairn.”
The mither looked up,
“A boy,” said Magnus.
“Anither girl,” said Signy.
Faither and mither looked at each other.
Could this happen?
They were not prepared for it.
“Whit gave ye that idea husband?”
“Hid jist cam into me heid.”
“It’ll mebbe no come,”
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Texte: alastair macleod
Bildmaterialien: alastair macleod: Ring of Brodgar, Orkney
Lektorat: alastair macleod
Übersetzung: cover typeset in effloresce
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 31.01.2017
ISBN: 978-3-7396-9636-2
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Widmung:
To the magical spaces in between and the creatures that make their home there.