up her school dress, she stood in front of the mirror pulling her thick dark curls into a ponytail. Then she turned to go downstairs for breakfast, and nearly tripped over the green first aid kit in the middle of the floor, where she’d dropped it on arriving home last night in her rush to get cleaned up before suppertime.
The rucksack was slightly scorched and very dirty. She couldn’t possibly put it back in her Mum’s surgery. She would have to replace it. But first she would have to refill it with supplies she might need tonight: a new syringe, more saline, swabs, clean bandages and what else? What could go wrong at a stone circle? What injuries could her new friends suffer? She tried not to think of huge stone slabs falling on small fairies, or even middle-sized schoolgirls.
She shoved the first aid kit under her bed and went downstairs for breakfast.
Nicola wasn’t being a horse today. Today she was being a teddy’s mummy, feeding porridge to a bright pink bear in a bib. “Open wiiiiiiiiiide!”she said to the bear. Helen gave her little sister a kiss, and got a dollop of porridge on her sleeve in thanks.
Her Dad handed Helen a bowl of porridge, and waved vaguely at the blueberries and honey on the table.
“Mr Crombie phoned last night to make an appointment for his cat’s booster jags. He seemed a bit worried about this solo you’re supposed to be performing at the concert. He says you still haven’t told him which piece you’re going to play yet. Is that right?”
Oops, thought Helen, I should have been looking for a tune last night, not crawling about in caves and solving riddles.
“I just haven’t played it for him yet, Dad, that’s all. It’ll be ready by Monday. Don’t worry.”
“Look … Mum and I know you want to be a great fiddle player, but we’re still not sure about this summer school idea. It’s a lot of work, and if you aren’t ready to find, practise and perform a solo, then perhaps you should just wait a year or two.”
“But I can’t wait! These particular violinists might only play together at next year’s summer school, and then maybe never again. I may never get this chance again.”
Helen’s Dad tried to look stern. “Then you need to impress Mr Crombie at his rehearsals, don’t you, rather than make him nervous about his concert?”
“I know, I know.” Helen wanted to distract her Dad from this awkward conversation, so sheasked, “Dad, do you know anything about stone circles?”
“What … like Stonehenge? That sort of thing?”
“Yes. Are there any round here?”
Her Dad thought. “I don’t know of any standing stones nearby. There are a couple of very old burial sites and lots of Roman remains in the Borders, but the big circles are mostly in the south of England, I think. There are a couple in Orkney and the Western Isles though. Why do you ask?”
“Just something I read.” Helen grinned, remembering reading the riddle on the stone in the flickering light of the cave.
Then her Mum marched in, slightly grumpy, as she often was until she’d had her breakfast.
“I’ve lost my first aid kit. The rucksack I use for long distance jobs like sheep on cliff faces, and puppies in septic tanks. The one in the Landrover has just fallen apart, and I can’t find my spare anywhere. Does anyone know where it is?”
Helen didn’t know exactly where the rucksack had come to rest under her bed when she pushed it with her foot, so she crossed her fingers and said, “I don’t know, Mum.” Then she filled her mouth with blueberry porridge and started eating very fast.
“Alasdair, do you know where it is?”
“No, Tricia dear. Where did you last see it?”
“It’s usually filled with supplies and hanging on the door of the small animal surgery, but it’s not there.”
“Did you take it with you to rescue the sheep a couple of nights ago?”
“No, it was that barbed wire which wrecked my old one.”
“Nicola, have you taken Mummy’s green
The rucksack was slightly scorched and very dirty. She couldn’t possibly put it back in her Mum’s surgery. She would have to replace it. But first she would have to refill it with supplies she might need tonight: a new syringe, more saline, swabs, clean bandages and what else? What could go wrong at a stone circle? What injuries could her new friends suffer? She tried not to think of huge stone slabs falling on small fairies, or even middle-sized schoolgirls.
She shoved the first aid kit under her bed and went downstairs for breakfast.
Nicola wasn’t being a horse today. Today she was being a teddy’s mummy, feeding porridge to a bright pink bear in a bib. “Open wiiiiiiiiiide!”she said to the bear. Helen gave her little sister a kiss, and got a dollop of porridge on her sleeve in thanks.
Her Dad handed Helen a bowl of porridge, and waved vaguely at the blueberries and honey on the table.
“Mr Crombie phoned last night to make an appointment for his cat’s booster jags. He seemed a bit worried about this solo you’re supposed to be performing at the concert. He says you still haven’t told him which piece you’re going to play yet. Is that right?”
Oops, thought Helen, I should have been looking for a tune last night, not crawling about in caves and solving riddles.
“I just haven’t played it for him yet, Dad, that’s all. It’ll be ready by Monday. Don’t worry.”
“Look … Mum and I know you want to be a great fiddle player, but we’re still not sure about this summer school idea. It’s a lot of work, and if you aren’t ready to find, practise and perform a solo, then perhaps you should just wait a year or two.”
“But I can’t wait! These particular violinists might only play together at next year’s summer school, and then maybe never again. I may never get this chance again.”
Helen’s Dad tried to look stern. “Then you need to impress Mr Crombie at his rehearsals, don’t you, rather than make him nervous about his concert?”
“I know, I know.” Helen wanted to distract her Dad from this awkward conversation, so sheasked, “Dad, do you know anything about stone circles?”
“What … like Stonehenge? That sort of thing?”
“Yes. Are there any round here?”
Her Dad thought. “I don’t know of any standing stones nearby. There are a couple of very old burial sites and lots of Roman remains in the Borders, but the big circles are mostly in the south of England, I think. There are a couple in Orkney and the Western Isles though. Why do you ask?”
“Just something I read.” Helen grinned, remembering reading the riddle on the stone in the flickering light of the cave.
Then her Mum marched in, slightly grumpy, as she often was until she’d had her breakfast.
“I’ve lost my first aid kit. The rucksack I use for long distance jobs like sheep on cliff faces, and puppies in septic tanks. The one in the Landrover has just fallen apart, and I can’t find my spare anywhere. Does anyone know where it is?”
Helen didn’t know exactly where the rucksack had come to rest under her bed when she pushed it with her foot, so she crossed her fingers and said, “I don’t know, Mum.” Then she filled her mouth with blueberry porridge and started eating very fast.
“Alasdair, do you know where it is?”
“No, Tricia dear. Where did you last see it?”
“It’s usually filled with supplies and hanging on the door of the small animal surgery, but it’s not there.”
“Did you take it with you to rescue the sheep a couple of nights ago?”
“No, it was that barbed wire which wrecked my old one.”
“Nicola, have you taken Mummy’s green
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