Jacqueline Halsey - Piper

W ere done, Da, shouted Dougal, as he and his friend Ruari heaved the last slab of peat into place.

Done indeed, said Da, tousling Dougals hair.

Dougal slapped the dirt off his hands and looked down the long wall of peat bricks drying in the wind. It stretched over the hill and way out of sight.

This should keep our fires burning for a while, said Da, with a satisfied smile.

The villagers had been working together cutting the peat they used for fuel from the black bogs on the heath. The hard, dirty work had been going on for weeks, but it had been fun too, and getting dirty didnt bother Dougal. He was so busy admiring the peat wall and flapping away the annoying flies buzzing round his head that he didnt notice Ruari creeping up behind him.

Found some more peat for you, said Ruari, showering a handful of the sticky black earth over Dougals head.

Ill get you back for that, shrieked Dougal chasing his friend, with a handful of peat destined for the back of his neck.

Stop! shouted Da. If you lads have got that much energy, Id better find you some more work.

No, no, said Dougal. Were really tired, arent we Ruari?

Exhausted, said Ruari, and flopped down on a patch of springy heather to prove it.

Behave yourselves, said Da, trying not to smile. He walked off to talk to the men.

Dougal sat down next to Ruari. The heather was green now, but by the end of summer it would turn the hills every shade of purple. That was Dougals favourite time of year. He loved bringing in the harvest of oats and barley. Mams garden would be bursting with turnips and beans. Thered be fish in the loch and plenty of berries to stuff in his mouth whenever he saw them. Just thinking about all that food made his empty belly growl.

Ruari gave him a shove. You sound hungrier than me, but thats impossible.

Dont know why our food never quite lasts til the next crop has grown, said Dougal with a huge sigh. Mams porridge is getting awfully thin these days.

My da says we need more farmland, said Ruari, but that costs money, and we havent got any.

Well the grass is beginning to grow, so at least our poor bony cows will have something to nibble on.

Mam appeared over the hill with Wee Mary, Dougals brand new baby sister, strapped snugly to her chest. His other sisters were with her too. Flora danced ahead while Maggie, with Dolly tucked under her arm, clung tightly to Mams skirt.

Youre a welcome sight, said Da, waving to his family. The men were taking a well-earned break in the late afternoon sunshine. They lit their pipes while Mam went round and filled their mugs with heather ale.

Da took a long drink then looked over at Dougal and Ruari. Away wi you boys. Go find something for your Mams cookpots.

Dougal and Ruari let out a loud whoop.

Be back in time for chores, added Ruaris father.

We will, they chorused.

And clean yourselves up, called Mam. Your faces are so grimy, I can hardly tell you two apart.

Ruari raced off, but Dougal stopped to grab the basket hed brought their lunch in. Hed need it for all the mussels he hoped to find. Flora got to it first. Ill come with you, she said. I know where theres wild thyme and dandelion greens.

No. You cant come. Tell her, Mam. Dougal shot a desperate look at his mother. No way was he taking annoying Flora with him. His free time was far too precious.

Give Dougal the basket, Flora, said Mam sternly. Her voice softened. Im going to show you where to find an herb youve never ever seen before. It grows in a secret place. Wait til I tell you what it can do.

Flora stuck her tongue out at Dougal and threw down the basket. He picked it up and chased after Ruari.

With the basket bumping against his leg, Dougal ran across the narrow strips of farmland. Getting the stony soil ready for planting would be tomorrows work, but for now he was free to run with the wind. Even though Ruari was a long way ahead, Dougal couldnt resist climbing over the large jagged rocks that poked through the heather. He loved climbing.

Mam had shown him a drawing of a tree in her herbal book. It had an enormous trunk with great branches that filled the sky. Hed often wondered what it would be like to climb that tree right to the top and find out what the sky felt like. Only scrubby little trees grew around his village in the windswept highlands of Scotland. Theyd probably break if you tried to climb them.

Splashing through a last boggy section of heath, Dougal arrived at the seashore and caught up with Ruari. They stood and looked down at the other village kids already scrabbling around for shellfish in the rocky pools along the shore.

Theres not going to be much left for us, said Ruari. Were not the only ones with noisy bellies.

Well have to go deeper then, said Dougal, stomping straight into the cold water. Come on, the tides going out, we might be able to get to the end of the headland, theres always mussels there.

The waves squeezed between the rocks, frothed to the shore, dragged themselves back, swelled and rushed in again. One minute the water was just above his ankles, the next it was up to his waist. It was a wild rocky coast and Dougal loved it.