still hidden summit.
‘Lucky you. All that to come,’ Bob said with a chuckle. ‘Come on.’
It was harder after that. The path was much steeper above the tarn, and soon they had left the heather and grass behind and entered a world of bare, jagged rock and scree.
Kirsty was excited, even more so when the way ahead began to fade in and out of view as the cloud shifted and swirled around them. She had never been anywhere like this before. Yet she was not apprehensive. On the contrary, she was thrilled, exhilarated. She felt she was beginning to sense some of what climbers must feel, the powerful attraction that draws them back to the mountains time after time. Goat Fell wasn’t Everest, but for her it was close enough.
Another hour, nearer two, then suddenly they were there. Impressively, the cloud cleared, as if on cue, to reveal a broad stony expanse, the summit plateau. They made for the rough cairn at the centre, where generations of walkers and climbers had built what had begun as a simple pile of stones into a massive monument. Kirsty added a stone of her own. Then they settled down to lunch.
‘This is wonderful, Bob. To be here... Thank you so much for inviting me along. All these months I’ve been wondering what it was like up here.’
‘And I wondered what it was that kept bringing you back to Fells. So it was sheer curiosity?’
‘Envy, more like it. I wanted to do what you were doing but I didn’t have the nerve on my own.’
He laughed. ‘You can’t beat it,’ he said. ‘Up here, on top of the world. There’s nothing finer.’
They were in agreement about that, she thought happily. For a while they sat in silent contentment, gazing at the panoramic view that seemed to take in a vast part of the world.
Then Kirsty’s thoughts turned to other matters. She wondered whether to tell Bob what had been on her mind when she arrived in Fells the previous day. She wasn’t sure, but it seemed a good time to broach the subject.
‘Today has made up for the disappointment I experienced when I arrived yesterday,’ she said.
He glanced curiously at her.
‘The “Under Offer” sign at the inn,’ she added by way of explanation.
‘Oh, that.’
‘Yes, that. I’d become so used to seeing the “For Sale” sign. You see, I’d been making plans to make my own offer for the inn. So I was very disappointed to see someone had beaten me to it.’
That stopped him. ‘Really?’ he said, turning to stare at her.
‘Really.’ She nodded and went on to tell him of her hopes, and how they had been thwarted.
‘You must really like the old place?’
‘Oh, I do. I’d been in love with the memory of it since I was a little girl, and now I’ve rediscovered it. Besides, I need a new direction in my life. I’ve been drifting along for such a long time now, going nowhere, doing nothing. And I’m sick of it. I was getting to the point where I no longer liked myself. The idea of taking over the inn, the challenge of it, changed all that.’ She shrugged. ‘Now I’ll have to find something else.’
‘Well,’ Bob said judiciously, ‘it’s not over yet.’
‘There’s no fat lady singing here, Bob. Of course it’s over. Someone has come in ahead of me. After all this time, as well.’
‘It’s only under offer. The deal isn’t done yet. The offer might fall through.’
She nodded.
‘Anyway,’ he added, ‘even if everything does go ahead, the old place won’t change much. It will still be at the foot of Goat Fell, whatever happens.’
‘I guess.’ She shrugged and gave him a wan smile. ‘It won’t be the same, though, will it? Not for me.’
‘Perhaps not.’
The air began to stir around them. Kirsty glanced round and saw Bob looking at fresh cloud on a neighbouring peak.
‘Come on,’ he said, beginning to stuff things back into his rucksack. ‘A change is on the way. Time for us to get moving.’
They made good time on the way down, managing to keep ahead of the rain that was
‘Lucky you. All that to come,’ Bob said with a chuckle. ‘Come on.’
It was harder after that. The path was much steeper above the tarn, and soon they had left the heather and grass behind and entered a world of bare, jagged rock and scree.
Kirsty was excited, even more so when the way ahead began to fade in and out of view as the cloud shifted and swirled around them. She had never been anywhere like this before. Yet she was not apprehensive. On the contrary, she was thrilled, exhilarated. She felt she was beginning to sense some of what climbers must feel, the powerful attraction that draws them back to the mountains time after time. Goat Fell wasn’t Everest, but for her it was close enough.
Another hour, nearer two, then suddenly they were there. Impressively, the cloud cleared, as if on cue, to reveal a broad stony expanse, the summit plateau. They made for the rough cairn at the centre, where generations of walkers and climbers had built what had begun as a simple pile of stones into a massive monument. Kirsty added a stone of her own. Then they settled down to lunch.
‘This is wonderful, Bob. To be here... Thank you so much for inviting me along. All these months I’ve been wondering what it was like up here.’
‘And I wondered what it was that kept bringing you back to Fells. So it was sheer curiosity?’
‘Envy, more like it. I wanted to do what you were doing but I didn’t have the nerve on my own.’
He laughed. ‘You can’t beat it,’ he said. ‘Up here, on top of the world. There’s nothing finer.’
They were in agreement about that, she thought happily. For a while they sat in silent contentment, gazing at the panoramic view that seemed to take in a vast part of the world.
Then Kirsty’s thoughts turned to other matters. She wondered whether to tell Bob what had been on her mind when she arrived in Fells the previous day. She wasn’t sure, but it seemed a good time to broach the subject.
‘Today has made up for the disappointment I experienced when I arrived yesterday,’ she said.
He glanced curiously at her.
‘The “Under Offer” sign at the inn,’ she added by way of explanation.
‘Oh, that.’
‘Yes, that. I’d become so used to seeing the “For Sale” sign. You see, I’d been making plans to make my own offer for the inn. So I was very disappointed to see someone had beaten me to it.’
That stopped him. ‘Really?’ he said, turning to stare at her.
‘Really.’ She nodded and went on to tell him of her hopes, and how they had been thwarted.
‘You must really like the old place?’
‘Oh, I do. I’d been in love with the memory of it since I was a little girl, and now I’ve rediscovered it. Besides, I need a new direction in my life. I’ve been drifting along for such a long time now, going nowhere, doing nothing. And I’m sick of it. I was getting to the point where I no longer liked myself. The idea of taking over the inn, the challenge of it, changed all that.’ She shrugged. ‘Now I’ll have to find something else.’
‘Well,’ Bob said judiciously, ‘it’s not over yet.’
‘There’s no fat lady singing here, Bob. Of course it’s over. Someone has come in ahead of me. After all this time, as well.’
‘It’s only under offer. The deal isn’t done yet. The offer might fall through.’
She nodded.
‘Anyway,’ he added, ‘even if everything does go ahead, the old place won’t change much. It will still be at the foot of Goat Fell, whatever happens.’
‘I guess.’ She shrugged and gave him a wan smile. ‘It won’t be the same, though, will it? Not for me.’
‘Perhaps not.’
The air began to stir around them. Kirsty glanced round and saw Bob looking at fresh cloud on a neighbouring peak.
‘Come on,’ he said, beginning to stuff things back into his rucksack. ‘A change is on the way. Time for us to get moving.’
They made good time on the way down, managing to keep ahead of the rain that was
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