Cars were parked along the various narrow pull-off areas, as their owners, scattered across the moorlands, went off to climb and wander around the wild-looking countryside. The scenery was breathtaking. Green valleys ran between massive mountain ranges, and small streams branched out like narrow veins until they merged into wide rivers and then spilled out into large, still lochs. The ground was a patchwork of lush, too-green-to-be-true grass and heather in varying shades of mauve, brown and orange, changing as the cooler weather began to set in.

Elle pulled off to the side of the road whenever she found a safe place to do so, in order to take photos and soak in the majestic views. It was too hard to take it all in as she drove, dodging large coaches and tour-group buses and trying not to run up the back of other rental cars as their drivers veered to unexpected stops to take photos.

Beautiful, isn’t it? Gran said wistfully.

‘It’s stunning,’ Elle murmured, though there seemed no words powerful enough to truly describe the beauty. ‘Is this how you remember it?’

Oh, aye, Gran said on a sigh. It’s still the most bonnie sight I’ve ever seen.

Elle found it hard to leave the mountains behind—though it seemed one never truly did in Scotland; they seemed to rise up all around the highlands—but as she drove closer to their destination, the road seemed to follow the water. Eventually they arrived at the reserve, and Elle climbed out of the car, grateful to stretch her legs.

‘Well, here we are, Gran.’

Hmm. Somehow I expected it to be … bigger.

‘I’m sure it’s bigger once you start walking around.’

Elle took her phone out and went to the app that would take them to the coordinates of their plot. They followed a walking trail up a steep incline and along a row of densely planted pine trees. The air was cool and crisp and quiet.

This is a nice place to own land, Gran said as they came to a stop on the trail and Elle shuffled around until the compass on her phone was pointing in the right direction.

‘We need to go up in there,’ Elle said, eyeing the dark forest of trees ahead of them. When they had started out she had passed a few people walking back to the reception office, but she hadn’t seen anyone for a while. She was pretty sure there was nothing to be afraid of—it wasn’t as though they were going to be attacked by a wolf or a wild bear … she wasn’t actually sure if Scotland even had wolves or bears now she came to think of it—but the dark forest ahead of her definitely conjured up images of Little Red Riding Hood, and Elle recalled how that story hadn’t ended particularly well—especially for the grandmother.

‘Ah, actually,’ Elle said, turning sideways and taking one step forward into the first row of huge trees just off the track, ‘it’s saying this is your plot. Right here.’