STORY ADDED

Did you really see the dragon?

Another Adventure for Pheobe and Mags

I dont like it here, Pheobe , announced Mags., shaking and shivering as if she was suffering a bad attack of influenza.

Dame Katrina never missed a thing, she always knew if one of her loved ones was in any kind of distress.

You had better keep warm darlings, she said.

Mags was restored to some inner comfort, but soon relapsed again.

Pheobe moved in immediately, offering Mags one to one support.

Mags wasnt just looking for sympathy , she was feelingvery anxious :

I can hear my own heart pounding, pounding so dreadfully, pounding like the old mans heart in that story, that Madam was once rehearsing when we were in the drawing Room with her, by the fire. The one that scared me so much, Pheobe.

Pheobe knew the story that Mags was recounting, with all its pitiful horror.

Oh yes, you had bad nightmares for weeks after that dear Mags, the tell tale heart oh! that was it..

Thats the one .. replied Mags -closing her eyes and continuing to rock backwards and forwards as if on a fast moving fairground ride.

Mags had a phobia about the dark too, especially that time of the night around midnight when the darkness is total, absolute, and it seems that it might never, ever become light again.

Dont worry Mags, dear, we will soon be there and all will be well again.

We shall have some supper and then we can go off to our beds.

Mags trusted her sister. Pheobe was always encouraging, she had a better sense of direction in the dark, something she said that had been inherited from her Mam. She knew the ropes so far as Madams closing itinerary was concerned. Pheobe had been around several times on these tours with Madam before, she repeated most year. Pheobe could also read Dame Katrinas mind. Mam said this was a skill that Pheobes dads side of the family had possessed, in a line going back many generations.

We are descended from fortune tellers Mags. I wouldnt be surprised if our dad was a real Bohemian.

I thought our Mam said he was Swedish or was he German? replied Mags.

Pheobe was just trying to give Mags something else to think about, besides the here and now.

Mags had done some lone travelling when Pheobe was poorly. But both could claim themselves explorers, accomplished travellers, both had even been overseas. Pheobe had once survived an epic tram ride with Madam through war torn Vienna in the snow, Mags had had an adventure on a gondola in Venice. The girls had their own separate documentation, but they always preferred to travel together.

Travelling across Great Britain and Ireland and even Europe was childs play to Madam, she rarely refused a booking, especially if there was a casino in close proximity to the concert hall, she had countless friends in almost every Western City that featured good music in its history and had gaming tables where the stakes were high .

Mags could assert herself too, she had done so more than once as Pheobe had certain failings in the love stakes, she fell in love too easily for one thing . Mags was more sensible in the area of romance, she had no time for knaves and strays, which Pheobe had a tendency to attract. Gus had been one such rogue who had tried to endear himself to Pheobe, and even to Mags.

Madam was on the last week of her tour of Scotland before heading back to London for a long winter rest-over.

Dame Katrina Ogilvy looked at her two companions with affection :

I shall be so glad for us all to get back home to our beautiful Mews next week girls , we will have at least a month off and we can just please ourselves, do what we want to do, no timetables, no rehearsals, no ghastly make up to put on or pull off, just we three. We can have long lays in our bed and Cook will be at our beck and call for all the nice things we would wish to eat.


Mags felt quite elated by the news of them all soon going home; Pheobe thought she could spend some time with her beloved Gus; just one more date for old times sake. But a part of Pheobe also wanted to seek new affairs of the heart. She had to return a message she had received from a comparative newcomer to Belgravia. His name was Macavity, he was something of a mystery. He had been hanging around an adjoining Mews, Pheobe had taken a bit of a shine to him.

Mags was thinking just of all her home comforts, a comfortable bed, and three meals a day. Her favourite things, her play things, and the garden. All this disruption of being on the road, staying in theatrical digs and travelling on trains, ferry boats and motor cars was injurious to her health, for one thing her bowels had not moved for several days, and these had not been normal for weeks on end.

What she needed were fresh sardines, these would do the trick, these were the best purgative in the whole world.

At least the car they were travelling in was spacious. Madam liked travelling in style. She had told them it was called a Bentley. It was a very big car, driven by a nice man, in a uniform with brass buttons and a hat, who whistled. He had seen to all the bags and had even opened the gleaming cars doors for Madam and her girls. Inside the upholstery was elegant, made of real leather, that had the right smell and squeaked. It was blissfully comfortable and immaculate. You could eat your dinner off the floor. The man in uniform had tucked both Mags and Pheobe into the car as if they were special passengers, which of course they were. He wanted to please. Mags knew the tune he was whistling, it was Scotland the Brave.

Madam called the man Ken. He was taking Madam and her party to Auld Murdie Castle, the home of a cousin of hers. Dame Katrina Ogilvy, opera singer, actress, and patron of the arts was hugely admired by her own and past generations of music lovers, she was giving a short recital at Murdie the following night.

They were to be received by the housekeeper at Murdie named Bella. Madam knew Bella from childhood holidays spent there.

Pheobe comforted Mags as best she could because of the increasingly unsteady road surface, they were bobbing a bit over a distance of several miles now having left the main road.

The Castle was on a hillside, and had a large 15th Century tower. It had been brought into the 20th Century with electricity, supplied by a generator in the grounds, running water, they even had a radiogram.

We were featured in Scottish Field last year, announced Ken, to Madam as they came within sight of the entrance to the Castle ramparts.

Yes, Ken, my dear, I did see the coverage given to this great Ogilvy heritage here. We are maintaining one of the last great family strongholds of Scotland at Murdie.

They even had a picture of the beastie in there, Madam.

The beastie Ken? , whatever do you mean, man?

Well, dragon you used to say Madam when you were wee, I am sure you remember, continued Ken.

He doesnt usually oblige the photographers;..not out of season, added Ken with a sort of twinkle in his eye.

At the mention of the word Dragon Mags shivered, then Pheobe did the same.

Pheobe had heard of Scottish dragons. Mam had told her once about Nessie in Loch Ness, and another one called Kessie, a cousin of Nessie, who lived in Loch Lomond.

A dragon indeed, that was all made up as a silly childhood game, said Madam in a doubtful manner.

Oh Aye Madam, you would say that but Montgomery has been living in our Loch for over 190 years now, the oldest living member of the Ogilvies that is for sure.

Dont be absurd man, there is no dragon in the lake, only those old tree trunks floating in it, and rowing boats that resemble an animal like an otter.

Madams memory never played her up, she knew of Montgomery, it was part of Ogilvie legend. However she didnt want to scare her girls.

Montgomery is just for the tourist trade, although it would be nice to think we are harbouring an animal in there that would otherwise be extinct.

Madam reflected proudly My grandfather was a great one for family tales of serpents in the Loch, they say the lake is bottomless and has channels that go all the way out to the sea.

The Loch was not well lit at that time of night, the girls could see nothing was desolation and darkness.

Madam turned to her girls, offering them reassurance:

Dont be scared you two, but there is time to go fishing tomorrow morning and catch a real fish for breakfast from inside the Lake, if you want to girls. You will be all right there are no dragons in there, Ken likes to tease and enhance these stories with some curious romantic notions of his own .

Bella had waited up for Madam and her party.

A light supper was laid out for everyone in one of the reception rooms. Mags ate very little, what she really craved for were fresh sardines.

Ken took all the bags and boxes up to the sleeping quarters, and within about half an hour of arrival, they were all sleeping soundly in their beds.

Next morning Mags rose first, around 7 am. She made for the kitchen where Bella had already been up for hours. The Room was bigger than their Mews in Belgravia, but the smell of fish cooking was the same the world over.

Bella knew what Mags was after.

Yer, breakfast will nay be that lang, sweetheart , said Bella in a friendly voice, which Mags could just about make out. Madam said they spoke Scottish at Murdie.

I am share yea will enjoy Murdies finest kedgeree..

Bella suggested to Mags she might like to go for a walk.

The back door was already open. It seemed dull and wintry outside, but a lovely day for a stroll.

Didnae go too for awa lassy, said Bella.

Mags hadnt a clue what that meant, but she understood the sentiment.

The lake was magnificent. It was an oblong shape, like a Roman circus.

The water was blue and clear, with several old tree trunks that had fallen in, moving like crocodiles from the Orinoco. There were several rowing boats tied up along one bank. A little jetty and a boathouse completed the setting.

Mags began to stroll.

Suddenly there was change in the weather conditions. A highland mist fell and then an equally sudden squall hit the area in an instant; visibility was reduced to barely a hundred yards. It became dark.

Mags was frightened and made to return to the house.

She looked across the water as the mist hit the surface of the lake. At first she thought it was a rowing boat, but it was far too big for that and it was the wrong shape. She could not believe her eyes, it was a dragon.

Instinct told Mags to run, but curiosity got the better of her, afterall she was a cat.

She looked back, confirming the big head, gigantic mouth, a long swishing tail, it was a sort of blackish grey colour. The eyes were large too and the creature had hard spikes coming out of its body. The mist became denser and quite suddenly it was all gone. But where had the it gone? Had it surfaced and then returned to the deeper depths of the lake? Or was it all just an early morning hallucination.

Mags was now more excited than really scared. She had seen something, she was sure. What would Pheobe say, she wondered. Should she tell her, or not?

As Mags arrived back at the kitchen Bella was putting strips of bacon onto a heavy duty frying pan.

Yer back are you, sweetheart, yea gave me a wee startle there.

Mags felt a cold shiver in her spine and agitated to be picked up.

Mew ....mew.......mew she cried at her most frantic and high pitched voice.

Bella could sense Mags needed a pat and a hug.

She picked Mags up to an appreciative lick..

Oh dear, hiv yea seen oor beastie this morn-ing, is that it sweetie.


Oh Lassie, didnae be feart..

Monty is aye an early bird.

The mist aye brings aboot a sighting for wan oh oor guests.

News of Mags close encounter with Murdies oldest resident went through the house to every occupied Room above and below stairs. Mags was in the limelight.

Madam was magnificent in her praise of Mags courage, rewarding her with fresh sardines, which were brought specially from an Edinburgh fishmonger.

Did you really see the dragon? asked Pheobe!


Mags just continued eating her sardines.



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With apologies to Nessie, Kessie and Monty!