Low Lander - the Sequel

I am posting this in "Sci-Fi and Fantasy." This is what took place when Sheila disappeared at the Stone. Enjoy. It is a continuation of the "Lowlander" story by AlTend. Excellent story, and I recommend you read it for content. I had no problem with it, even tried to get AlTrend to o.k. a sequel several times. But I got no response. So, in all fairness, I apologize if he takes exception to this. THIS is what happened to the slut after she disappeared.

I stood there, looking forlorn. She was gone. So was my marriage. But I was not going to be a part of this any longer. I don't know where she went, but she wasn't here. I went back down and talked to my neighbor. I managed to borrow a tractor with a front-end bucket on it. Then I went and got my Beretta 9 mm automatic, stuck it in my waistband, and drove back to the Stone.

The wind had picked up and the rain had started. It was also colder than it had been. Fitting, huh? I pulled up to the crest and there it was. The reason my marriage was toast (I think). I noticed there were some runes carved into the rock, a small crack down the face, and toward the lower quadrant, a small hole. The clouds were obscuring the moon, and it was a tad dark, so I turned the flash on my iPhone and snapped three pictures. The flash, combined with lightning, illuminated the stone, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw ..........

A tall, blonde, muscular man, dressed in 18th century garb, with what appeared to be a flintlock strapped to his back, stride out of the STONE!! That's right, the STONE! At his side was a wicked-looking 18-inch-long sword. And following him, her hair disheveled and her blouse opened, was Sheila, my soon-to-be ex-wife.

He was tall and muscular. Fairly good-looking, too. And smug looking as well. I hated him. But she was his now, not mine and I didn't care, anymore.

He looked around and then he saw me. He sneered and walked towards me. He stopped about ten feet away. I guess he figure it was close enough.

"And just who are you, little man?", he snorted.

"That's my wife", I said, motioning towards Sheila.

He looked at me, then to Sheila. She finally noticed me and gasped. He turned back.

"So, little man, you have decided not to wear the horns she hung on you and have come to take your due. I think not, cuck."

Then he drew his sword and advanced at me.

'Enough of this bullshit,' I thought. I drew the Beretta and held it in front of me.

"And what do you think to do with that little knife, boy?", as he swung his sword overhead.

The first round took his right shoulder out. The second hit him in his right thigh, and he staggered with a shocked look on his face. I didn't want to kill him. If I knew then what I only suspected, I would have laid him out. (I am a pretty good shot.)

He dropped his sword and screamed, followed closely by Sheila's wail of disbelief. I lowered my weapon.

"I think you better get shit for brains to his home, wherever that is. He doesn't look too good."

"What have you done? I would have come home to you after Sunday, but you just couldn't accept it could you??"

I stared right through him in shock and disbelief.

"NO, I couldn't, and no, you won't!"

She helped him stand straight and they turned to the Stone ..... and disappeared,-INTO IT. I was sure this time what I had seen-not that anyone would believe me.

I shuddered and ran to the Stone, but could see nothing. And I didn't get too close, as I really didn't want to follow them. I turned to go the John Deere and as I approached, I stooped and picked up the sword. I walked up to the tractor and jumped on board, started it up, and rolled to the Stone. I stopped next to it and after about fifteen minutes, had scooped out a large hole in the ground.

The wind had picked up, the sky had darkened and the rain had increased. I pushed the stone over and into the hole. I raised the bucket and slammed it into the stone three times as the wind and rain increased. The stone broke into myriad small pieces. I jumped down and took the stupid-looking sword, put it between the frame and the front-end bucket, and snapped it in two. I threw the pieces onto the stone's remains, climbed back onto the tractor, and proceeded to cover the stone with dirt. Immediately, the wind and rain ceased. The skies cleared and a full moon broke out. It was eerily calm and quiet. I backed up and returned down the hill, taking the tractor back to my neighbor. Then I climbed into my car and went home.

What Happened

Sheila helped Duncan hobble down the grassy hill, towards the log and peat long house inside the small palisaded enclosure. About thirty yards out, they were met with a group of people, led by a tall, muscular women with flaming red hair. She was pissed. She looked at Duncan, bleeding all over the strumpet by his side.

"So, you evil scum sucker, you got caught plowing someone else's field, have you now?? And then you bring the whore home with you!!"

"Now, Kathleen, it was all just a misunderstanding. The bitch means nothing to me. Her husband caught me unawares and I was set upon by a magical weapon."

"Is that so? And where pray tell, is your sword, you worthless philanderer??"

For the first time, he realized that he didn't have his sword with him. As several tight-bodiced wenches swarmed him, pushing Sheila away and helping him towards the gates in the wall, he turned to one of the armed men standing behind the tall red-headed warrior-looking woman, and told him, "Seamus, go back to the stone and get my sword, before the Godless heathen that injured me, steals it."

"At once, Laird." He bowed to the tall redhead and quickly left before he caught her ire. Kathleen turned to face Sheila. She fumed a little, then turned to one of the wenches scurrying around her voluminous skirts. Pointing at Sheila, she bellowed.

"Get the doxy to the scullery and put her to work. Make sure the slut earns her keep." The look on Kathleen's face was twisted in hatred.

"Do you think you're the first or the ONLY one he has sampled in the last few seasons? Whore, I don't know why I keep him around."

Then she smirked.

"Yes, I do. It's all aboot his long cock snake. Isn't it, sweetie?? He's got you wrapped around his snake like most of the other sluts around here."

As Sheila recoiled in horror, realizing she had been seduced by a master manipulator, Seamus returned, panting and out of breath.

"M'lady, M'lady, the stone. THE STONE!!"

Kathleen turned.

"What of it, Seamus?"

"IT'S GONE, M'LADY!!"

Kathleen froze. Sheila shuddered. Time stood still, and the sky darkened even more, if possible. Sheila realized that there was no way back now. Her world was gone, forever.

In more ways than one.

She spent the rest of her life as a scullery maid in Scotland, following the roving bands of Jacobite warriors around, fleeing from the English, or attacking them. She was passed around amongst the warriors, used and abused. Duncan never dallied with her again. Kathleen saw to that. However, Kathleen used her many times herself. Sheila was broken and crushed in a way she never envisaged. Then....

16th April 1746 The Battle of Culloden. The Jacobites had withdrawn to recover from an engagement with English forces and were rearming and resting up when they were when English cavalry swept the flank and surrounded them. They overwhelmed the army even though they were outnumbered. They then raced into the rear of the Jacobite force and annihilated the camp, slaughtering all combatants, and brutally raping and assaulting the Non-combatants. The whole scale rape, plundering, and killing was spread all over.

Sheila was no exception. She was used and abused many times until she was just an unconscious receptacle for the soldiers. Her last conscious thought before a lancer slit her throat and disemboweled her was 'At last I can go home.' Her body was dumped where she died, along with her meager possessions, in a razed log hut used as an aid station for wounded soldiers.

When Bonnie and I took our honeymoon trip and toured Scotland, we visited the area around Culloden. It was here, in the small museum set up near the archaeological dig at the battle area, that we found the meager artifacts that were being readied for display. It wasn't a very big museum, not widely visited, and was not on the usual beaten path of visitors. So the docents were very pleased to show us some of their more interesting finds. Like the bones, and remnants of cloth that they had found. Not to mention scraps of what appeared to be Skechers sneakers. From 350 years ago?

But the kicker was the leather bag, faded and cracked with old-looking adornments. If you carefully open the purse-like flap, there inside it, attached to a seam, was the remnants of a small white tag, a label if you will. It appeared, in faded print, to bear the words 'Hecho en Mex....' The rest was gone. Along with the plain gold band inscribed 'Forever, Love John.'

Now, I think I knew.

Now, lighten up-

Two old guys were talking in the living room. The one was describing to his friend a restaurant that he and his wife had eaten in the night before.

"It had really good, home-style food, the atmosphere was great, real cozy, great service, and the prices were affordable. Oh, what was that name? I can't remember it...You know, it was a flower, usually red, with thorns and it sticks your fingers??"

His friend chuckled. "Rose?" he asked.

The first man brightened, then said "Yeah, that's it!!"

He turned and, over his shoulder to the kitchen, yelled, "Hey, Rose, What was the name of that place we ate in last night??"

Thanks for reading.