Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Monday thru Friday flew by as it turned out to be an unusually stressful work week, clocking 57 hours the first four days. Ailsa was happy only to work 8 hours on Friday. She was ready for her getaway. Thankfully, the weather gods were on her side; the trip to Aisla Craig was a go! She’d transport over there after the last tour left shortly after 5 pm. Then the island would be all hers. With it being June, the sun wouldn’t set until around 11 pm, leaving her plenty of time to get the tent and campfire set up.

Shortly after she got home from work, she was ready and got into her little red suitcase. It was tight with all the camping gear and her food, but it all fit. She was careful only to bring what she needed for the night and the next day. With the latch closed behind her, she was gone.

Aisla arrived at the old lighthouse interior, not knowing what to expect. She was a bit eeked out because of the lack of maintenance on the property, dust everywhere, and all the remaining artifacts were either broken or in deplorable condition. Wow, so this is where they conceived me! She stood there in disbelief. Good thing I planned to sleep outside, was all she kept thinking.

With the tent set up and an intense fire going, she decided to hike around a bit. Thankfully, the spot she chose wasn’t very windy. As Aisla was walking, she recalled her research. The island, located 10 miles off Scotland’s west coast, was considered a volcanic plug. This remnant of a volcano known for its blue hone granite was quarried and used to make curling stones.

“Hello there! What are you doing here?” Aisla spun around to see a man standing a few feet away from her. He didn’t look dangerous, but who knew? What was he doing here at this time? She had made sure there wouldn’t be anyone on the island when she got there.

“Hello, I could ask you the same thing!”

“Well, my name is Daniel Craig, and I visit every so often.”

“Craig, as in Aisla Craig?”

“Yes. I was named after the island. It’s a long romantic story. My parents conceived me here.”

Aisla couldn’t contain her surprise or her laugh when she heard that. “You’re not going to believe this. I’m named Aisla Craig after the island too, and for the exact reason. My parents did the hanky-panky here about 30 years ago!”

“Well, I’ll be, that is fascinating! And the other thing is that we are also related if we carry the same last name! Can you tell me a little bit about your ancestry to figure out where our lines cross?”

They both walked back to the camp, sat by the fire for hours, and got to know each other better. It turned out that Daniel was her Third Cousin and his lineage came from the Great-Great-Grandparents, specifically the Great-Grand Uncle of that union. They were both stunned, learning they were long-lost cousins. More importantly, Ailsa found out that their suitcases were the only ones in the family! This was the first time either of them had ever spoken to another person about it but reckoned it had to be okay considering their history.

“Well, here’s to finally having a travel companion!!” Aisla said, both beaming with joy.”

“So, where are we going next?”

THE END

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