For the uninitiated, Edinburgh is a veritable maze. They had emerged from Waverly like ants from a burrow to find themselves dwarfed by the towering hotels, restaurants and the mighty arched bridge spanning the valley. To the west, upon the hill stood Edinburgh castle, standing proud guarding the capital of Scotland. To the east, beyond the sprawling city, the freezing North sea, once a place of bountiful fishing and hunting of seals. To the north, beyond the Forth river across the Forth bridge, loch Leven, and their destination, the castle Lochleven. Joe sucked in a lungful of cold air as he took in the sights. He followed the monolithic mute down a side alley to a waiting car. He would explore another day he vowed.
Behind the wheel, a clean shaven man sat, who's only noticeable feature was a purple scar that ran from his chin to his bottom lip. The similarities with silent Bob did end there either as for the whole journey, which lasted less than an hour, he remained silent. Joe, knowing that conversation was a non-starter, used the journey to meditate. Mary, prior to him leaving had only told him the one thing, that his true test would begin on the grounds of loch Leven. He had looked the place up on the train journey and had found it to be the usual run of the mill tourist attractions. Last used as a residence in 1588 and once the prison of Mary queen of Scots, Joe was mildly intrigued as to what secrets lay beyond the tourist façade.
The sun was beginning its final westward journey, igniting the tips of the pine trees in a fiery blaze as the car ground to a halt on the bank of the loch. Across tall grass that waved back and forth in the light wind a small boat floated on the mirror like water, held fast to the bank by another non descript man in black. The man nodded at silent Bob and then gestured to a plank at the bow to which Joe was meant to sit. Joe nodded politely back and nimbly took his place at the bow as the boat gently rocked beneath his rear.
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Silent Bob, as was his fashion, gained the boat adeptly, the boat barely registering his presence except for a dip in the stern. Without much ado, they were soon underway, the outboard motor purring away. Joe watched the wake and the gentle spume that rose, crested and fell. He thought about the French word for wake, sillonage and how the Latin language truly captured the imagery of plowing through the water.
A mere 15 minutes past and they found themselves mooring up against a makeshift pontoon adjacent shadowed woods. Just beyond the woods Joe could make out the silhouette of the castle, much smaller than he had anticipated. Leaving the silent boatman behind, the pair trudged their way through the woods towards the castle. By this time, only the remnants of light remained and so left the castle bereft of form. To Joe's mind, the empty windows became ominous eyes that peered down upon them, the inky blackness of the entranceway a cavernous mouth waiting to devour them. Joe shook his head at his imagination, swallowing down the primeval fear that took him.
Silent Bob, presumably oblivious to the dark considering it made no difference to his view on reality, strode on with an easy gait through the waiting maw. In the gloom, Joe could just make out the no entry, and closed for repair signs that hung impotently from the deserted scaffolding.
The castle itself was tiny, the tower being the only true remains, bereft of it's roof and only the side passages and rooms covered. Silent Bob came to a stop in the middle of the tower and stamped his foot 3 times then once. This he repeated thrice over after which he returned to stand by Joe’s side. Joe couldn't be sure, but he thought he had caught a glimmer of a smile on Bob’s face. That itself was more fear inspiring than anything else Joe had witnessed and he felt a growing sense of unease along with the rumble of grinding stone that rose from the ground.
Dust drifted down from the rotten eves in the shafted moonlight like snow as the floor before them opened leaving behind a circular hole. Joe looked from the hole to the mute with expectation. The giant merely gestured towards the hole lazily, so Joe approached the edge slowly. Just as he reached the edge, he felt a presence behind him. Just as he was about to turn he felt a weight slam into his lower back as he propelled over the edge into the hole. He twisted in the air to see the man's face form into a rictus smile as his leg lowered. Motherfu…