Layan’s Cabin – The Valleys

With school cancelled for the rest of the day, Jaak and Tag were back at Jaak’s cabin by mid morning, having hitched a ride back with another friend. It was a little bit eerie driving back up and over the ridge road. They could see clearly where the tyre tracks of the bus had left the road, where the tracks abruptly ended at the edge of the bank and then the large area of trampled snow at the bottom of the gully far below, where the bus and occupants had landed quite unscathed.

After conducting a thorough raid on the larder for an early lunch, Jaak and Tag set off up the trail to visit Layan. Their walk up in the bright sunshine, was mostly unremarkable until they crested the trail by the rock outcrop and looked down at the cabin. The cabin itself was just the same with a wisp of smoke curling from the chimney. What was different, was a bright red dune buggy parked outside. Jaak had never seen any kind of vehicle up at Layan’s cabin before, the only access being the walking trails that crossed the ridge.

The boys made their way down the short slope, and over to the front of the cabin where the buggy was parked. It was splattered in mud and snow from its recent trip up the trail. They clambered noisily up the stairs to the cabin deck chattering happily about how much fun it would be to drive up here in the buggy instead of having to walk.

They banged boisterously on the door.

They heard the scrape of a chair and footsteps approaching. However this time there was no familiar tap, tap, tap, of Layan’s walking stick. The door opened and to their surprise it was not Layan. It was a much older looking snow leopard, whose fur – even by snow leopard standards was quite white around his muzzle and cheeks. He wore a faded red scarf which looked like it has seen almost as many previous winters as its owner.

For a moment the surprise of not seeing Layan answer the door, left them fumbling for words.

Jaak looked at Tag and they immediately thought the same thing. Did he just call Layan ‘young cub’!? Layan – young? Even though they generally thought of Layan as being ‘old’ – this snow leopard was clearly much older still. Yet he walked with no stick and he soon busied himself back to the stove were a delicious aroma was now wafting through the cabin. The boys watched him for a few moments as he placed bowls on the table – four. He clearly expected them to stay for lunch and despite their early lunch, it was most fortuitous that their hike up the hill and the smell of the gumbo was making the boys ravenous all over again.

There it was again – ‘young cub’ – Jaak and Tag couldn’t help but suppress a giggle.

Jaak and Tag looked at each other again with surprise – Grandpa? Layan’s Grandpa? Wow – Grandpa must be really, really old – positively primordial even – from a land before time itself!

Before long they heard movement in the cellar below and shortly after that they heard the sound of someone coming up the ladder. A long wooden staff appeared through the trap door, followed by two fluffy pointed ears attached to the head of a snow leopard wearing a blue scarf and green tunic.

Jaak and Tag now couldn’t help themselves – their suspicions now confirmed, they looked at each other incredulously and burst out laughing.

Despite their verbal banter the two snow leopards actually held a great mutual rapport and respect for each other.

Grandpa ladled gumbo into four large bowls and served it with chunks of crusty bread torn off from a freshly baked loaf.

Before another round of aged related verbal tit for tat ensued, Jaak took the opportunity to quickly explain what had happened on the bus that morning. The fact was that everything had happened so quickly – and slowly – and then quickly – that he was still trying to piece it all together himself.

Jaak and Tag then went on to tell their story of the first day of term when the two bus bullies backed away from Tag’s protruding elbow.

The two older cats sat there for a few moments silent after the boys had finished their stories. Both had listened intently, and had not interrupted with stupid questions that adults sometimes ask. They just nodded occasionally to let the boys know that they were still listening.

Glancing at Layan who gave them a slight nod, they took out the stones and placed them on the table.

Grandpa leaned forward and examined the two stones laying on the table. At the moment they looked fairly unremarkable – round and smooth with a faint bluish colour.

Just like Layan a few weeks earlier, Grandpa did not just reach out and pick up the stones without asking. Jaak and Tag nodded. He carefully took the two stones one in each paw weighing them carefully. Then with a slight movement of his wrists, the stones began to rise and fall in graceful circular arcs as if he were juggling them – but now without actually touching them. He kept this up for a minute or so, moving his paws in different ways in a range of different patterns. The stones then came once more to rest in his paws, and he carefully placed them back on the table.

Jaak and Tag who had been listening with rapt attention to Grandpa’s story were suddenly jolted back to the present. They looked at each other and then looked at Layan, who again gave the slightest of nods.

Jaak gave Tag a purposeful look.

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