The world changed when the people left me, it wasnae the people so much as the Ridder. She and I be important to each other, she shoulda’ stayed put. The world be topsy turvy now, the Ridder be always a woman but now ’tis a man and whilst that be no’ right it be no’ wrong neither. Gran was the one, she was good at Ridding and when the time came took herself to a tall building in Kirkbrae, I could always feel her though. One day she came back with Lu-Lyn, neither were to leave me again.

‘Twas when the people moved away, Gran moved away too, the gov’mint did things to me making it hard for people to live. I heard Gran’s story later, ’twas Lu-Lyn meant to come back and be the Ridder after Gran but ’twas oil on t’ stage and she never recovered from her fall.

Lu-Lyn was verra powerful, even in death and made it known to Gran she was to come back home to me. ‘Twas only one day they could do that, on Leap Year’s Day, the one day when all hurtful spells, all acts of malice, are set aside…so they travelled on Leap Year’s Day.

Gran told the boy in the wheelchair what she did for people, she knew she didnae have much time. She kenned the weather and much more. Gran knew she was passin’ on what he needed for our future. ‘Twill be a different future with a boy Ridder but a future be better than no future.