Read by Sarah MacDonald

Sarah is a storeowner in the picturesque village Isleornsay on the Isle of Skye. She's a true islander and says: "I love living here. It is so very peaceful. Winter can be hard sometimes, but once spring is back people crawl out of their houses again and you know you made it through the darkness and the windy days of winter." 

After a nice chat in her shop on a rainy, windy day I asked her to read the tale of the "Old Man of Storr", which is a prominent rocky pinnacle with a strange shape. Over the centuries it has given rise to a number of stories which even today give the landscape a sense of romance and mystery.

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Transcript

During the day brownies are believed to hide in the house and at night do jobs for the family they have chosen to serve.  The slightest attempt to reward them for their service, will result in the brownie disappearing for ever. The story goes that a villager by the name of O’Sheen saved the life of a brownie and never asked for anything in return. Over time the two became good friends. One day whilst the brownie was away, O’Sheen died of a broken heart following the death of his wife. When the brownie returned and heard of his friend’s death, he was so upset, that he chiselled two rocks, a larger one in honour of his friend, which became known as the Old Man of Storr and a smaller one for O’Sheen’s wife.