Carla And The Gold

Instant wealth: the notion dominated Carla’s thoughts and actions. All of her disposable income went on lottery tickets and scratch cards. After a decade, she calculated her winnings. These amounted to no more than two hundred pounds, which she had used to buy further tickets and cards.

Downcast, she adopted a different approach to achieve her goal. On the Internet she read an article about a chest of Spanish gold. It had arrived in Scotland in 1745 to help finance the Jacobite rebellion but had disappeared. Carla walked away from her job and toured the Highlands in search of the missing treasure.

She hunted for the chest during the spring and summer without success. 

I’ll give it another week and that’s all, she decided when autumn arrived.

At the end of the seven days, she discovered an isolated loch that didn’t appear on her map. An eagle flew low over the water. As the bird passed, Carla saw a wooden chest bob to the surface fifty yards from the shore.

The Spanish gold, she thought. It’s here.

She shrugged off her rucksack and waded into the loch. Unafraid and determined, she intended to bring the chest to shore.

After a few yards, the ground fell away and she tried to swim. Something wrapped itself round one of her legs.

Carla kicked and twisted in vain. Annoyed rather than scared, she turned back towards the shore. Whatever had held her let go.

Once on land, Carla spied a beached rowing boat. She pushed the boat into the loch, jumped in and grabbed the oars.

She rowed up to the chest. Before she could lay hold of it, though, a current in the water propelled the boat away. She fumbled for the oars and lost them overboard. In a matter of seconds, the current carried the boat to the shore.

Carla stared across the loch at the floating chest.

‘I’ll reach it,’ she muttered. ‘That gold is mine.’

Wind gusted down from the surrounding hills. An idea formed in Carla’s mind. She unstrapped her tent from the rucksack and fashioned a parachute of sorts from the fabric and guy ropes. She grasped the ropes and rose into the air. 

Luck seemed to favour her for once. She managed to direct the makeshift parachute out over the loch. A moment later, she released the ropes and dropped onto the chest.

‘I’m rich at last,’ she cried and began to paddle with her hands to the water’s edge.

In her excitement, Carla failed to notice the eagle’s return. It hovered above her; then it beat its wings. The chest immediately sank.

Exasperated, Carla dived and followed the plummeting chest. She clasped it to her and resolved never to be parted.

And so together, Carla and the gold vanished into the loch’s depths.

By K. J. Watson

From: United Kingdom