Walking around Arthur’s Seat was always a pleasant experience; he would clear his head, unleash his thoughts and become one with his inner child.  It was only during those isolated walks around the ancient volcano that once spewed lava all over what is now Edinburgh, that he truly switched off.  Thoughts of an empire he would build, the house he would own and all a far cry from the daily round of toil and boredom his life had become.

He would build it all.  He would make it happen.  He would keep going and he would never stop.  He was relentless in his pursuit of his dream, to the point of distraction.  Nothing, nobody and not a thing on this Earth could derail him from the masterplan that would slowly unfold.  It would take him years, many, many years but his plan would unfurl.  He would be victorious and he would stand there, right atop the ancient volcanic master that towers over Auld Reekie below and hew would prevail.

The vision as he stood there filled his mind with the energy it so needed to get through the day and maybe the one beyond too.  The reality of his life would beckon him back soon enough but just for this nirvana-infused moment, he was the King of the world; nothing and nobody would stop this.  He would do it and then some and then, he would smile.  A wry, sly smile to the detractors.  The chimneys below would bellow their reek, the cart and horse would trample all over those ancient cobbles and the ragamuffins would run around those closes as if their very lives depended on it.  This wouldn’t change.  The stray dog would wander, chasing the cats and the rats of the town and mistresses of the great and the good would be left, tossed aside for the wives they would always play second fiddle to, the New Town gentry ruling their roost.  But that was normal life.  He cared not for that.

HE, would prevail.  HE, would stand tall and HE would be known, down the decades and even the centuries.  THEY would remember HIM.  With that, he took his leave from the hill and wandered past a huge house that had recently been built by a wealthy printer.  The dream was ever closer yet ever further away but it was still there and he could feel it.  One day, he would grab it and one day he would make his mark on this old town….