The Knight and the Deer

On the fourth day the wind was strong. Up in Sítio, the village on the clifftop, it blew hard across the wide stone square. Gulls landed sideways. Polly hopped across the square, leaning into the wind.

At the edge of the cliff stood a very small chapel. Inside, the walls were covered with painted tiles, blue pictures on white, from the floor to the ceiling. It was cool and quiet. Polly walked across the tiled floor, and the wind stayed outside.

The tiles told an old story, from more than eight hundred years ago. A rider was hunting a deer in thick fog. The deer jumped out into the mist, and the ground ended. The horse stopped at the very edge of the cliff. The rider was saved. The chapel marks that exact spot.

Near the lighthouse Polly found a tall stone statue. It had the head of a deer and held a surfboard under one arm. An old legend and a new sport, together. Below, the waves boomed slowly, growing stronger with every set.