Last August, five university friends — Anya, Ben, Claudia, Dom, and Fatima — drove north to the Cairngorms in Scotland for a three-day camping trip. They arrived in good spirits, found a beautiful spot near a stream, and began setting up camp. It was the perfect start to a perfect holiday. Or so they thought.
By early evening, the campsite looked great. Anya and Ben were putting up a second tent while Claudia was cooking pasta over the camp stove. Dom was reading near the fire, and Fatima was taking photos of the sunset. They were all relaxed and happy as the sky turned dark.
Then things started to feel strange. While they were eating dinner, they heard a low, deep sound coming from the direction of the trees. Everyone stopped talking. "A deer," said Ben. "Probably just a deer." Nobody was completely sure.
Later, while Anya and Claudia were washing plates in the stream, they both saw two bright eyes watching them from the bushes. Claudia screamed and dropped the plate. They ran back to the fire.
While they were all sitting around the fire discussing what it could be, something heavy moved in the undergrowth behind them. And then, while they were trying to sleep at midnight, they heard slow, heavy footsteps circling the tents. By this point, they were terrified. Nobody slept.
In the morning, a local farmer came to find them. He had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. His cow, Rosie, had escaped from a field the previous evening and had been wandering near their campsite all night. The eyes, the sounds, the footsteps — all Rosie.
"We were absolutely terrified — and it was just a cow," laughed Anya. "Completely harmless." The farmer apologised and invited them all for breakfast. They accepted immediately.