The Point is one of the most meaningful locations on the Isle of Estillyen. Featured in Messages from Estillyen, this is the high point of the isle, with a 740-foot drop to the rocky shore below.

The Point is where a young Oban Ironbout and his wife, Leslie, chose to build their home some forty years ago. Then, Oban Ironbout was full of zest for life, as he and Leslie awaited the birth of twin boys. The couple named the twins George and Earl before they were born.

Those joyous days, though, did not advance as expected. On the Point, sorrow soon settled in, shooing away zestful dreams. On a cold winter’s night, with the midwife away, Leslie went into labor. Hours passed in pain until just before noon the next day when George and Earl were stillborn. Shortly thereafter, Leslie also passed away.

In a small grave-plot behind his home, Oban Ironbout buried Leslie and the twins. He erected two small, curved-top headstones for the boys, and an identical one for Leslie, only twice as tall. In soberness, Oban Ironbout dutifully performed the task of laying life and love to rest.

Then it was that Oban Ironbout became a different man. Oban Ironbout turned his back on God and man and became a recluse.

The story, though, does not leave Oban to himself. Decades passed, and then one day redemption came to call. Oban had to choose: Should he reach for life, or refuse?

The story is told in Messages from Estillyen.