Lucas Story still has nightmares about a carjacking that left him hospitalised and facing spending time in a wheelchair.
The traumatic event has left physical and mental scars.
It also forced him to close his popular business in the Inverness Victorian Market in the run up to Christmas last year.
The 72-year-old has run Story Chocolates with wife Ingrid since 2002 but fears he will not be able to return to work for several months.
That would be a year after the attack.
As Ingrid, 73, plans to re-open the shop two days a week from later this week, the couple have spoken of the impact the incident on December 19 has had on their lives.
Couple determined to keep business going
They also underlined their determination to continue their business for their customers and staff.
Lucas explained how he was driving from their home to take chocolates to the shop around 9am on December 19 when he spotted two men.
One proceeded to throw a beer can at his van and when he got out to check for damage he was brutally attacked.
Lucas said he was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken leg. Despite his injuries, he threw himself onto the car bonnet to try to stop it being driven away.
He was thrown off and the attackers ran off with the car keys and his phone.
He spent five days in intensive care and six weeks in total in hospital.
In that time his leg was infected, he suffered a blood clot in his lungs and he also contracted Covid.
Now back home, the fateful day has changed his life considerably.
Used to working up to 15 hours a day on the business, he is now unable to help in the shop or at home after being told his recovery will take around a year.
Currently using a walking frame, he is due to have another operation on his leg and will then need to use a wheelchair temporarily.
Complete panic
Lucas said: “I still have nightmares, seeing the whole scene again every day.
“In hospital, I was in complete panic. I was thinking ‘How are we going to run the business?
“It’s very hard for Ingrid to do things on her own. She cannot do that much when she is my carer also. What’s going to happen?”
He is resolved to return to the shop when he can, probably by Christmas.
He added: “Being inactive for a whole year is killing the business.
“We are trying to do what we can and open two or three days a week.
“I don’t want to walk away because then they (his attackers) have won. I also have responsibilities to our customers and staff.”
Lucas’ ordeal was the latest heartbreaking news for the couple who three years ago lost their youngest child Gunnar, 43, after a fall.
Their daughter Sabine, 53, has long Covid and needs a heart valve replaced. Eldest son Gunther, 56, has suffered a heart attack and his brother Jurgen, 54, was diagnosed last year with bladder cancer.
Ingrid said she wants to continue running the shop and has been encouraged by messages of support from customers and fellow traders.
“I’m trying to keep the shop open as we have had no income for three months.
“I do what I can, but I cannot do it all on my own.
“In the long term, I don’t know when Lucas will be ok again.
“The shop is my life. When I see it in darkness without any colour I feel so sad.”
Father Christmas of the market
Story Chocolates is a popular business year-round, but particularly on special occasions.
At Easter and Christmas, its window display is one of the market’s main attractions.
Cameron Macfarlane, the Victorian Market manager, said: “What happened was a shock to everyone in the market.
“When I walk past the shop and see it closed it’s very sad, not just because it’s not open but also because we know what happened to Lucas. He was the Father Christmas of the market.
“Even if it’s just for two days a week, it will be great to have it back, for the market but also for the shop’s customers.”
Two men have appeared in private at Inverness Sheriff Court accused of the carjacking.
They made no plea.
Conversation