Tales fae Dr Makadoork's case book.

The Walk Tae Forivver.

Geordie Dickie wiz a bit scunnert ae Sunday mornin. His twa loons and their wives were awa tae the kirk at New Deer. They ayee priggit on him tae come wi them but Geordie wiz that thrawn aboot kirks and ministers and ayewis said the same thing.

"Faa needs tae gyang tae a bloody kirk fin a body his aa this?”

Wi ae swipe o his haan Geordie wid tak in the Hill o Balnagoak and Knaven. Accordin tae Geordie this wiz Heaven on Earth!

Geordie hid retired fae the fairm fower years afore aifter his wife died and left the rinnin o the fairm tae his twa loons. Sometimes though he got gey scunnert o being retired but ach well he’d jist hiv tae get on wi this cairry on o being the aal mannie. He’d left the servant quine cookin the Sunday denner tellin her he wiz awa up the Bogs o Balnagoak for a bit traivel an wid be back at twa for denner. The lassie jist nodded an cairriet on ficherin wi the vegetables in the sink. She saa him cross the close an stop a meenit tae licht his pipe then ging roon the corner in a clood o blue tabacca reek. She didna ken it then but it wiz tae be the last time she’d ivver see him in life again.

Twa o’ the clock cam and nae a sign o Geordie. The faimily aa sat roon the table wytin for Geordie an by half twa the aalest loon allooet the servant lassie tae serve the denner. He thocht his faither hid met in wi some o his cronies an wiz newsin awa forgettin aboot denner. Aifter aboot three an still nae signs o Geordie the twa loons left tae gang up tae the bogs faar the servant quine said he tellt her he wiz gyan.

Search as his loons micht, nae a sign could they see o their faither. It wiz comin dark or the time they returned. That nicht a boorach o the neebours jined in the search for Geordie wi cannles inside bottles wi the erse knocked oot o them tae stop the breeze blawin them oot. Ithers hid ile lanterns.

That nicht they searched high an low but nae one sign o Geordie wiz tae be seen. It wiz a cottar lad that eventually found him a corp in a wee corrie fin he wiz caain a puckle yowies higher up the hill the neist day. Een o Geordie‘s loons brocht the constable and the doctor fae New Deer. Doctor Makadoork inspected the corp: he kent Geordie weel but as far as he could mak oot this wisna the man that he knew. There wisna ony identification on the corp and only fin the constable teen the watch fae the weskit pooch o the corp that they found oot faa it wiz. A wee shield on the watch chine hid the date o a plooin match etched on it: ‘Geordie Dickie first for plooin 1873.’

So this wiz fairly Geordie. Doctor Makadoork hid nivver seen onything like this in aa his forty years as a doctor. Turnin tae the constable he said, “Geordie Dickie wiz a big man near saxteen steen if an ounce yet here lies a man wi nae one craw’s pickin o flesh on his body- nithing bar skin an been.”

He shook his heed, “I spoke tae him twa’r three days syne intae the toon an he wiz fair beamin wi health an in the very best o fettle. Yet here he lies a corp that has aa the signs o complete starvation.” He shook his heed again in disbelief.

“This man gaed fae saxteen steen tae half that in the maitter o a day an a nicht? Medically it’s impossible, this jist canna happen!”

The constable bent doon lookin at the face made up o slack skin an pyntit tae the mooth.

“Doctor Makadoork it looks as if he’d been aitin girss!”

The aal doctor started oot o his racin thochts.

“Let ma see!” He teemed the mooth o the corp an found girss an tabacca. “Fit wye wid a man ait girss an tabacca?”

Nithing aboot this made ony sense ava. On the death certificate he entered cause o death as ‘starvation’, he could dee nithing else because that’s exactly fit Geordie Dickie hid died o. The constable wiz satisfied that the death wisna suspicious, well leastwise nae for his record.

Ower the next puckle wikks Doctor Makadoork raikit oot ivvery medical book he could get his hands on aboot different illnesses that hid the same catastrophic conclusion as Geordie’s. But ivery een that eyndit in complete starvation teen a lang period o time, nae the day and a half as in Geordie Dickie’s case.

A fyle aifter the doctor heard the local gossip regarding the strange death. Geordie hid been teen awa tae a rath by the ‘Little People’ and there they kept him prisoner forivver and a day. Seemingly they’d left the skin an beens as a warning tae abody aboot jist fit could happen tae ye if a budy didna gyang tae the kirk like Geordie.

“Waggin tongues richt eneuch!” muttered Doctor Makadoork tae himsel fin he first heard it.

A fair fyle aifter he wiz oot on his roons wi the pony and trap fin he passed the Bogs o Balnagoak. There on the green he saw a Tinker’s encampment; they cam tae these pairts ilka year fin the yella wiz on the breem. Ae sicht stood oot though-the wagon o Banny McDonald painted in aa the bricht colours o the rainbow. Banny wiz the herb woman amang the Tinkers an she ministered her concoctions tae cure aa ills. Throwe the years he’d spoken wi Banny a fair puckle times aboot her herbs. Incidentally herbs wiz een o his great passions because God had given Mankind aa the cures for illness if only they’d learn mak use o them.

On an impulse he pulled intae the encampment. Some laddies were playin aboot so he tellt them tae gie the pony a drink an he’d gie them a penny. He made his wye tae Banny’s wagon an chappit at the door. He could smell something fine cookin inside an his moo wattered because he’d been on the go since early an nae a bite nor sup hid crossed his lips since. Fin Banny opened the door her face lichtit up.

“Oh Doctor Makadoork it’s good tae see ye again. Come awa in!”

In nae time the doctor wiz sittin in front o a bowlfae o fine yella scotch broth and a hank o soda breid covered in bonny fresh butter.

Aifter he finished an pushin the teem bowl fae him he said, “God that wiz fine Banny!” and rubbin his belly. “Sair nott quine, sair nott!”

Banny’s een lichtit up at this for it wiz a maitter o great pride tae her that her guest be weel satisfied wi her mait. Aifter a fyowe minutes o general conversation Doctor Makadoork came tae the reason he’d come in by. He tellt Banny aboot Geordie Dickie an the strange thing that hid happened tae him. Banny teen it aa in an sat lookin at him as if in deep thought, which indeed she wiz.

Fin he finished Banny seemed tae come tae a decision and started tae tell him a strange story aboot ‘The Hunger Stones’ and the ‘Ancient Yins’ that worshipped the stones. They were the folk that built the stone circles that were so widespread in the Buchan.

Doctor Makadoork questioned, “The Druids?”

Banny smiled an shook her heed. “Na na the Druids only used the stone circles left ahin by the ‘Ancient Yins’ them that lived here thoosans o years afore the Druids. The ‘Ancient Yins’ believed that the stones were alive and ilka een hid a sowel, that if ye kent how ye could speak tae. Much o fit they kent is lost tae us in time but some things like ‘The Hunger Stones’ are still here.”

Doctor Makadoork wisna sure aboot fit he wiz hearin but Geordie wiz a mystery that must be solved so he’d listen awa athoot comment. Accordin tae Banny the hunger stones were left ahin tae protect their sacred sites and if onybody touched een they were come ower wi a hunger so bad that if ye didna get food ye jist died o starvation in the maiitter o minutes. The aal doctor tellt her aboot Geordie’s mooth being full o girss an tabacca an the hunger micht be an explanation tae that.

Lookin at her he speired, “But how could a stone hae the power tae cause sic an affa hunger?”

At this Banny gave a wee bit o a frustrated sigh because she kent fine the doctor jist wisna believin her.

Doctor Makadoork realising he’d upset her made tae apologise but she put up her haan tae stop him and rising up she gaed tae a binkie at the back o the wagon an brocht oot a wee timmer box the size o a tae caddy and laid it ontae the table. Doctor Makadoork could see it hid a lock an put oot his haan tae touch it but Banny tellt him tae leave it be. Next she put the soup pot back ontae the stove an teen oot anither soda breid.

The aal doctor laached an says, “Yer nae awa tae feed ma again quine? Ma puddins are raxed as it is!”

But the serious look ontae Banny’s face stoppit him fae sayin ony mair. She fulled the bowl o broth and laid it an the soda breid on the table. Neist she teen a key fae roon her neck and unlocked the wee timmer tae caddy. Afore she opened it though she said tae the doctor that within wiz a ‘Hunger Stone’ and he wisna tae touch it till she said.

The aal doctor gave a half nervous smile but he still wisna convinced aboot the idea o ‘Hunger Stones’ but he also knew Banny wiz a herb doctor and a wise woman that came fae the Tinkers and they kent things way beyond the rest. She opened the wee box and inside it on green baize cloot sat fit lookit for aa the world like a lump o flint aboot the size o a spurdie’s egg but nae the shape.

He lookit up at Banny and could see she lookit as nervous as he felt.

“Fin yer ready jist touch it the once an then I’ll close an lock the box again!”

Doctor Makadoork gingerly put oot his haan and touched the stone, it felt freezin caal then a jolt passed throwe his body an he pulled his hand awa wi a “Christ!” the only word he managed afore Banny closed an lockit the box again.

In seconds Doctor Makadoork come ower wi the maist ravenous hunger he’d ivver felt in his entire life. Banny started saying ower an ower, “Ait min! For peety’s sake ait!”

He startit speenin the broth doon his thrapple at an affa rate an stappit big hanks o soda breid ahin it. In the event it teen twa bowelfaes o broth an a hale soda breid afore the ravenous feelin passed. He sat panting wi swyte rinnin doon his face as if he’d been ‘hill run’ his very skin felt strange an fin he lookit doon at his shakkin haans there wiz an affa lot o slack skin that hidna been there afore.

“That’s fit happened tae Geordie Dickie an the only thing he could get tae ait wiz girss an tabacca!” Banny tellt him.

The aal doctor lookit at her and shook his heed. “My God Banny if that’s fit it wiz like for Geordie then nae muckle winder only a puckle skin an bone wiz left!”

Banny said that Balnagoak wiz a sacred site tae the ‘Ancient Yins’ an that’s fit wye they left the ‘Hunger Stones’ ahin tae protect it but ivvery noo an then one wid come tae the surface and if touched by the unwary the results were deadly. 

 

copyright © Patrick Hutchison

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