Bunty's Tale.

Bunty's Tale.

I wiz vrochtin pintin the ootside work o the local bank and hid jist feenished the last windae. Fan I came doon fae the laidder I fun an aal wifie wytin for ma. Seein she wiz huddin back I says till her “Aye aye fit like I day?” At this she smiled an lookit relieved. 

“Are ee a pinter?” 

The only thing I could say as I wiz staanin at the fit o a laidder wi a pit pot an brush in ma haan an fite dungarees on wiz 

“I am that.” 

She wiz weerin een yon aal farrent thick cwites wi a strae type hat on an her big leather haanbag held nervously in front o her. She speired at ma if I kent onything aboot spoots. I replied that I could pint them fyles but nae an affa lot mair. 

The lang an the short o’t wiz that een o her spoots wiz leakin an lettin water rin doon the front o her hoosie. I tellt her I’d come an hae a lookie at it eence I wiz lowsed here in aboot a haaf oors time. I got her address but as she left she tellt ma I widna be able tae tak my van doon because the lane wiz ower narra for motors. Onywye that didna maitter muckle I’d only be nottin my wee laidder and a haanyfae o putty tae dee the job an it wisna far tae her hoosie. I seen fun the placie. It wiz in a raa o reed tiled hooses aa o ae story. I spotted the aal wifie’s hoosed richt awa because o the spoot hingin doon a wee bit. Settin up my laidder I got at the spoot and in meenits got athing shipshape eence mair wi a gweed clairt o putty in the jint an tappin the spoot bracket intae place. I cleaned oot the rest o the spoot o moss an leaves and in the process fun anither couple o spoot brackets nottin chappit in. “

O’ that’s fine pinter.” 

Lookin doon the aal wifie wiz staanin there fair smilin she wiz still weerin her cwite but her strae hat wiz aff. She teen ma intae the aal farrent scullery for a cuppy o tay and a fine piece. I saw some faded picters on the waa so I speired at her faa the affa bonnie deemie wiz in een o them. Oh michty she teen a richt laach at that sayin "At's me nearly saxty years ago!" She laached again but I could see a bittie o colour come itae her face fin I said she'd been affa gweed lookin! 

Onywye aifter anither cuppy o tay I made tae leave but she seemed sweered tae let ma go so thinkin she wiz lonely I sat a fylie langer. I'm glaid noo that I did bide for she tellt ma the follyin story that made the hairs on the back o ma neck curl.

Poorin oot mair tay for ma she settled hersel doon in the seat across the table fae ma afore takin a deep breath an startin her tale.

 

   “Weel ye see I wiz in the service o Doctor Webster and his wife at New Deer weel afore the war. Ye micht ken the hoose it’s jist up fae the aal kirk in the toon? Onywye I’d started tae vrocht there in the Mey term, jist deein general duties. They werena demandin fowk and apairt fae a fyowe freens roon noo an en my work wiz pretty mundane. Jist cleanin, cookin, washin an lookin aifter the haaf dizzen chuckins. The doctor’s wife did her ain shoppin so I’d neen o that tae dee. They’d electric lichts so I’d nae lamps tae full and clean an apart fae takkin in coal for the fire I’d gotten masel a gweed sit doon as far as service wiz concerned.
Onywye it wiz aboot the month o November as the nichts came in that I first noticed something strange. The first fyowe times I’d seen this I didna think muckle aboot it.
   Noo Doctor Webster’s hoose backed ontae fields. There’s a lane rins atween the aal kirk an the hoose an as far as I could see it jist led tae the park. Onywye the first time I saw it I wiz oot shuttin the hens in for the nicht fin I saw a lassie makin her wye doon the lane.
I said “Aye aye!” tae her but she nivver let on she heard ma.
Neen put oot I closed up the hennies then checked the gate wiz richt tee.
I teen a glance doon the lane tae see faar aboot the deemy hid geen but nae signs o her could I mak oot? Micht be there’s a crafty doon there that I didna ken aboot? This wint on for a fyowe nichts an the illfashions got the better o ma so I’d nithing adee but tae hae a walk doon the lane neist day in daylicht.
The lane led ontae a puckle yards faar fowk planted kail, cabbages an sic like. After that the track headed doon by a copse o trees then peetered oot at the entrance tae some parks. There wisna ony signs o hooses o ony kind.
Mair than a bittie puzzled I made my wye back thinkin aa the while faar that deemie could be gyan till in the late forenicht? Nae matter, that nicht fin I gid oot tae shut in the hennies I put my cwite on wi the full intention o follyin the deemie this time if she put in an appearance. But na na, she didna show that nicht nor for a puckle nichts aifter.
   It wisna till aboot the Feersday o the next wik I saw her eence mair. I spoke till her again expectin tae be ignored as usual but this time she looked at ma, she nivver spoke but she fairly lookit at ma. An fin she did for some reason or ither, I felt the hairs on the back o ma neck birrs. Her face wiz snow white and her een were like black holes, it lookit tae me in the shadas that she tried tae spik but couldnae.
She cairried on waakin doon the lane so I followed her. She wiz fair knypin on so it teen me a minty tae catch up an keep her in view. Doon past the yards she wint and I could see she wiz headin towards the copse o trees. I lost her tae sicht there because doon here the shadas were much deeper. I stood still an slowly lookit aboot but nae a sign o her could I see. Faa wiz she an faar wiz she gan?
I wiz aboot tae wun ma wye hame fin I saw a movement at the side o the trees an there she wiz staanin lookin ower at ma. She then started tae pint doon at her feet ower and ower again then slowly she disappeared fae sicht. I teen tae ma heels at this as if the jookles o hell were ahin ma an got back tae the hoose in an affa sotter o swyte an fear.
By gweed luck Doctor Webster wiz gan in the back gate at the same time. He’d me intae the hoose in nae time poorin whisky doon ma thrapple. He said later he saw I wiz in a state o complete shock and the only thing he hid tae shock ma hert back intae a normal rhythm wiz whisky. I did manage tae tell him fit I’d seen eventually and he thocht I’d been imagining things. Mrs Webster though, now doon tae find oot whit wiz gan on, came oot ontae my side. She said that she’d also seen that lassie walk by mony’s the time but hid nivver thocht onything aboot it?”
   “The neist day we aa wint doon tae faar I’d seen the lassie stop the nicht afore but of coorse there wisna onything tae see. Doctor Webster tellt me tae rin up tae the hoose for a shovel but I didna need tae bother for I met in wi an aal lad makkin his wye doon tae the yards wi a shovel intae his haan. In nae time he’d a scrape oot o the grun fin Doctor Webster tellt him tae stop. He bent doon an picked up fit lookit like a wee bit o stick. Aifter lookin at it a minty doctor Webster turned tae me an tellt ma I’d tae gyang up for the policeman for we’d jist uncovered human remains.
   It turned oot the lassie hid been murdered an beeriet there aboot a haaf century afore. She’d been the dochter o the local soutar an hid geen missing athoot trace. An engraved locket wi her name wiz still roon her neck. At the time fowk said she’d run awa wi the lad she used tae ayee meet wi doon at the copse. The police thocht he’d killed her an beeriet her afore rinnin awa fae the district. But of course they couldna really be sure if it wiz him that did it or no.”
Sittin back in the seat she nodded at ma sayin "There now pinter fit did ye think o that?" Afore I could answer she'd the kettle on again and anither fine piece on ma plate then started tellin me yet anither story- - - ??