The Three Lives of Thomasina Page #4

were worshipped

In the temples to bast

Thousands of years ago.

Bast, the cat goddess,

The goddess

with the golden eyes

Staring and staring,

Drawing me upward and upward

And upward and upward.

Then there were flowers,

Flowers everywhere,

All around me,

touching me,

And the sound of music

Wild enough

to wake the dead.

playing

"mackintosh's lament")

Lord sakes,

What are the children

a- burying today?

Mary Macdhui's cat

Thomasina.

My grandson Hughie

told me

Her father couldna be

bothered to cure its sickness.

His own daughter's pet.

Ah, well, maybe

he was busy at the time,

You know,

what wi' Tammas' dog,

And after all,

it's a blind man's eyes.

His own daughter's pet.

It's hard to understand.

Right.

This is far enough.

Put it here.

Now get some stones and

build a cairn for the grave.

Now get

the coffin off

And put it down

just there, you two.

Come on, hurry.

Now get

some stones.

Come on,

get some stones.

That'll do fine.

Now, let's get on

with the service.

I'm going to take

the service.

It was my idea.

No, you're not.

I'm the oldest,

and I've come prepared.

Brethren, friends,

and fellow mourners...

och! Go on, then.

We have come here

today

To bury Thomasina

and to praise her.

She was the friend of Mary

Macdhui here, who you all know.

Uh, eh, well, anyway,

there she is.

Shh! Not yet.

Hold your noise.

Thomasina was one of the best

cats in all Argyllshire,

And we all feel for her

best friend and owner.

Whisht!

Not yet, not yet.

There is no doubt that Thomasina

was a terrific mouser, too.

She had a few faults, aye,

But I won't mention

them here.

Uh, and her mortal remains

Will now be laid to rest.

Now!

playing "the Bonny Banks

O' Loch Lomond")

by yon bonny banks

and by yon bonny braes

where the sun shines bright

on Loch Lomond

where me and my true love

Will never meet again

on the bonny, bonny banks

of Loch Lomond

oh, ye'll tak' the high road

and I'll tak' the...

It's mad Lori.

and I'll be

in Scotland afore...

It's the witch!

She's coming for us.

Run for it!

Run quickly!

She's a witch!

Run for it!

The witch!

The witch!

What were they doing?

Your heart's still beating.

Oh, poor thing.

Didn't they know?

You come with me.

Mary, come on in

and get your supper.

Hello, Mary.

What have you been doing

all afternoon?

Mary, your father's

speaking to you.

Mrs. Mackenzie,

I've seen the witch

That lives

up in the Glen.

What?

We all ran away

from her...

Hughie and Geordie and

Jamie and Jock and Annie.

What's this

nonsense now?

And what were you doing

in the Glen?

And she is a witch.

I've seen her.

So there.

Mary, the... The kittens that

Mr. Peddie's cat Amanda had

Are now ready

to leave their mother.

Would you like to come and

choose one for yourself?

Mary!

Would you like to come

To Mr. Peddie's

with me tomorrow

And choose a kitten?

Jamie Macnab can play

"mackintosh's lament" on the pipes

With only nine mistakes.

Answer me, Mary.

Answer your father,

child.

But he's not very good

at "Loch Lomond. "

This is ridiculous.

If this is her way

of sulking just because...

Don't you want

your supper?

No, I do not.

Now who's sulking?

Tell miss Macdhui if she does want a

kitten, she'll have to come and ask me.

Everybody was real scared when

they saw the witch, except me.

I wasn't.

I just looked at her and said,

"I'm not afraid of you. "

Oh, give me strength.

Oh, you and your stories.

Eat your supper.

Now you've made

your father angry.

No, I Haven't.

My father's dead.

by yon bonny banks

and by yon bonny braes

when the Moon...

bright on Loch Lomond

Don't cry, child.

I Haven't seen you cry

for a long, long time.

Look, Mary, I'm sorry

about Thomasina.

I've told you.

I'll get you another cat,

Or maybe a wee dog

to be all your very own.

Wouldn't you like that?

Now, look, child, I can't

bring Thomasina back to life.

What's done is done!

Oh, very well.

Good night, then.

Oh, granddad,

don't keep on about it so.

That cat's funeral was

nothing but a children's game.

Not to some of us.

I'm tellin' you...

I've said it before

and I'm saying it now -

That Mr. Macdhui

is doing no good here.

Now, don't interrupt me,

woman.

He's a townsman,

not a highlander.

He has no feeling

for animals at all.

Oh, come now, granddad.

Some of the farmers round...

The farmers?

Did you not hear

that he made an order

To destroy the whole herd

of Ian Macclennen's cattle

Because one cow was sick?

That's the law. They had

foot-and-mouth disease.

It wasna the law in my day,

And it was only Macdhui's

opinion that they had it.

and look at his record.

Never mind the cattle.

Annie Laggan's old dog Rabbie

- he had him killed.

He saved blind Tammas'

Bruce, though.

Oh, aye, that was because

everybody was there watching.

That was

just showin' off.

Now, granddad,

you shouldn't say that.

Well, the man

that did what he did...

And he wouldna

even take the trouble

To treat his own daughter's

cat when it was sick...

Is no better

than a murderer.

It'd be a good thing

if he went away.

I'd make it too hot

for him here,

I'm telling you,

if I was younger.

So would others.

Him and his

newfangled science.

Mary!

Mary Macdhui!

Are you coming out

to play?

Mary!

She won't be comin' out

today. She's in mourning.

And anyway,

we've got work to do.

What work?

Forming

an anti-Macdhui society

To drive him

out of Inveranoch.

Och, listen to him.

My grandpa said he's no

better than a murderer.

Your grandpa?

And he told me Mr. Macdhui

Had two whole herds of cows

slaughtered

Because he thought

one beast was sick.

People are saying he ought to go,

and I think we ought to join them.

And what does blind Tammas

say about him?

Och, he's only one.

Now, here's what we'll do.

Me and you, Geordie...

Morning,

Mrs. Macleod.

Morning.

You're not thinking of taking

your cat to Mr. Macdhui, are you?

Why not? Och, he won't bother with it.

He doesn't care

for anybody's pets.

What?

He'll just say,

"can't be cured,"

And then kill it.

Get away wi' you.

It's true. He even did it

to his own daughter's cat.

And Mrs. Laggan's dog.

He killed them.

I did hear about Rabbie,

but he was awful old.

That cat of yours is younger

than Mary's Thomasina.

You take him in there,

And he'll just get his

bottle of chloroform and...

Just a minute, Harry.

Listen.

We were just telling Mrs. Macleod,

Mr. Wallis, about Mr. Macdhui.

You'd be well advised not

to take your dog in there.

I'm thinkin' of

rebuilding my pigsties.

You know, I've had two outbreaks

of swine fever up to now.

Have you spoken to this

new vet here... Uh, Macdhui?

Not yet.

Is he any good?

One of Mr. Macclennen's cows

had foot-and-mouth disease,

And Mr. Macdhui

had two whole herds killed.

That young Annie of mine

Took my best black shawl

from my closet yesterday

And tore it into ribbons

in some game.

Aye, I saw them

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