14/12/2014

Tha mi a’ dol a chur crìoch air an stòiridh ‘Mac a’ Bhuidealair’. Cha robh an t-uachdaran toilichte gun robh mac a’ bhuidealair air tilleadh dhachaigh oir ’s e mèirleach a bh’ ann. Thuirt an t-uachdaran ri athair gum biodh aig a mhac ris an siota-leapa a bhiodh fodha ’s fo a bhean a ghoid air an oidhche sin. Bha sin airson dearbhadh cho sgileil ’s a bha e. Mura dèanadh e sin, gheibheadh e peilear na cheann.

Nuair a fhuair e an naidheachd, cha robh dragh sam bith air a’ ghille. Thàinig ciaradh an fheasgair agus chaidh e don chladh. Chladhaich e suas corp a bh’ air a thiodhlacadh dìreach latha no dhà roimhe sin. Fhuair e aodach a bhuineadh dha fhèin agus chuir e sin timcheall a’ chuirp. Chuir e an corp air a ghualainn agus chaidh e suas don taigh mhòr.

Bha an oidhche dorch. Bha a h-uile duine san leabaidh. Fhuair an gille àradh agus chuir e an ceann suas dheth air uinneag seòmar-cadail an uachdarain. Chuir e ròp timcheall a’ chuirp agus tharraing e an corp suas chun na h-uinneig. Dh’fhosgail e an uinneag beagan agus chuir e ceann a’ chuirp a-steach.

Bha an t-uachdaran na dhùisg, ge-tà. Bha gunna aige ri a thaobh anns an leabaidh. Gu sàmhach, thog e an gunna. Bha a bhean fhathast na cadal. Nuair a chunnaic e an ceann a’ tighinn a-steach air an uinneig, loisg e an gunna air.

Phut an gille an corp a-steach air an uinneig. Rinn e brag air an ùrlar nuair a thuit e. ‘Fhuair mi e,’ thuirt an t-uachdaran. Bha a bhean na dùisg a-nise. ‘Feumaidh mi an corp a thiodhlacadh,’ thuirt an t-uachdaran ri a bhean, ‘gus nach bi fios aig duine gu dè thachair an seo.’ Thog e an corp, chuir e air a ghualainn e agus chaidh e sìos an staidhre.

Fhad ’s a bha e a-muigh, ruith an gille a-steach. Bha e air a bhith ag obair airson an uachdarain agus bha e mion-eòlach air an taigh. Chaidh e suas an staidhre don t-seòmar-chadail. Bha bean an uachdarain na suidhe anns an dorchadas. Bha i troimhe-chèile.

Dh’atharraich an gille an guth aige. Thug e a’ chreidsinn, anns an dorchadas, gum b’ esan an t-uachdaran. ‘Tha an gille sin ro throm airson a ghiùlain,’ thuirt e. ‘Thoir dhomh an siota far na leapa. Cuiridh mi an corp ann agus bidh e nas fhasa a thoirt air falbh.’ Fhuair e an siota agus dh’fhalbh e.

Nuair a thill an duine aice, chunnaic e gun robh a bhean a’ rùrachadh anns a’ phreas. ‘Carson nach eil thu san leabaidh?’ thuirt e. ‘Feumaidh sinn a bhith a’ toirt a’ chreidsinn nach do thachair dad an seo a-nochd.’

‘Tha mi a’ coimhead airson siota ùr airson na leapa,’ fhreagair i, ‘bhon a thug thu am fear eile air falbh.’

Choimhead an t-uachdaran air a bhean. Choimhead e air an leabaidh. Thuig e gun robh an gille air an gnothach a dhèanamh air. Roghnaich an t-uachdaran cumail sàmhach mun ghnothach agus chùm e athair a’ ghille air mar bhuidealair. Ach dè thachair don ghille an dèidh sin, chan eil fhios a’m. Cha chuala mi an còrr mu dheidhinn.

gualainn: shoulder; àradh: ladder; corp: body; troimhe-chèile: extremely upset.

gum biodh aig a mhac ris an siota-leapa a bhiodh fodha ’s fo a bhean a ghoid air an oidhche sin: that his son would have to steal the bedsheet that would be under himself and his wife that night; peilear na cheann: a bullet in his head; a bh’ air a thiodhlacadh dìreach latha no dhà roimhe sin: that had been buried just a day or two before that; aodach a bhuineadh dha fhèin: clothes that belonged to himself; chuir e an ceann suas dheth air uinneag seòmar-cadail an uachdarain: he put the upper end against the landlord’s bedroom window; rinn e brag air an ùrlar: it made a thump on the floor; bha e mion-eòlach air an taigh: he knew the house intimately; thug e a’ chreidsinn gum b’ esan an t-uachdaran: he pretended that he was the landlord; thoir dhomh an siota far na leapa: give me the sheet off the bed; gun robh a bhean a’ rùrachadh anns a’ phreas: that his wife was rummaging in the cupboard; nach do thachair dad: that nothing happened; bhon a thug thu am fear eile air falbh: since you took the other one away; thuig e gun robh an gille air an gnothach a dhèanamh air: he understood that the lad had defeated him; roghnaich X cumail sàmhach: X chose to keep quiet; chùm e athair a’ ghille air mar bhuidealair: he kept the lad’s father on as a butler; cha chuala mi an còrr mu dheidhinn: I heard nothing more about him.

Bha e air a bhith ag obair airson an uachdarain: he had been working for the landlord. The preposition air (originally iar ‘after’) can allow us to create both the past perfect (referring to something that occurred in the past) and the pluperfect (something that occurred even further back when in the context of a past-tense narrative). For the perfect, we use the present tense of ‘bi’ eg tha e air a bhith ag obair ‘he has been working’. For the pluperfect, we use the past tense of ‘bi’ eg bha e air a bhith ag obair ‘he had been working’. Tha e air brochan a dhèanamh dheth ‘he has made a mess of it’; bha e air brochan a dhèanamh dheth ‘he had made a mess of it’.

Thàinig ciaradh an fheasgair: the dusk of the evening came.

Tha “Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh” air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA