By Hamish Brown

“That’s It!  That’s it,” laughed Erland.  “ You’ve got him off now.  Bless you!  Bless you!”  He shouted and laughed as the horse speeded off with a contented whinny.

The minister smiled too then cried, “Bless you!  Bless you! so the animal went cantering down the field.  Round they went and back to where Erland stood.  After another couple of circuits the minister was well satisfied.  When he came back to Erland again he called, “Wow” – and nothing happened.

“It’s a holy horse mind!” shouted his cousin.

“So what do I say?” the minister yelled over his shoulder.

“What you end every sermon with and every prayer and every…”

“Amen?” came the query, cut off as the minister’s arms went round the horse’s neck with the beast stopping dead in its tracks.

“Aye” Erland laughed.

They went in for their tea and after a lot of unholy argie-bargie the minister had the holy horse for £200 and the tack.

            Eric climbed into the saddle, patted his new acquisitions and smiled “Bless you!”  The horse walked on.  Another “Bless You” or two had it trotting up by Loch Spiggie.  When clear of all the houses the minister let out a haloo and turned off the track.  It has been almost a decade since he’d enjoyed a real gallop.

“Bless you! He yelled and horse went into an easy canter.  “Bless you!”  “Wow-ee!”  “Bless you!”   And the pair was flying like tam on his old gray mare.  The minister had not enjoyed himself so much in years.  “Bless you!  Bless you!”

Suddenly a look of horror came on his face for he realized they were heading straight for the cliffs of Vidra Gloup and, for the life of him, he could not remember the vital word for stopping his mount.

In panic he began to gabble out the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer much interruptd by tugging on the reins and using some quite unscriptural phrases.  The horse charged on.  The cliff loomed.

“….for ever and ever.  Amen!”

He’s shut his eyes at the last but the blow as his nose hit the horse’s neck had them opening again and through his tears he was looking down to the gurgly sea in the throat of the geo three hundred feet below.  “Amen” he muttered again with feeling, as he sat up.  Then reached a shaky hand to pat the holy horse and say, “Bless you”.