s Martha felt the cold,he had bought Martha a little, bright red Gortex cape with a faux fur lining and a matching bonnet, to keep her as warm as toast for the long winter months. The little matching bonnet tied under her beak. All you saw was her little shining, black beady eyes and beak peering back at you! Whenever Mr Finleyson put the little cape and bonnet on Martha she became very excited, as she knew they were going somewhere. As soon as he walked towards her with the cape and bonnet in his hand, she would start to dance. Her little stick legs were a blur. The church that night was full to the rafters. There was always a big turn out for the midnight service. The rest of the year the heathens who masqueraded as the locals, never went near the church. It was always empty on a Sunday except for the church elders and a few of old Dougal Menzies' stray cows and sheep who would wander in and stand in the aisles while the minister, Robert Duncan-Smith, delivered the sermon. As the elders of the church sat in the front row sleeping, the minister was grateful for the cows and sheep which would stand in the aisles throughout the service and stay awake and listen to his carefully prepared sermon. The pew Mr Finleyson and Martha sat in was a short pew by the door and only able to seat three people. As Martha sat on her cushion beside Mr Finleyson, there was only room for one more person. No one wanted to sit beside Martha for some reason and just looked and walked on to find somewhere else to sit. Finally, everyone was seated. As the minister stepped up to the pulpit a loud hissing reverberated throughout the church. As it had come from Martha in the back pew, everyone turned round to stare disapprovingly at Mr Finleyson, with Martha sitting on her cushion beside him and with the pews in rows in front of her, she could not be seen by the congregation when they turned round. Even the minister who glared at Mr Finleyson from the pulpit, could not see Martha. It looked as if he was sitting on his own. The young teens and children in the congregation were in fits of laughter! Mr Finleyson was horrified at what Martha had done. It was far too cold to put her in the Land Rover. She would have to stay in the church.