Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Orfing says, “Eusa Ive had the boath of them this long time now and waitful for a bettering.”

Eusa says, “Erny you aint going to stan there and weary me you aint going to boar me to death you aint going to come the hevvy staytmen are you? You dint call me back for that did you? Whatd you call me back for?”

Orfing says, “You know why I callt you back Eusa.”

Eusa says, “If I did I wunt be asking wud I.”

Orfing says, “Eusa you know what the Eusa Story says. Every body knows it even them as cant read. It wer you as opent up the Littl Shyning Man and let the Nos. of the Master Chaynjis out.”

Eusa says, “Yes I done that right a nuff I never said I dint.”

Orfing says, “Plus you put the 1 Big 1 in barms dint you. It says in Eusa 18 : ‘Eusa put the 1 Big 1 in barms then him & Mr Clevver droppit so much barms thay kilt as menne uv thear oan as thay kilt enemes.’ Yet now in this here show youre telling us it bint like that. Youre telling us you dint do none of them Bad Time things youre putting it all on Mr Clevver. Youre saying he took your knowing and he done it all. All this long time we ben beleaving it like you tol it in the Eusa Story and now you come on telling it woaly diffrent. What in the worl makes you think weare going to beleave a new story now?”

Eusa says, “This aint nothing new dint I tel you this is trufax and wrote down the same at the Mincery.”

Orfing says, “If its trufax then why you ben telling it diffrent all these years? Whyd you pick now to change your story?”

Eusa says, “Erny youre a parper holfas aint you. You get your teef clampt down on some thing nor you wont let go you jus hol fas.”

Orfing says, “Im jus only saying what any 1 myt say enn I. The shows are diffrent all the time thats how its meant to be. Which a show is some thing youre doing right now in this here time weare living in and youre doing the Chaynjis with Eusa. New things happening and new chances every time. Thats how its meant to be and thats how we all ways do it. But that story ben wrote time back way back nor you cant change it no 1 never ever changit the story befor this. That storys got to stay the same what ever it is and nothing changit.”

Eusa says, “Erny whats the diffrents any how?”

Orfing says, “What dyou mean by that?”

Eusa says, “Whats the diffrents if I done the acturel Bad Time things my self or if I dint?”

Orfing says, “Wel if you dint do it then it aint on you is it.”

Eusa says, “And if it aint on me then what?”

Orfing says, “Then youre free aint you. Nothing on you and the worl in front of you. Do what ever you like.”

Eusa says, “There you are and said it out of your oan mouf. Which wud you rather? Have the worl in front of you and free or have some thing hevvy on your back for ever?”

Orfing says, “Eusa it dont matter what youwd rather youve got to go by how things are. Youve got to go by whats Truth and what aint.”

Eusa says, “Cut my froat and gard my witness if I aint telling Truth. I never made no barms nor never droppit none.”

Orfing says, “Here we come roun agen its a fools circel. If you dint make no barms nor drop no barms then whyd you say you did when you wrote down that story? Dont cut your froat now or some 1 I know wil have a bloody finger.”

Eusa says, “Whyd I say I did?”

Orfing says, “Thats what I said. Whyd you say you did?”

Eusa says, “Erny you know how it is when you blame your self.”

Orfing says, “No I dont. How is it?”

Eusa says, “Wel youwl oversay wont you. Youwl say wersen you realy done. What ever it myt be. Say youve lef a knife where a babby gets holt of it and cuts its self. Heres the babby all bloody and youwl say, ‘O dear o dear o dear I done that dint I. Its on me all this blood.’”

Orfing says, “Wel it is innit. I mean if you hadnt opent up the Little Shyning Man the Addom and let out the Nos. of the Master Chaynjis of the 1 Big 1 then if you hadnt put that knowing in that box.”

Eusa says, “If I hadnt some 1 else wudve done. Whyd the Hart of the Wud stan why dint it run? Whynt the Littl Shyning Man hop it whynt he vack his wayt out of there dubbl qwick 1st time he ever seen me? Iwl tel you why its part of ther game thats why. The Hart of the Wud and the Littl Shyning Man the Addom they cant live without you get the knowing of them nor you cant get the knowing of them til you kil the 1 and open up the other. Then its on you innit. Hevvy on your back for ever. Thats my Las word this nite.

That wer my 1st Eusa show being connexion man. Showt by Abel Goodparley & Erny Orfing the Big 2 the Pry Mincer & the Wes Mincer on the nite I took the scar.

After the show they snuft the torches then every body got in littl clumps in the divvy roof hummering and mummering and getting pist. Goodparley & Orfing when theyd fittit down they drunk a littl with Straiter Empy and Flora Miltan Empys wife and his nexters and all the seanyer members which now I were 1 of them. Goodparley dint say nothing to me he dint even look at me it wer like hed los me out of memberment and tirely. Orfing dint say nothing nyther only at leas he lookit at me like he knowit I wer a live. After a littl I jus wantit my oan sylents not thers I got up and going out of the divvy roof. Goodparley finely lookit my way then like he cud acturely see me. He begun nodding his head and he said to me, “Thats ther game you know. They cant live without you kil the 1 and open up the other. Youve got to do it its the onlyes way to keap them going.”

I noddit my head and all. Dint say nothing. Orfing put his han on my sholder and give me a littl shake frendy. I put up my hood and gone out in to the rain. Out to the fents and up on the hy walk.

Lissening to the nite and the rain. I leant my back agenst the fents and looking to the divvy roof. There hadnt ben no Trubba for a long time but we stil hadnt put no sides on it. Sit there nite after nite getting pist with 1 eye on the dark not to get snuck. Lissening to the rain dumming on my hood and looking at the candls and the nite fires in the roof and the crowd all sat there with the rainy dark all roun them. You know some times you get a fealing you dont want to put no words to.

Durster Potter that wer Nimbel Potters dad come a long the hy walk he wer on look out. He said, “I wunt want to be out this nite.” Rain streaming down him and you cudve rung about a buckit of water out of his beard.

I said, “You are out tho. You cant get no wettern you are.”

He said, “I mean on the out side of the fents.”

I wer thinking how some fents poals and a gate make all the diffrents.

The Big 2 dint drink long jus only for the pearents of it then they roadit out. Ther hevvys come up in the gate house and on the hy walk same as when they come in.

Goodparley lookit up and seen me in the lite of the gate fires and he done some mor nodding. Orfing lookit up and raisit his han. I dint hear him say nothing but I seen his mouf move. I thot he wer saying, “Good Luck.” Off they gone then in to the rain.

I had off nex day no digging to do only in my head for Nex Nite and my connexion. I had a nuff and moren a nuff to connect with all I had to do wer sort it out my head wer perwel humming and spinning with it.

Come the nite and stil raining. Dumming on the divvy roof and the wind blowing and spattering in every time it veert and the torch fires shimmying and smoaking. Peopl shushing the kids and waiting for Straiter Empy and me to do the askings.

Straiter said, “Eusas come to us agen. Weve lookit and weve lissent.”

I said, “Ive lookit and Ive lissent as wel.”