Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

The kid said, “Its parbly Keaper. If hes got some stoans in his pockit thems my fealys he took from me.”

I give the kid back his fealys and we vackt our wayt out of there. We fas leggit out of Bernt Arse senter in to the outers in amongst a jumbl of stannings and rubbl jus to be out of site then we stoppit a littl to talk summit. The black leader and his 2 nexters stoppit with us the other dogs kep going. What they wer doing wer shaking foller for us. When I come to know them better I seen they dint do nothing randem they had tack ticks.

There we wer then in amongst the broakin stoans the grean rot and the number creaper with the rain all drenching down and peltering on them dead stoans stumps and stannings. Spattering on crumbelt conkreat and bustit birk and durdling in the puddls gurgling down the runnels of the dead town. A kynd of greanish lite to that day from the rain the grean rot and the number creaper and the dead town pong wer going up all grean smelling in that greanish lite. Dog pong as wel a black smel in the grey rain. It wernt til then I even give a thot to why the kid mytve ben in the hoal. It wer like I jus ben progammit to go there and get him out. Now that wer done I wunnert what it wer all about. I said to him, “Whyd they have you in that hoal?”

He said, “Doing the askings bint we. We done Horny Boy and Widders Bel and Fathers Ham and nex come Bernt Arse dinnit. 1 day in 1 and 2 in 2 and 3 in 3 then it wudve ben 4 in the 4th. Come 9 it wudve ben the senter and helping the qwirys. Only Iwl get there without him Iwl channel the Senter Power my self where theres all the many and no end to me.”

I said, “Who ben doing the askings? What ben they asking? I dont know what youre talking about.”

He said, “Goodparley ben doing it bint he. Sharna pax and get the poal. He never ben the Puter Leat he never ben the Power Leat him and his Mincery. Pontsery is what he come out of and shitful servis. O yes the Mincery myt have ther red cords all wrote out and let them we know what ben time back way back. Iwl do it too see if I dont. I pult the dog and the dog pult you Iwl do the res of it as wel.”

It jus come tumbling all a jumbl out of him like that I sill dint have no idear what it wer all about but soons I heard the name of Goodparley I come the lert. I said, “Wheres Goodparley right now and whats he doing?”

He said, “I tol you dint I hes in Bernt Arse. We done the askings 1 time which it ben 3 to go.”

I said, “Dyou know how many hevvys hes got with hm?”

He said, “Its 50 the same as he all ways roads with I heard Keaper say that. Plus the out poasts all ways have 6 on regler.”

I tryd to plot the parbeltys of it and progam what to do nex. I knowit we bes put a farness behynt us qwicks we cud only we dint have no hoap of going sly by day. Not 2 peopl crowdless and cernly not 2 peopl with 40 dogs or so. Lookouts on every hy walk and a pigeon fly in every form and dead town with a Mincery man working it. We use to see them talking over our heads be twean ther selfs and to the Ram. It dint look like Belnot Phistd bothert to pigeon Goodparley about me becaws if he had there cernly wudve ben moren jus the 1 hevvy to rumpa with. Say Goodparley dint know I wer in Bernt Arse. Theywd fynd the dead hevvy and for all they knowit him and the kid boath ben jumpt by dogs when he unbart the doar and the kid ben draggit off the sames theywl do with a calf or a lam. I thot we myt have a chance of no foller at all and Goodparley myt just get his self some 1 else to do his askings with. I said to the kid, “How much does it matter to Goodparley if youre gone?”

He said, “Wel Im the Ardship of Cambry enn I.”

I thot he wer making a joak. I said, “Thats about it and you bustit out befor the 1st chop too. So now its some 1 elses tern inside the circel innit.”

He said, “Thats right. 12 mor years or so and Goodparley can have his self a nother Ardship.”

I said, “Whatre you talking about?”

He said, “Im talking about how long Goodparleywl have to wait for a nother Ardship whatre you talking about?”

I said, “What dyou mean a nother Ardship?”

He said, “Wel its jus only a littl wyl since a son of myn ben beartht nor he cant be Ardship til he comes 12 and gets a boy his self can he.”

I said, “How old be you then?”

He said, “I jus come 12 this las Ful of the Moon din I.”

I said, “So did I that makes us moon brothers.”

He said, “Dark of the Moon as wel.”

I said, “Be you telling me theres realy such a thing as the Ardship of Cambry?”

He said, “Why dyou think I wantit out of that hoal?”

I said, “Why?”

He said, “Wel its sharna pax and get the poal innit. 1st the easy askings then its helping the qwirys then its Chops your Aunty and your head on a poal. Dont you know the rime?”

I said, “What rime dyou mean?”

What he done then he sung Fools Circel 9wys :

The way he sung it made my blood run col. I cud see like in a dream a figger running running in a kynd of dream space. I said, “Thats Fools Circel 9wys thats jus a game.”

He said, “O yes its a game right a nuff if you like to call it that only it aint too much fun for the Ardship what gets his head took off at the end of it.”

I said, “Whats it all about why do they do it?”

He said, “Its about what its all ways ben about and they do it for the knowing whats in us.”

I said, “What knowing? In who?”

He said, “Dont you know about the Eusa folk?”

I said, “Who myt they be?”

He said, “O dear o dear o dear you dont know nothing do you.” Then he begun to tel me. This what Im writing down here it wernt said all in 1 peace like its wrote. Wewd talk a littl and lissen. Talk and lissen. And all ways with 1 eye on the black leader and his nexters for any lerting any blips of foller which there wernt none. It stayd qwyet all day wylst we waitit there in Bernt Arse outers for it to get dark.

He said, “Time back way back who ben the Puter Leat who ben the Power Leat in Cambry? Eusa folk is who it ben. Us the same and us to blame. Who run the Power Ring who ben too close to Power who gone Badstock crookit and seed of the crookit? Us the same the Eusa folk. Who ben bernt out after Bad Time all the clevver is bernt out with all the clevverness? Us the same. Who ben the 1st Ardship of Cambry? Eusa. Which the hardship be come the Ardship you see. They kilt Eusa but they dint kil all the Eusa folk they dint bern them all out did they. No they savit out some to keap in memberment that clevverness what made us crookit. Savit a breeding stock in Cambry so therewd all ways be some of us o yes theres all ways ben Eusa folk and wil be. And the knowing whats in them the Ardship wil know. Roun the circel of the dead towns to the senter which is Cambry. Becaws weve kep the memberment you see. Kep the memberment of what we done time back way back the knowing of its in us. Dint you never hear of Eusa?”

I said, “Coarse Ive heard of Eusa every bodys heard of him.”

He said, “Then you know he wer crookit.”

I said, “You bes tel me about Eusa as wel I parbly never heard the woal of it.”

He said:

I said, “Did Eusa go crookit from what he done?”