Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Phist said, “Eusas sake Abel you jump on every word I say and progamming for Trubba. I aint talking about no powders I dont have no powders I jus only said stoans and powders sames you myt say sticks and stoans it wernt nothing only a way of saying.”

Goodparley said, “Yes wel leave it with me jus a littl Belnot this wants thinking on praps youwl be so kynd to leave us the loan of your shelter and have a nice cup of tea in the gate house wylst I have a word with this here dog frendy oansome travveler.”

The hevvy as brung me in took Phist out. Goodparley looking at me and smyling hard then he said, “Howd you get dog frendy Riddley?”

I said, “I dont know it jus happent. I gone over that fents without realy thinking it out I jus run with them dogs nor they dint arga warga.”

He said, “You jus run with them dogs did you o youre a deap 1 theres mor and mor to you aint there tel me whyd you go to Fork Stoan with Lissener?”

I said, “I keap saying I dont know but its Truth it jus like come in to my mynd I thot we bes not break the circel then.”

He said, “O yes I beleave you parbly you dont even know your self what levvils youre working. Horny Boy which is what you are the same as any yung man. Rung Widders Bel Ive heard about you and Lorna Elswint shes out livet moren 1 husbin and manys the time youve rung her bel. Stoal his Fathers Ham as wel . Which you took over your dads connexion when he got took off. Thats 3 blipful roun the circel nex you done your 1st acturel. Bernt his Arse . Bernt your arse here in the digging then over the fents you gone and running with them dogs to Bernt Arse where you bernt my arse killing 1 of my hevvys with your dogs. I sust youwd parbly hoal up til dark and I sust you myt do a nother acturel so on I gone to Fork Stoan a head of you. I wer there by The Warnings when you come and Forkt a Stoan which is that same and very bag of yeller stoans you brung here roading blipful agen bringing them stoans to Belnot Phist like I knowit you wud you Done It Over . You gone over this here fents in the morning and back you come doing it over agen at nite. Only this 2nd time you like broak a boan dint you in a way of saying. You got cawt by your old Nunkel Abel.”

My head begun to feal like it wer widening like circels on water I dint know if it wud ever stop I dint know where the end of it wud be. The stranger it took me the mor I fealt at hoam with it. The mor I fealt like Iwd be long where ever it wer widening me to. I said, “How can you work all that out of a kid rime? Fools Circel 9wys is a kid rime for a kid game.”

He said, “O Riddley you known bettern that you know the same as I do. What ben makes tracks for what wil be. Words in the air pirnt foot steps on the groun for us to put our feet in to. May be a nother 100 years and kids wil sing a rime of Riddley Walker and Abel Goodparley with ther circel game.”

I said, “What put Fools Circel 9wys in the air then?”

He said, “Dint Lissener tel you who ben the 1st Ardship then?”

I said, “He said it ben Eusa.”

He said, “Dint he tel you how the Eusa folk stoand Eusa out of Cambry for what he done? How they crowdit him roun the circel of Inland 1 town to a nother? Every town they come to they tol them on the gate, ‘This is Eusa what done the clevver work for Bad Time.’ Them what wer lef in the towns them what wer the soar vivers of the barming they torchert Eusa then. Torchert him and past him on to the nex. Thats when the playgs come follering hot on Eusas road and wiping out each town he lef behynt him. 9 towns in the rime and 9 towns dead but Cambry shud be in it 2ce it ben the 1st it ben the las. Cambry where they stoand him out of starting him on to his circel and Cambry where they brung him back to blyn and bloody not a man no mor he ben cut off.”

“To the gate they brung him lef a space all roun him come the dogs then and licking his soars. Them on the gate they wer afeart they said, ‘Why dont you say Trubba not if you want in?’ Eusa said, ‘I cant say that.’ They beat him to death then with col iron becaws it ben col iron he done Inland to death with. Mynd you this wer his oan folk done it to him.”

“They took his head off then they put it on a poal for telling. Eusas head tol them, ‘Onlyes part of Inland kep ther hans clean of this ben the Ram which is the head of Inland. You cut my head off my body now the body of Inland wil be cut off from the head.’ With that there come a jynt wave it wer a wall of water hyer nor a mountin. Dint it come tho. It come rushing it come roaring it come roaling down it cut acrost the lan right thru from Reakys Over down to Roaming Rune. It cut the Ram off sepert from the res of Inland that wer the day the Ram be come a nylan.”

“That head of Eusa said to them what put it on the poal, ‘Now throw me in the sea.’ Which they done that and the head wer swimming then agenst the tide it swum acrost that water from Inland to the Ram. Them on the Ram took in the head and this is what it tol them: ‘Make a show of me for memberment and for the ansers to your askings. Make a show with han figgers put a littl woodin head of me on your finger in memberment of my real head on a poal. Keap the Eusa folk a live in memberment of the hardship they brung on. Out of that hardship let them bring a Ardship 12 years on and 12 years come agen. Let the head of Inland ask the Ardship then. Let the head of Inland road the circel ful and to the senter asking what he wants to know for all of Inland. When the right head of Inland fynds the right head of Eusa the anser wil come and Inland wil rise up out of what she ben brung down to.’ Then the head roalt back in to the water it swum out to sea.”

Goodparley wer all as cited telling that his littl eyes wer shyning you cud see it wer hy telling for him. He said, “Theres your Fools Circel Riddley its that ful circel Eusa gone his hevvy road on time back way back. Its that circel I ben roading looking for the anser as wil bring poor Inland up from what she ben brung down to.”

Dint say nothing for a littl nyther of us jus lissening to the hisper of the rain. Finely I said, “Why wernt all this in the Eusa Story then?”

Goodparley said, “It ben Eusa wrote the Eusa Story he done it befor they stoand him out of Cambry. After that he dint write nothing mor. Words! Theywl move things you know theywl do things. Theywl fetch. Put a name to some thing and youre beckoning. Iwl write a message if I have to but I wunt word nothing moren that on paper. Eusa ben fetcht by words on paper you know.”

I said, “What dyou mean?” With my head widening in circels and my mynd sinking like the stoan what made the circels. Part of me where I wer and part of me with Lissener and coming in to Cambry. Thinking:

With a sickish fealing as I myt be the Good Luck brother and I contrackt I wud help the other Iwd get to him soons I cud and what ever Trubba he wer in wewd boath be in it. Cursing my self for leaving him and coming to Widders Dump which I hadnt done nothing only put them yeller stoans in Goodparleys hans.

Goodparley had a peace of paper in his han and holding it in front of me. He said, “Have a read of this.”

This is what I read wrote down the same:

The Legend of St Eustace dates from the year A.D. 120 and this XVth-century wall painting depicts with fidelity the several episodes in his life. The setting is a wooded landscape with many small hamlets; a variety of wild creatures are to be seen and a river meanders to the open sea.

1. At the bottom of the painting St Eustace is seen on his knees before his quarry, a stag, between whose antlers appears, on a cross of radiant light, the figure of the crucified Saviour. The succeeding episodes lead up to his martyrdom.