Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Them stoans come down when the wite shadder stood up over Canterbury. Parbly Greanvine come down with them and some Punch man foun him and savit him a way in this hidey hoal. Dint walk off with him no he savit him a way in this hoal for who everwd be the nex to come a long and fynd him.

So there I wer then may be I wer 1 with Greanvine only it lookit like Id come in 2 with every 1 else. 1st I ben with Lissener agenst Goodparley then in my mynd I begun to go tords Goodparley and a way from Lissener. Now on a suddn I wer off the boath of them. I wernt on for no mor yellerboy stoaning nor all the res of it I dint care who wer doing it. Every body juicying for Power 1 way or a nother nor I dint want no part of it no mor. I realy fealt like the onlyes Power wer no Power nor I cudnt think of no 1 I wantit to be on the same side with no mor. Wel the dogs. And here they wer the woal Bernt Arse pack and the black leader all them dogs what ben with Lissener now they wer with me. Which that mus mean Lissener ben took by Orfing.

I dint like to think of him hung up like Belnot Phist ben. Nor coming to no harm for lack of me. Dint want to have to do nothing about it only I knowit I wunt have no res if I dint.

I said to the black leader, “Wheres the Ardship gone?” By then I wer talking to him like you wud to a nother person you cudnt help it.

He showit which way with his head then he gone that way and I follert. It wer the out poast he took me to it wer close by. I gone slow and scanful but it wer emty. Tabels benches and sleapers cook pots and buckits but no weapons nor no doss bags. On a wall some bodyd drawt some thing with a bit of chard coal. What it wer it wer a joak picter of Goodparley. Rough done but you cud see it wer him easy a nuff. With his littl eyes and big chin and big teef he wer easy to do. Coming out of each side of his mouf wer vines and leaves the same as Greanvine. I wer holding the 1 face in my han and looking at the other on the wall. On the wall unner Goodparleys face wer wrote:

Took strange a nuff by that I wer. Hoap of a tree! Coming from them stoan trees like I wer jus then them words put me I dint know where. Hoap of a tree! Hoap of a tree for what? Hoap of a tree to grow out of Goodparleys mouf? Hoap of a tree to hang Goodparley on? Greanparley? Goodvine? Greangood? Parleyvine? My head begun to go roun with it.

Goodparley had a long chin and the chin in the picter wer even longer. At the top of that long chin the vines and leaves coming out of the mouf lookit like stag horns and the long chin lookit like the stags head. There ben a bit of chard coal lef on the floor I pickt it up and drawit in the stags eyes and nose and ears. There wer Goodparley in be twean the horns of the Hart of the Wud then. Unner neath of it the words:

What kynd of a tree wud that be then? The aulder? Never mynd, I thot. Iwl parbly fynd out soonern Iwd like. I brung my mynd back to the Ardship. From the 1st I come to Cambry realy I ben fealing like I had the place to my self. If I ben lissening every 1 gone then I thot may be I mytve lissent where they gone as wel. I tryd to let it come to me.

I wer looking at that picter on the wall and the words unner it agen. They dint look like they ben done by the same han. The picter of Goodparley wer big and sprawly and the words wer wrote littl and close kep. Tite face. Orfing. Hoap of a tree. Tree in the stoan. Fork in the tree. Fork Stoan. I said to the black leader, “Wheres the Ardship now? Wheres Lissener?”

He lookit at me with them yeller eyes of his then he jus tost his head and like give a sylent larf with his mouf.

Wel any how I dint have no other place in mynd only Fork Stoan so thats where I wer heading for nex.

Wel I dint go to Fork Stoan strait off. Seamt like I kep fealing different ways 1 minim to the nex that day it come on me then I dint want to road no mor by day I wantit to go dark. I dint want no 1 to know where I wer no more even if Goodparley did want me running luce. Special I dint want him to know. I dint want him all ways knowing where he cud put his han on me.

Goodparleyd said hewd be coming to Cambry but I dowtit that. It seamt too simpl. I dint think Goodparley ever gone any where and foun it emty without he meant to fynd it emty. Parbly he knowit bettern me where Orfing and the Ardshipwd be. What ever HOAP OF A TREE and that picter meant they wer agenst Goodparley some way I knowit that. Nor I dint think I knowit any thing Goodparley dint know. He wer a girt 1 for letting peopl run luce and til they run in to his han. If he pirntowt Orfing wer putting some thing to gether agenst him hewd be sure to tern up where itwd do him the mos good and Orfing the leas. Which I dint think thatwd be Cambry jus now.

I laid up in the out poast with dogs on look out. No sleap the nite befor and I wer ready for some kip. Nothing only bare sleapers there nor nothing to get warm with. The black leader come and floppit down on the floor and I floppit down with him I kep warm that way and off I gone.

Woak up with a lam leg in my face it wer that dog forage sqwad looking after me agen. Dint want to show no smoak so I cut some off and chewing it raw same as the dogs. I thot I myswel get use to it. Thinking that thot and suddn it come to me I dint know when Iwd ever be living like regler peopl agen.

I hung a bout there til it got dark I past the time with my old black Punch on my right han and Greanvine on my lef.

Punch said to Greanvine, “Whats it all about then?”

Greanvine said, “You dont nead me to tel you that do you. Youve put in your time this long time unner groun you know what its all about.”

Punch said, “Whats that then?”

Greanvine said, “Wel air is the short sky innit but earf is the long 1.”

Punch said, “Balls my boy. Thats what you aint got a nuff of.” Greanvine said, “It dont matter how much balls youve got its all the same in the end.”

Punch said, “No it aint the same its diffrent if youve got balls a nuff.”

Greanvine said, “Hows it diffrent?”

Punch said, “Its diffrent right the way up to the end and thats why the end is diffrent. If the way is diffrent the end is diffrent. Becaws the end aint nothing only part of the way its jus that part of the way where you come to a stop. The end cud be any part of the way its in every step of the way thats why you bes go ballsy.”

Greanvine said, “Is that how you all ways go?”

Punch said, “I am the balls of the worl I am the stoans of the worl. I am the stoans and I have my littl stick.”

Greanvine said, “Is that your tree then is that your living wood?”

Punch said, “Yes thats what it is its that same and very wood what never dys.”

Greanvine said, “Wel then is there hoap of a tree?”

Punch said, “Theres hoap of the wud in the hart of the stoan.”

Greanvine said, “What stoan is that then?”

Punch said, “Balls. Which thems the stoans what never dys.”

Wel of coarse Punch wud say that. Thats how he is hes that way myndit. Me I dint have Punchs balls nor I wernt all that sure them wer the stoans what never dys.

Any how when nite come on I put Greanvine back in his hidey hoal and my self on the road to Fork Stoan.

It come on to rain I dint mynd that I like the rain plus by then I wer out path myndit. Put me on a muddy track in a black nite with the rain pissing down and I wer hoam.

Roading with them dogs thru the dark it wer like I wer in a diffrent country from the res of Inland. Every 1 else the formers and them what jobbit or foragit or what ever they had the country of the day time. That same country I use to go in. In the day time there wer all ways things coming up in front of your eyes. In the nite you cud may be see other things. Other ways.