Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

I stil aint qwite said how it wer. Not like a diffrent country. It wer mor like I wer behynt the back clof in a show. Thats how it wer. Thru the clof I cud see the other figgers moving I cud see the peopl watching only no 1 cud see me. If I wer a figger in a show what hand wer moving me then? I cudnt be bothert to think on that right then. Theres all ways some thingwl be moving you if it aint 1 thing its a nother you cant help that.

Fealing that black leader bumping agenst me roading thru the hispering rain and dark and Fork Stoan coming closer and closer. Nor I dint realy want to think about it. Dint want to get in front of my self. I cudnt lissen what wer happening but I cud lissen wel a nuff there wer things happening. In my mynd Fork Stoan wer like a hoal in a fents. It wer the place where some thingd come thru all ready nor you cudnt know whatwd come thru nex.

It wer stil fresh in my mynd from the nite befor I cudnt keap my mynd from showing me that big space with the girt sleaping machines in it. I cud see figgers moving in that space and then jynt shadders wivvering and wayvering all roun. Not wanting to see no faces til I had to.

Closer closer the rain hispering down on the old stoans and my new foot steps going on top of my old 1s. Trying to lissen and not lissen boath at 1ce. Knowing the Ardship mus be lissening me as wel.

Closer and closer. No lookouts on the steps it wer like they wantit any body to come in as wantit to. There I wer then. By then I knowit what I wer going to see befor I seen it jus by lissening the regler way. The dogs helt back only the black leader come forit with me.

They had Goodparley hung up by his hans tyd behynt him sames hed hung up Belnot Phist. I thot I wer going to vomit when I seen that. It wer like that torcher wer all ways waiting and sooner or later every 1 wer going to have a tern. I cud feal it like it wer happening to me I cud feal my hevvyness pulling my arms out of ther sockits.

Goodparley wer twissing and terning on that roap he wer pulling up his feet like he thot he cud stan on air and ease his arms. There wer some twissit iron beams sticking out of the wall by them girt broakin machines theyd past the roap over 1 of them. There he hung and ternt and twissit and his jynt shadder twissing and terning with him and him crying and moaning with his head hung down.

Orfing and his hevvys looking on. The Ardship and the Eusa folk looking on as wel. Faces like bad dreams. Faces with 3 eyes and no nose. Faces with 1 eye and a snout. Humps on backs and hans growing out of sholders wer the leas of it they had every kynd of crookitness and ther shapes and shadders wivvering and wayvering on the wall with the shadder of Goodparley twissing and terning.

The black leader he laid back his ears and poyntit his nose up at the shadders and he begun to howl. Some of the hevvys uppit bow but the black leader stayd where he wer.

Orfing said, “Down bows.” Which they done.

I said, “What is it you want from him?”

The Ardship said, “I want to hear him sing like that its a good soun to lissen to.”

I said, “Orfing whyve you hung him up like that?”

Orfing said, “I aint Orfing no mor Im Goodparley now.”

I said, “Whats Goodparley then is he Orfing now?”

Orfing said, “He aint nothing no mor.”

I said, “Then whyve you got him hung up whynt you let him go?”

Orfing said, “Now you know he aint a bloak you can jus let go of. Tern him luce and hewl be binsyern ever. He cant live qwyet you know hes all ways got to be doing and moving.”

I said, “Stil you dont have to hang him up do you?”

The Ardship said, “O yes we do we have to hang him up sames he hung up my father we have to hang him up the sames he wer going to do me.”

Goodparley said, “Riddley dont you look at me like this o please dont look at me this aint me youre seeing this aint me no mor.”

The Ardship said, “O yes it is and its the reales part of you. Its the Littl Shyning Man of you innit. Which thats what you ben looking for this long time Ive heard you say that times a nuff.”

I gone over to where the roap wer tyd to a iron ring on 1 of the girt machines and I untyd it I lowert Goodparley til his feet toucht the groun and his arms come down. He screamt when his arms come down. I cut the roap what tyd his hans. Dint know if I myt be the nex 1 hung up twissing and terning I had a suddn idear. Shaddery it wer and Goodparleys fit up right there by us. Wylst bending over Goodparley and helping him up I took the yellerboy stoan out of my pockit I slippit in to the fit up thinking theyd parbly sercht that all ready. Goodparley seen what I wer doing his littl eyes they sparkelt in the shadders.

No 1 else took no noatis. Eusa faces and strait 1s they wer all stil looking at Goodparley not me. Orfings limpit face and the Ardships no eyes face staring like a blyn owl. Stretching his self out tords Goodparley and the way he lookit made me think of the Other Voyce Owl of the Worl.

I said to Orfing, “Is this HOAP OF A TREE then?”

He said, “Yes it is. Which theres hoap of a tree if its cut down yet itwl sprout agen. And them tinder branches theyre of wil not seaze. Tho the root of it works old in the earf and the stick of it dead on the groun yet even jus only the smel of water and itwl bud and bring forit bowing like the plan. Thats ben the go word of the arper sitting in the Mincery year on year it ben past down 1 shadder mincer to the nex. Inland may be cut down yet them branches wil keap coming. Peopl may try to kil them branches only itwl be the peopl what fall down and dy them branches wil grow out of ther moufs which thats our blip and syn.”

“Greanvine,” I said.

Orfing said, “This aint no vine its the tree what never dys.” I said, “And youre 1 of them branches what keaps coming are you.”

He said, “Yes I am and growing seeds of the new.”

I said, “Which Goodparley is that face whats dying out then is he.”

He said, “It looks that way dunnit. Whatre you then are you the Asker of the Worl?”

I said, “It seams like every body elses got ansers only I havent got nothing only askings.”

He said, “Now Iwl ask you some thing if youwl jus be so kynd wud you please han over your littl bag of yellerboy stoan.”

I said, “I havent got it have I. Theres a Rivver Sour runs thru Cambry which I sweetent it with that yeller boy.”

The Ardship said, “Thats a ly if ever I heard 1 youve got it hid somers I can lissen that.”

Orfing said, “Les jus have a look then shal we.”

Wel I had to take off all my cloes then and Orfing his self gone thru them. He lookit at my old black Punch for a long time he put his finger in the head and all then finely he put every thing back in my pockits and give me back my cloes.

The Ardship said, “May be it aint on you but youve hid it somers havent you.”

I said, “No I never.” With my hart jumping in me.

He said, “Whats the use of lying wewl jus hang you up the sames we done your new frend here.”

I said, “Lissen me if you think Im lying. When I come to Cambry I lissent you joynt the effert with Orfing and I throwit them stoans in the rivver I knowit I cudnt do nothing with them nor I dint want no 1 else to have them moon brother.” In my head I wer singing

Sharna pax and get the poal

When the Ardship of Cambry comes out of the hoal hard as I cud hoaping he wunt lissen nothing only that.

Orfing said to the Ardship, “Therewl be mor stoans soon a nuff weve got boatswl go where that 1 come from what we need is the knowing for our 1st try out with the stoans weve got. Have you got that knowing or not?”

The Ardship said, “I tol you I dont know nothing til we gether.”

Orfing said, “Wel you bes gether then.”