Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

The Ardship said, “What about these 2 then?”

Orfing said, “They dont have no knowing nor no Belnot Phist nor no hevvys they cant do us nothing.”

The Ardship said, “May be theres stil a littl some thing we can do them tho.”

Thats when the Eusa folk opent ther moufs and begun to sing:

Which the way they sung it wernt like nothing I ever heard befor.

Then I seen some thing flashing and like dantsing in the lite of the candls it wer a ax the Eusa folk wer passing it from han to han only it lookit like it wer zanting a bout all oansome.

Looking at that shyning ax nor I cudnt take my eyes off it. All them Eusa faces with ther eyes shyning. All of Orfings hevvys which they ben Goodparleys hevvys wester day ther eyes wer shyning the same. Orfings littl eyes shyning as wel.

That shyning ax zanting amongst the many agenst the few. Agenst the 2 of us. It wernt even Goodparley and me I wer thinking on jus then. It wer how that ax wer dantsing for the many. I knowit we wernt going out of that place the same as we come in. All this time Goodparley wer huddelt by me he wunt look up agen 1ce he seen that ax. I wer looking from the ax to the Ardship his face wer shyning pernear like that ax. He wer singing:

Finely Orfing said to the Ardship, “Les not be talking of no chopping we never progammit nothing like that.”

The Ardship said, “O no we wunt chop the Pry Mincer like he choppt my father we wunt never do that. Onlyes thing wewl do is make him lissen bettern what hes done so far. Hes all ways telling and asking yet he dont never lissen to no 1 nor nothing.”

By then the Eusa folk had holt of Goodparley and passing him 1 to the nex like they ben doing with the ax. He showit fight then only it dint help him nothing. That black leader dispeart like magic there wernt no 1 on our side only the 2 of us. I jumpt in to it and trying to pul Goodparley out of it only I got clubbit on the head and every thing gone black.

When I come out of it there wer a howling coming and going a roun me. 1st I thot it wer the black leader then I heard a slubbering and a moaning in it I knowit wer some thing else. It wer Goodparley he wer running and falling down and getting up agen running in to stoans and rubbl falling down and getting up agen slubbering and moaning the woal time there wernt no words in it.

I gone after him and cawt him. He ternt his face to me it wer all bloody and blood stil running out of where his eyes ben.

He said, “Is that you Riddley?”

I said, “Yes its me Im here.”

He said, “Wil you stay with me now?”

I said, “Yes I wil Iwl stay with you its all right now.”

He musve ben in terbel pain but he stoppt his moaning and his crying then he gone all qwyet. Every 1 else wer qwyet too all of them wer looking at him like he wer magic now theyd made him blyn.

Goodparley said to me, “Put me in front of them wil you please. Put me in front of the new Goodparley.”

I led him over and he poyntit to his blyn and bloody face and said to Orfing, “This for you and what for me?”

Orfing said, “You know that wernt for me Abel that jus happent befor I cud stop it.” Lissening to him I cudnt help noatising how ful fed he soundit. He said, “Whats your asking?”

Goodparley said, “Plomercy Erny I aint asking nothing only jus a littl Plomercy.”

Ording said, “Wel what is it Abel?”

Goodparley said, “Im broakin now Erny there aint no fight lef in me I jus only want to live qwyet wil you give me letshow?”

Orfing said, “You mean you want to go on showing Eusa?” Goodparley said, “O no Erny Eusa is the Mincery show its the Pry Mincers show I wunt even ask to do no shadder mincer show o no not me I aint even arper sitting now.” He reacht in to my pockit and got that old blackent Punch figger on his han. He begun to zant him a bout and saying, “Ah putcha putcha putcha. Ah putcha putcha way.” Terning his bloody face to Orfing and he said, “Its jus only a fun figger Erny it wont be nothing only show for meat roading 1 place to a nother with Riddley here to lead me.”

It wer the terbeles strange thing how he wer then it got to me moren the moaning and the crying. He wer swaying back and forit wylst he talkit so easy them bleading woons musve ben tharbing like the sea pounding on the stoans. It seamt like hed come pas the werst now jus in them littl few minims hed come to a qwyet place where he wer man a nuff for any thing.

Orfing said, “Abel you cudnt run a fun show to save your life. If I put you on the road with a fit up that figger on your hans going to come the shadder mincer to Eusa and wel you know it.”

Goodparley said, “Wel Erny are you afeart Iwl do a better show nor Eusa are you afeart Iwl bring down your Mincery with Punch? Are you afeart 1 poor old broakin blyn mans going to come the upper of your hoap and your tree? Erny dont you have no balls at all?”

Orfing said, “All right Abel this is where weve come to now and wewl see where we come to after this. Iwl give you letshow for that fun figger only you wont be showing Eusa no mor Iwl have a drop or 2 mor of your blood Im putting the down stroak on your scar.”

Goodparley larft then he said, “O youre a careful 1 Erny youre afeart Iwl sly a roun making Eusa say the wrong things are you.”

Orfing said, “You jus mynd what I say Abel dont stress me now dont strain me.”

Goodparley said, “Iwl be careful not to do that Erny I realy wil.” He opent his anrack and pult up his jumper and his vesses then. “Here we go Erny,” he said. “Take your littl knife and put the Z to my E.”

Which he steppit up to Orfing then with all them Eusa faces looking on and his hevvys from wester day. The Ardship now when he lissent to Goodparley you cud see even with his no eyes face he wer lissening him diffrent. The Ardship never ben afeart of Goodparley when Goodparley ben Pry Mincer but he wer afeart of him now. The woal lot of them wer that littl bit afeart they sust theyd put some kynd of Power in him when they blyndit him.

There wer Goodparley with his belly uncovert agen the same as when I took my scar from him. Which the scab wernt even off my E it wer only 4 days back I took that scar. Which the wood slid out from unner me that nite and I had to grab him and he said, “Take that for a blip.” There wer them jynt shadders wivvering and wayvering. Orfings han with the knife poyntit at Goodparleys belly.

Theres words for down stroaking a scar as wel as putting 1 on. Orfing said, “Wheres Eusa?”

Goodparley said, “Hes gone from my belly like Im gone from his hart.”

Orfing said, “Dont lissen for his voyce in you no mor.”

Goodparley said, “Iwl have the sylents I know that.”

Orfing said, “Dont talk for him out of your memberment. You cant talk for Eusa now hes going a head and leaving you behynt.”

Goodparley said, “I know that I know Im the 1 whats lef.”

Orfing said, “Its E to Z then.”

Goodparley said, “My blame my shame.”

Orfing cut the down stroak then. Goodparley took some mud off his boots and prest it in to the cut he said, “Inland be my healing.”

Orfing said, “That aint in the wording.”

Goodparley said, “It is now.”

Then we wer outside in the rain and the dark and Goodparley with a bloody clout roun his head. In my mynd I cud sill see that ax shyning and dantsing in the candl lite I wer a littl bit snuck wed come out of there a live. The handl of that ax ben what they blyndit him with. It all happent so fas and now there I wer with blyn Goodparley took on me. When I said Iwd stay with him I never give no thot to how long. A mooning? A year? The res of his life? I took his fit up on my back. The littl man all ways carrys the fit up the big 1 is the hevvy.