Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Goodparley said, “Be you going to healf me or you going to stan there wanking?”

Granser said, “Iwl see you right dear boy you neadnt worry. Whatve they done to you whatve they done to my poor old Abel?”

Goodparley said, “Theyve put my eyes out Granser I cant see no mor Iwl never see nothing no mor.” He begun to cry then.

Granser said, “Never you mynd Abel Iwl look out for you youre hoam now you can res easy from now on.” He took him in to a littl hump back hut then I lef them to it and going down by the rivver for the loan of my thots.

I have to keap counting to keap it strait in my mynd what day it wer. Wel I have noats but what I mean is I have to keap counting to beleave how far I come in my life 1 day to the nex. That morning it wer the 9th day from my naming day. That day when it come that las boars tern to dy on my spear in the grey morning girzel on them very same Bundel Downs. 9 days dont soun like a long time yet I stil cudnt take in all whatd happent. Seeing that boars face in my mynd that morning in the aulders and seeing it in my mynd now I have the same thot I had then: If you cud even jus see 1 thing clear the woal of whats in it you cud see every thing clear. But you never wil get to see the woal of any thing youre all ways in the middl of it living it or moving thru it. Never mynd.

We stoppit there then with Granser in the aulders it wer a good place to ly up. Granser he dint have no crowd there he wer oansome like the chard coal berners mosly wer. The forms all ways give them road crowd and hault ther fentsing 1 cutting to a nother then they fentst them in and lef them til they finisht ther berning and ready to move on. This year the chard coal berners ben doing the 6 year cutting in the aulder coppises all up and down the rivver. They had long flat boats for the fentsing and the chard coal there wer 1 tyd up by Gransers cutting with bags of chard coal covert with hard clof. All up and down the rivver you cud see the loppt off aulders when they wer fresh cut they wer red they ternt pink after. Red wood. Red wud. Seed of the red. All ways words in things. 6 year cuttings. Which this wer a Ardship year and a cutting year boath. Every 2nd cutting yearwd all ways be 1 of them 12th years when a Pry Mincer and a Ardship gone the Fools Circel 9wys. Them aulders wer trying to tel me some thing I knowit that much.

It wer on the forms to keap the chard coal berners in meat. Granser had a stoar of pittaters and sweads he had roady and sossage from Good Mercy plus some times they brung fresh meat. Goodparley and me we all ways kep low when any 1 ternt up. I gone foraging with the dogs every day we et good there. I kep myndful of How Fents no moren 3 faggers off I dint want to run in to none of ther foragers jus then. Some times Iwd see them in the farness without them seing me which that took me strange. My crowd what use to be.

Granser wer putting poltises on Goodparleys woons all the time and Goodparley mending steady. We hadnt ben talking on it but I thot wewd parbly start in showing Mr Punch soons Goodparley wer fit to road. Right then he wer sleaping moren he wer doing any thing else. Him and Granser slep in 1 hut and I wer in a nother with a doss bag Granserd give me. I wunnert if the 2 of them talkit over old times and I wunnert if Granser tryd to start any new times.

I wer wunnering when Granser wer going to say some thing of what we ben talking on 1st time I seen him. I dint say nothing to him I jus waitit. Them chard coal harts kep him on the hop he wer all ways hanging over them doing 1 thing and a nother hewd be shovveling earf on them or hewd be shiffing his wind screans a bout. He wer all ways scortching his self and his cloes his red jumper wer bernt ful of hoals and the sleaves of it all blackent. He wer looking at it 1 time and he said, “Im about due for the new red.” Which then he begun singing ½ unner his breaf:

Looking at me sydling wylst he sung it like he wantit me to take noatis. So I said, “All right then what is that Saul & Peter whats it all about?”

Granser he larft and sung:

Goodparley said, “What day wud that be then?”

Granser said, “We dont know the day but wewl be ready when it comes Abel. Which Ive give blood for it and got a scar to show for it enn I.”

Goodparley said, “I aint never heard nothing about no day nor no scar.”

Granser said, “No you aint and thats how its meant to be. If the Pry Mincer knowit then it wunt be no berners and dyers seakert wud it.”

Goodparley said, “Berners and dyers is it. Les see that scar then I mean les have a feal of it.”

Granser liffit up his jumper and his vesses and there on his belly wer the same and very scar Goodparley and me had on ours only on the lef in stead of the right. I said, “Thats a Eusa scar.”

Goodparley run his finger over it he said, “What do the berners and the dyers call this scar Granser?”

Granser said, “Abel I swoar when I took this scar dint I. Swoar I wunt never tel no seakerts.”

Goodparley said, “Granser you know youre dying to tel your seakerts and youwl cernly dy if you dont tel Iwl pul you a part like a chikken sames Eusa done the Littl Shyning Man. Then therewl be a new figger in the show the Littl Smelly Man.”

Granser said, “Wel you know I never cud say no to you Abel we call that scar the 3 of the 1.”

Goodparley he stil had his head all rapt up and you wud all mos think he wer looking right thru them rappings the way he leant tords Granser. He said, “What 1 wud that be Granser? That wunt be the 1 Big 1 wud it?”

Granser said, “There wont never be no 1 Big 1 for us Abel we aint got the clevverness for it but befor there ben the 1 Big 1 there ben the 1 Littl 1 and wil be agen. Which weare waiting for the day and ready.”

Goodparley said, “Ready with what?”

Granser said, “Ready with 2 of the 3 aint we and ben ready this long time and keaping ready and til it comes never mynd how long it takes the chard coal berners wil be wearing red and keaping ready.”

Goodparley said, “Til what comes Granser?”

Granser said, “The yellerboy stoan.”

Goodparley and me we boath let out our breaf at 1ce. Goodparley said, “The yellerboy stoan.”

Granser said, “Thats right Abel weve got the other 2 all ready.”

I said, “Pig shit.”

Granser said, “Thats right pig shit it is which thats what they make the seed of the red from thats how they make the Saul & Peter.”

I said, “Hart of the wood is the chard coal.”

Granser said, “Right you are agen. Hart of the wood and seed of the berning and hart of the chyld which is the chard coal time back and time to come.”

Goodparley he wer leaning tords Granser he wer lissening hard. When he talkit then his voyce soundit like he wer stil Pry Mincer. He said, “Thats the 3 of the 1 is it? The 3 of the 1 Littl 1 is yellerboy stoan and Saul & Peter and chard coal?”

Granser said, “Thats it Abel there you have the knowing what ben kep safe right the way from time back way back which it ben the chard coal berners and the dyers done that safe keaping nor no 1 else. Ours the salts and us the savers.”

Goodparley said, “Wel wel wel here I ben stressing my self and straining and wearying and worrying this long time and all that time this here knowing ben right unner my nose. 1 Littl 1 who wudve thot it.”

Granser said, “O yes there bint nothing else like that savit ben there. O no that 1 Littl 1 thats the onlyes banger any 1 knows of. I tel you Abel that yeller boys going to come up this here rivver 1 day and wewl make such a noys then yes we wil my good old boys.”