Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Goodparley said, “Whatre you going to do then?”

Granser said, “O therewl be big zanting I can tel you that. Therewl be hy telling and seakert rights in the Ful of the Moon o yes therewl be big doings.”

Goodparley said, “Then what?”

Granser said, “Wel then wewl have it wont we. Then wewl have that

Goodparley said, “Granser dont you take my meaning Im asking what youre going to do with that 1 Littl 1 when youve got it.”

Granser said, “Abel havent I ben telling you that same and very.”

Goodparley said, “Whos the Big Man of the chard coal berners?”

Granser said, “O it aint that kynd of thing Abel the chard coal berners aint no fents nor form nor Mincery weare the childer of the woodlings.”

Goodparley said, “Ah. Childer of the woodlings. Howd you get to be a chyld of the woodlings then?”

Granser said, “It ben you what done that Abel it ben you what happent that for me when you stuck that knife in me and lef me for dead. You have in memberment where it wer you done that do you?”

Goodparley said, “Good Mercy Form.”

Granser said, “Which there it is that same and very place whats jus acrost the rivver from us right this minim. That same and very where you stuck your knife in me nor you dint show me no good mercy at all Abel no you dint. Nor them formers dint nyther whatd they care for a old roader and him mosly dead. Only 1 of the dyers them bloaks what boyl up the pig shit they all ways stink like any thing they mosly keap to ther selfs he seen me lying there and red with my oan blood my oan seed of the red you see what I mean. That dyer he cudnt tern his back on dying me becaws the seed of the red is seed of the berning you see its hart of the chyld which theyve swoar on it and ben swoar to it. That dyer took me down to the rivver which he put me in a boat and he rowit me over to you know where dont you.”

Goodparley said, “This here wood where we are now.”

Granser said, “This same and very aulder wood. Which the healing and the healf is in the hart of the wood you see. The hart of the wood by the run of the rivver what goes to the dead stoan hart of Inland where the stoan wood lives. Right here in this wood is where the chard coal berners healft me back to life. Abel you know I wer jus only joaking when I said I wer Drop John I never meant to ride your hump for what you done I never hevvit no gilt on to you. What you done to me I brung it on my self with what I done to you when I wunt let you be come your oan man. I wunt let you be come what you wer going to be nex. Thats the woal seakert of the 1 Littl 1 you see.”

Goodparley said, “Whats that seakert then?”

Granser said, “It wants to be its nex thing you see its a showing of the Master Chaynjis in littl. Them wite kirstels and that black chard coal and that yeller boy theyre coming to gether to show you the Power in the changingness of things. Which is the hart of the Girt Chyld of the Every Thing and the worl aint nothing only a idear in the mynd of that chyld. Which that chyld wants us to think all the diffrent parts of that idear to keap the worl in good hart and healf.” Granser wer looking at poor old Goodparley with his blyn rapt up head he said, “Abel be you thinking on how the 1 of the 2 of us come a part and gone 2 diffrent ways?”

Goodparley said, “Yes Im thinking on that.”

Granser said, “You gone with the Mincery and I gone with the chard coal berners. What do the chard coal berners do. We bern 1ce to bern agen you see the blip of it. Ben thru the fire in the hart of the chyld and ready to bern agen. The Mincery and all the other mincerys what ever ben they dont know nothing only to bern 1ce and go every thing a way. Go the worl a way. Keap them poor crookit peopl in a hoal and asking roun your Fools Circel for whats long gone and far pas.”

Goodparley said, “Granser whatwd you do if we put some of that yeller boy in your han wud you know what to do with it?”

Granser said, “Cernly I wud I tol you that knowing ben kep safe amongst the chard coal berners and waiting on the day.”

Goodparley said, “Wel old cock this is the day becaws weve got jus a littl of that yellerboy stoan right here.”

Gransers mouf hung open when I showit him the yellerboy stoan. He said, “Whered it come from?”

Goodparley said, “From over the water dinnit. There come over jus only 1 littl bag of it which this is ½ of that nor it dont look like a nuff for moren a try out.”

Granser said, “Les try it out then.” He took the yellerboy and gone in to the hut where he kep his exter gear and jumbling a roun in there.

Goodparley said, “Watch how he does it Riddley.”

I said, “I dont want to know.”

He said, “Eusas sake be you simpl or what? The way thingsre going it looks like every 1 in Inlands after the yellerboy and the knowing of what to do with it. Somewl have 1 and somewl have the other and somewl have the boath. And them what dont have nothing theywl be out of it.”

I said, “Wel I ben out of it up to now enn I.” I wer thinking of what come to me in Cambry when I wer looking at Greanvine. Keaping in mynd how much that face lookit like Goodparleys face. I said, “The onlyes Power is no Power.”

He said, “O Eusa you aint going to weary me with that kynd of boar shit are you. Nex thing youwl be telling me the Littl Shyning Man hes jus what ever cant never be put to gether or some other kynd of Orfing qwickness.”

I said, “I dont think he can be put to gether.”

Goodparley said, “O yes and whats our frend Erny doing right this minim Iwl give you odds hes trying his hardes to put that same and very Littl Shyning Man to gether jus as fas as he can.”

I said, “You mean hes trying to make it right with the Eusa folk?”

He said, “I mean hes trying to do the same what Gransers doing this very minim. Befor Orfing took over he talkit like he wunt never Trubba no 1 he wantit the woal worl to love him. And all the time progamming to sneak me and parbly dealing for yellerboy even if you dont think so. Whatd he do soons he took over? Hung me up and put my eyes out dinnee. Yes it wer the Eusa folk done it but it wer him as let them. You think you can keap out of it thats your fearbelly talking. Running afeart wont help you nothing. 1 day youwl be blowt to peaces with some 1 elses doing then youwl wish youd lissent to your poor blyn old Nunkel Abel youwl wish youd stood forit like a man and took it in han.”

“And wankt with it,” I said. Yet I done like he tol me I gone in to that littl hump back hut with Granser. He wer pounding the yellerboy stoan to a fine powder. Then he done the same with some chard coal. Done it with a boal and pounder. He had the Saul & Peter all ready that wer kirstels like salt. He took littl measurs and measuring out yellerboy and chard coal and Saul & Peter. Mixing them all to gether then and me watching. It wer like the 1st time I seen a woman open for me I wer thinking: This is what its all about then.

Granser singing to his self wylst he mixt the 3 of the 1:

Granser said, “Now comes the las of the mixing which Ive got to say the words.”

I said, “Wel go on and say them then.”

He said, “O no I aint saying them words wylst youre lissening thems the fissional seakerts of the act aint they. You bes go off a littl way.”

I said, “All right then” which I gone out of the rivverside gate and walking by the water I dint want to sit by Goodparley I dint want him to weary me with why wernt I watching Granser.