Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker

Erny said, “Wel Rightway whats it going to be? Be you going to put on your wig and hold the bailey and pour the ounts of judgd men or you going to let wester day go down and ter morrer come up?”

Flinter said, “O ter morrerwl come up Erny. Ter morrer all ways comes up the thing is to be 1 of them as comes up with it.”

Us stanning there in front of that gate nor it cudnt get no bigger realy only it kep like biggering in my eyes. Them dark heads and the grey sky behynt them. There come up then 2 mor heads it wer Granser and Goodparley. They ben smoakit like roady ther faces wer dark. Tree faces stoan faces. Wood faces.

I have to stop here for a littl.

All them heads looking at us the live 1s on the peopl and the dead 1s on the poals. Rightway Flinter said, “You know these heads ben telling.”

Erny and me we dint say nothing. I tryd to lissen that black leader I tryd to put my mynd where he cud lissen me. I dont know what I thot he cud do only come in to bow shot and get his self kilt. He lissent me tho. He begun to yoop yaroo and all them other dogs the same. The woal pack yoop yarooing.

The hevvys on the gate uppit bow at us with arrer on string. Rightway Flinter said, “You know these heads ben telling.”

I thot: Whyd we come here? Id knowit some kynd of thing like this myt happen. Whynt we stay hoalt up? Whynt we go somers far a way? Becaws you cant stay hoalt up. Becaws there aint no far a way. Becaws where you happen is where you happen.

Rightway Flinter said, “You know these heads ben telling. And you know what they ben telling. They ben telling of Eusa how he gone that circel of the towns after Bad Time. Him what done the clevver work for Bad Time.”

Erny said, “You know Rightway we aint Eusa. Youwl go a head and youwl do what youre progammit to do only dont tel your self weare Eusa becaws we aint.”

Flinter said, “Wel Erny you myt terpit your way but Iwl terpit my way and parbly my waywl be the Rightway wunt you say.”

Erny kep shut then he dint say nothing.

Flinter said, “Theres all ways some kynd of clevverness waiting somers near or far its all ways waiting to happen its all ways waiting for some 1 to pul it some 1 to fetch it some 1 to bring it down on the res of us. And them what fetches it who ever they myt be theyre Eusa. If its 1 or if its many dont make no odds. Its Eusa. Which time back way back every place as seen Eusa helt the bailey dint they. Every 1 as seen him pourt the ounts of judgd men dint they. Howd Eusa come back to Cambry he come back blyn and bloody he come back cut off he wernt a man no mor he wer what wer lef. You see what it wer hed had his chylding when he ben littl hed had his manning when he ben big. And whatd he do with his manning? He done clevverness and fetching the same. So he had to pay for it dint he. All them what dyd when the wite shadders come they payd dint they. All them what ther seed gone crookit when the groun gone sour they payd dint they. You see what it is Erny youve got to pay for 1 thing befor you go on to the nex. You and your yung partner here youre Eusa which of coarse youve got your chaynjis to go thru youve got things youwd like to do nex only befor you get to them youwl have to pay for the las things what you done.”

I had all of Goodparleys figgers in the fit up only Punch which he wer in my pockit. Not the old blackent 1 it wer Goodparleys Punch I had. Which I had the swazzl in my pockit as wel and when wed come up to Weaping gate Id put it in my mouf and wetting it I thot Mr Punch myt have some thing to say.

I ternt my back to the gate and Mr Punch come up looking at them over my sholder. He wer waving his stick he made his cock fessin noys. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. He said, “ Ah putcha putcha putcha. ” Which he begun to beat me with his stick. Them on the gate begun to larf. I cud feal ther eyes on Punch and I wer hoaping hewd say some thing funny. He dint tho. He stoppit beating me and he wer looking up at them. He wer staring at them and waving his stick. Dint say a word. Dogs ben yoop yarooing the woal time til then. Now they stoppt suddn and in jumpt the sylents. Them on the gate looking at Punch and Punch staring back and waving his stick. Not saying a word. Dead men in my mynd.

Nex there come Rightway Flinters voyce he said, “You myswel come in and do your show. Whats on you is on you. I wont bring nothing down on this crowd.”

So we dint dy at Weaping Form nor we dint get cut off nor blyndit. We livet and we kep our eyes and our cocks and balls that time any how. What the nex time wil bring no 1 cant never say.

We tol them it wernt no Eusa show nor we dint think we shud do no wotcher only ther connexion man Deaper Flinter he wer Rightways brother he said they wunt let us show without we wotchert 1st. So we got our hash and rizlas only diffrents wer he said if it wernt no Eusa show we shunt get the woal wotcher. He give us 1 cut hash and 25 rizlas each in stead of 2 cuts hash and 50 then he said ther meat our meat and the res of it.

There we wer then. Hard to beleave it. Stil a live and the torches shimmying for us. Shimmering and glimmering. All fittit up and the crowd waiting for what wer coming. All the seanyer members of the form in front plus the regenneril guvner man from the Ram his name wer Riser Partman. Erny out in front for the patter and me looking out thru the back clof.

They wer mummering in the front row it wer about the show talk. Deaper Flinter said it wernt right doing the Eusa show talk if it wernt no Eusa show. Which Rightway Flinter said there wernt going to be no show without no show talk not wylst he wer Big Man any how. Then Deaper said wel what shud he say when he done the show talk shud he say “Down that road with Eusa”? Which Rightway said he shud jus say what he all ways said and les get on with it. Which Deaper said Rightway cud do what he liket only he wernt going to say the name of Eusa if it wernt no Eusa show. Then Rightway said he dint care what Deaper said only les get on with the show befor the torches bernt out.

Deaper stanning up then he said to the crowd, “Now this here show what weare going to see it aint no Eusa show its some kynd of a new show.”

Then there come some mummering.

Deaper said, “So les keap in mynd now wylst weare doing this show talk weare leaving Eusa out of it.”

There come a hevvy mans voyce from the crowd it said, “You bes go careful Deaper.”

Deaper said, “I am going careful nor I dont nead no 1 to tel me do I.”

The same voyce said, “Wel if you think you can leave Eusa out of any thing you aint going careful youre going foolish.”

Rightway Flinter then he ternt roun he said to that bloak, “Easyer you neadnt to worry over our connexion man going foolish wylst Im Big Man. What you nead to worry over is if your joars as hard as my fis.”

Easyer gone qwyet then only you cud hear some shiffing roun and some breaving and sying.

Deaper finely begun his show talk then he said to the crowd, “Weare going aint we.”

They said, “Yes weare going.”

He said, “Down that road.”

They waitit for them other 2 words which them words dint come.

Then there come Easyers voyce loud and clear he said, “With Eusa.”

Then the res of them said, “With Eusa time and reqwyrt.”

Deaper said, “Where them Chaynjis take us.”

They said, “He done his time wewl do our time.”

Deaper said, “Showing for us.” In stead of “Hes doing it for us.”

They said, “Hes doing it for us weare doing it for him.”

Deaper said, “Keap it going. Chances this time.”

They said, “Chances nex time.”

Deaper said, “New chance every time.”

They said, “New chance every time.”