I tryd to ease up a littl. I myndit my self itwd parbly be a nother 6fag befor we come in to any bother so why not in joy that peace of time the bes I cud. Stil it takes you strange walking in your old foot steps like that. Putting your groan up foot where your chyld foot run nor dint know nothing what wer coming. All them ins and outs and ups and downs of Fork Stoan outers ben my vencher place when I ben littl. Me and my kid crowd. Some of them dead befor they ever growt up. Follery Digman dog et. Ender Easten kilt in a digging. Belgrave Moaters dead of the coffing sickness. Ferny Carpenter took off by a feaver. And here come Riddley Walker walking thru that dead town dark with his blyn moon brother. Smelling the dead town smel of old grean rot old berning old piss on the stoans. Old littl Riddley Walkers from time back running a head of me and follering behynt. Yelling ther sylents and singing ther rimes and clyming over old walls stumps and stannings.
We kep getting closer to the senter. I hadnt never seen the out poast but I knowit about where it wer and wewd perwel be in it in a minim or 2. I said to Lissener, “I know I ben the 1 as said Fork Stoan but here we are coming in to the senter of it nor I dint have no progam what about you?”
He said, “Im lissening enn I.”
I said, “Youwl lissen us right in to Grabs your Aunty in a minim if we keap on walking dont you have nothing in mynd?”
He said, “I dont know til I get there do I. Youre all ways worrying your self with littl myndy askings. Dont you know if you keap getting a head of your self youwl jus only fall over your self when you get to where youre going?”
I said, “I thot may be you being such a telling head you myt even know some thing befor they acturely put your head on a poal.”
He said, “I know you dont have too much balls but if you cud jus suck your thum qwyet for a wyl and stop giving me inner fearents I cud tune in better.”
I said, “I had balls a nuff to get you out of that hoal when you neadit me tho dint I.”
He said, “Yes you did after I pult the dog and the dog pull you. Hadnt he come for you youwd parbly stil be shovveling cow shit or what ever you done at that form.”
I said, “Cow shit with them or bul shit with you there aint much in it is there.” What hed said it realy hert me tho. Here I ben thinking how wel I done going over that fents and oansome amongst them dogs and he wer trying to make it be nothing. I said, “Any how whatve you done whats so ballsy?”
He put his han on my sholder I fealt like when he took it a way itwd leave a wite shadder behynt. He said, “I know I soun like Im trying to littl you down but that aint what Im doing Im trying to bring on that seed of the red in you Im trying to strong it on Im trying to rise your hump. Dyou lissen me? Im trying to get you to be your oan black dog and your oan Ardship.”
I said, “Why?”
He said, “Becaws you wont all ways have me wil you.”
I said, “Why not?”
He said, “Becaws thats how itwl be nor les not mouf it roun no mor jus keap that in you. Be your oan black dog and your oan Ardship.”
We gone a head on the qwyet slow and easy nor no lert from the dogs no soun only the hisper of the rain. We wer farther in nor ever I ben when I ben littl we kep on thru hevvy rubbl til we come in unner some thing and out of the rain. Cudnt see nothing at all in there. Gone a littl farther and come to big steps going down and warm air coming up. I said to Lissener, “You cern you aint ben here befor?” Becaws he wer moving like a dog on hot foller.
He said, “No but weare coming strong on some thing. Be ready to move qwick.”
He neadntve tol me that I wer ready for any thing and wivvering all over with it. That place wer a Power place you cud feal it all roun you.
We seen a feabl shaky glimmer like from a far off candl it wer jus a nuff so we cud see the edges of the steps. Slow and easy slow and easy. From there on it wer only the black leader and his 2 nexters with us the others ternt roun I gest they wer poasting ther selfs back at the top of the steps I fealt sorry for any body coming that way on our foller. Wunnering at the same time why the dogs hadnt give us warning of no lookouts yet. Lissener said, “The out poasts dont keap sharp they dont think no is ever coming in on them.”
