Riddley Walker

by Russell Hoban

  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 does 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:

  Mort your clof with Saul & Peter

  (Dy it red)

  Mort your clof with Saul & Peter

  (Eusa said)

  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:

  Mort your clof with Saul & Peter

  (Keap the way)

  Mort your clof with Saul & Peter

  (Wait the day)

  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 Ice. 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.’

  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

  Seed of the littl seed of the wyld

  Seed of the berning is hart of the chyld

  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 riwer 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 Ice 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 Ice 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:

  Wewl make such a noys

  Such a noys

  Such a noys

  Wewl make such a noys

  My good old boys

  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.

  I jus begun to roal up a smoak when WHAP! there come like a thunner clap it wer like when litening strikes right close it eckowit up and down the riwer. There come up a cloud of smoak from the fents it wernt the regler blue smoak it wer 1 big puff of grey smoak and things wer peltering down out of the trees like when you shake down nuts. The dogs begun to howl.

  I gone back inside the fents. That littl hump back hut where Granser ben doing the mixing it wernt there no mor it wer jus only sticks and sods scattert wide. Granser he wer like throwt a way on the groun he lookit emty like when you take your han out of a show figger. His head wernt with the res of him his head wer on a poal. The gate a way from the riwer it had a hy poal on each side of it and Gransers head wer stuck on the poynt of 1 of them poals jus like it ben put there for telling.

  Nor that wernt the stranges of it. Goodparley wer stil where Id lef him sitting leaning agenst the other hump back hut. I wer stil looking tords the gate I said, ‘Gransers head is on a poal.’ Which he dint anser me nothing then I ternt to look at him and he had Gransers pounder sticking out of the front of his head. Clout stil rapt roun his head and that stoan pounder drove right in to his skul.

  There hung over the place a kynd of scortchy smel a kynd of stinging scortchy smel and the grey smoak driffing thru the blue smoak of the chard coal harts. Twean lite it wer the 1st dark coming on. Bat lite it wer and dimminy the pink and red stumps glimmering in the coppises like loppt off arms and legs and the riwer hy and hummering. The dogs wer howling nor it wernt like no other howling I ever heard it wer a kynd of wyld hoapless soun it wer a lorn and oansome yoop yaroo it soundit like they wer runnying on ther hynt legs and telling like thin black men and sad. Crying ther yoop yaroo ther sad tel what theyd all ways knowit theywd have to tel agen.

  I gone to where Gransers head wer on the poal. His eyes wer closd his mouf wer shut. I said, ‘Granser wil you tel?’

  Lissening him then words come to me: What if its you whats making all this happen? What if every thing you think of happens?

  I said, ‘I never thot of my father getting kilt did I.’

  Words come: Dint you?

  Then I wernt sure. I said, ‘I wont think no mor.’

  Words come: That dont make no diffrents. If you dont think then some thing else wil think your thots theywl get thunk any how.

  I said, ‘What can I do then aswl be my oan doing?’

  Words come: Whats the diffrents whos doing it?

  The dogsd stoppt ther yoop yarooing. They come to the fents I heard them wimpering like los and greaving childer. All roun I heard the twean lite lissening. I took a las look at Goodparley I ½ thot I myt see vines and leaves growing out of his mouf. Then I slung his fit up and my bundel on my back and off I slyd.

  17

  My feet begun to walk me down riwer tords Cambry. Thats where the senter is. All roun myt be a fools circel but the senter is stil what it is a
nd where it is.

  I kep wel in from the riwer side I kep wel wide of the coppises I dint want nothing mor to do with chard coal berners for a wyl. Dark nite it wer Dark of the Moon but where the woodlings littlt off to barrens I cud feal it on my face the open of it and I had a fealing inside me I never had befor. Sour groun and dead the barrens are you cudnt grow nothing on them only the dry dus blowing in the summer and the grey mud in the winter. Even the wind blowing the dus is some thing moving tho it aint jus only dead groun in a stilness. Seeds blow in the wind and what is earf but a deadness with life growing out of it? Rottin leaves and dead branches and naminal shit and that it all makes live earf on the dead groun and if you look at woodlings edge all roun the barrens youwl see the runty coming up where skin of earf growit back on nekkit groun. Nekkit groun what ben the bloody meat and boan of Bad Time covering its self with skin of earf and grass and woodlings. I thot: What ever it is its my groun. Here I stan.

  We ben roading like all ways with the black leader josseling nexy but ½ way acrost the barrens he pusht his nose in to my han. He never done nothing like that befor I cudnt beleave it. Him what lookit like Death on 4 legs with his yeller eyes what dint even care if he livet or dyd and he wantit me to pet him. Thats when I cryd for the dead.