Riddley Walker

I said, "Wel now Im saying, 'Wherewl _we_ go?' Any where you go its the 2 of us going."

He said, "You know how it is with me I wunt ask you to come. Me I dont have nothing to lose they ben going to put my head on a poal any how. It aint the same for you parbly you can stil go back to your fents […]

I said, "Wel that old dog I kilt I lookit in its eyes dint I. Nor I never got no 1st knowing out of it did I."

She said, "May be you got it only you dont know it yet."

I said, "Have you got it?"

She said, "Every bodys got it its in every 1 of us only we cant get to it til it comes to us 1 way […]

Orfing said to the Ardship, "Therewl be mor stoans soon a nuff weve got boatswl go where that 1 come from what we need is the knowing for our 1st try out with the stoans weve got. Have you got that knowing or not?"

The Ardship said, "I tol you I dont know nothing til we gether."

Goodparley larft then he said, "O youre a careful 1 Erny youre afeart Iwl sly a roun making Eusa say the wrong things are you."

Orfing said, "You jus mynd what I say Abel dont stress me now dont strain me."

Goodparley said, "Iwl be careful not to do that Erny I realy wil." He opent his anrack […]

Pootys voyce said, "What ever theywl pay for."

Punch said, " _Whatwl they pay for?_ "

Pootys voyce said, "What ever they can think of."

Punch said, " _What can they think of?_ "

Pootys voyce said, "Its mosly the same thing."

Punch said, " _What thing is that?_ "

I said, "Whatre you talking about?"

He said, "Im talking about how long Goodparleywl have to wait for a nother Ardship whatre you talking about?"

I said, "What dyou mean a nother Ardship?"

He said, "Wel its jus only a littl wyl since a son of myn ben beartht nor he cant be Ardship til he […]

There come back Erny Orfings voyce he said, "Its Erny Orfing Riddley."

Hed got his self up hys he cud get on a mounding of rubbl and hed like walt his self in he had to move big stoans out of the way befor I cud get to him. I said, "Whatre you doing all walt up like that?" Taking the murky jus […]

Mr On The Levvil says, "O no my binses is right here Ive come for a littl sumfing from Pooty." He hasnt took noatis of the frying pan yet.

Punch says, " _Going to give you a littl sumfing is she?_ "

Mr On The Levvil says, "For my swossage you see."

I said, "It seams like every body elses got ansers only I havent got nothing only askings."

He said, "Now Iwl ask you some thing if youwl jus be so kynd wud you please han over your littl bag of yellerboy stoan."

I said, "I havent got it have I. Theres a Rivver Sour runs thru Cambry which I […]

Dad and me we jus come off forage rota and back on jobbing that day. The hoal we ben working we ben on it 24 days. Which Ive never liket 12 its a judgd men number innit and this ben 2 of them. Wed pernear cleart out down to the chalk and hevvy mucking it ben. Nothing lef in the hoal only sortit […]

I said to Lorna, "I thot it ben Eusa made the 1 Big 1."

Lorna said, "I never said he dint."

I said, "Wel you jus tol in this story it ben that man and woman done it plus they bilt the Power Ring and all."

She said, "You hear diffrent things in all them way back storys but it dont make no […]

I said, "How dyou mean that?"

He said, "I mean it like I say it. With your eyes. Have you seen that Littl Shyning Man in the wood or on the water or in the stoan?"

I said, "No."

He said, "Ben looking for him have you?"

I said, "No."

He said, "Why not? Wunt you be interstit to see him? See […]

Goodparley lookit up and seen me in the lite of the gate fires and he done some mor nodding. Orfing lookit up and raisit his han. I dint hear him say nothing but I seen his mouf move. I thot he wer saying, "Good Luck." Off they gone then in to the rain.

I said, "You know a song about brothers?"

He lookit at me all brite eyed and wicket and he sung:

When the other brother come Stanning at the gate When the other brother come Then it wer too late

I said, "That souns like the end of the song. What about the beginning?"

Punch says, " _Never mynd the babby there aint a nuff swossage to go roun._ "

Pooty says, "You know how he likes a bit of swossage."

Punch says, " _Hes too yung for swossage give him the tit._ "

Pooty says, "Boan dry."

Punch says, " _Give him the boan then._ "

Punch looking at him sharp and scanful he says to Mr Clevver, " _Who myt you be?_ "

Mr Clevver says, "I myt be the Pry Mincer of Binland and I myt be the Hard Bitchup of Cantser Belly only I aint. Who I acturely am is Drop John the Foller Man which they call me Mr On The Levvil as wel."

The hevvy by the door lookit over to Goodparley like asking with his eyes shud he stomp me. Orfing said to me, "You bes not work your jaw too hard your head myt come luce all on a suddn."

Goodparley said to Orfing, "Hes all right Erny he jus gets easy stoand." Then he said to me, "I dont mynd […]

I said, "Trubba not and withry speck but aint you the 1 as put him on that windy road when you brung him down?"

He said, "Riddley you know as wel as I do if you put 1 figger on your right han and a nother on your lef the 1 wil go agenst the other some how some time. It dont matter nothing if […]

I thot he wer making a joak. I said, "Thats about it and you bustit out befor the 1st chop too. So now its some 1 elses tern inside the circel innit."

He said, "Thats right. 12 mor years or so and Goodparley can have his self a nother Ardship."

The doar opens and of coarse theres Goodparley sitting there who else wud it be. With his fit up. He dont have Orfing with him its jus him and Belnot Phist which Phists face is even witern userel. Looking at poor old Phist then I thot we myt even end up frends if the boath of us come thru this […]

Pooty says, "Iwl fetch the babby and the frying pan."

Punch says, " _Never mynd the babby there aint a nuff swossage to go roun._ "

Pooty says, "You know how he likes a bit of swossage."

Punch says, " _Hes too yung for swossage give him the tit._ "

I said, "You know a song about brothers?"

He lookit at me all brite eyed and wicket and he sung:

When the other brother come Stanning at the gate When the other brother come Then it wer too late

I said, "That souns like the end of the song. What about the beginning?"

Punch said, "No it aint the same its diffrent if youve got balls a nuff."

Greanvine said, "Hows it diffrent?"

Punch said, "Its diffrent right the way up to the end and thats why the end is diffrent. If the way is diffrent the end is diffrent. Becaws the end aint nothing only part of the way […]

Littl by littl getting farther a head of the others I come roun a ben oansome and all on a sudden theres the black leader stanning oansome in front of me. He aint no moren 2 spear lenths a way from me and his yeller eyes ful on me.

I said, "What?" and going tords him. Not liffing spear nor […]

Aunty larft she said, "No youre not dead becaws you got on top of me and I pult in my bottom teef for you. I done that becaws you dint hide you come running after me. Off with you now and keap in mynd nex time its arga warga for you."

Off he gone then he come to that place which now its callit […]

It use to be mor peoph in our crowd thinking that way nor the other way. Now all on a suddn I wernt sure how it wer. I fealt like when youre sleapy on look out and trying to stay a wake and suddn you catch your self nodding you wunner if youve droppit off and mist some thing.

Mr On The Levvil says, "Iwl have my sumfing out of you then it dont make no odds to me."

Punch says, " _You aint too fussy how you have it longs you have it?_ "

Mr On The Levvil says, "Im easy longs I have my sumfing." Punch terns his back and poynting his arse at Mr On The Levvil he says […]

Pooty says to Punch, "Now you wont let no harm come to him wil you. Our oan sweet littl babby."

Punch says, " _Harm is where the hert is._ "

Pooty says, "Wel there you are who wud have the hart to hert a babby."

Punch says, " _Hart is where the wud is._ "

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?

I said, "I dont know how youre asking that."

He said, "Im asking strait."

I said, "The Littl Shyning Man aint nothing Iwd look for. Not with my eyes any how."

Goodparley said, "You dont think hes nothing real do you. You dont think hes nothing only a idear."