Free Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban Page B

showit?"
    I said, "You know. The shapes of EUSAS HEAD IS DREAMING US."
    Some said, "You never." Others said, "Whats that?"
    I said, "That ben my woal reveal."
    They all said, "You never spoak it out you jus ben stanning there and we ben waiting."
    I said, "What ben the las thing I said?"
    They said, "About the back clof."
    I said, "Wel you all know its Eusas head is dreaming us."
    They said, "No. Be that your reveal?"
    I said, "The shapes of it. What I showit."
    They said, "You never."
    Lorna Elswint said, "You done a trants reveal. Only it let you out too soon. Parbly you lookit 2ce when you only shudve lookit 1ce. Aint no use talking about it it wants keaping qwyet til it joyns up with the res of its self if it ever does."
    So every 1 wer lef hanging. Me and all. My 1st connexion.
    10
    Nex morning when I 1st come a wake I wer � thinking may be it ben a dream. Like when some thing harbel happens in a dream then you wake up and it aint nothing only a dream what a releaf. But when I woak up all the way there it wer and no dream. Not that it wer all that harbel it wernt nothing only I ben took strange in my very 1st connexion but I fealt like my Luck gone from me. I fealt like I rathert not come a wake that day.
    I wer a wake tho so I stuck my head outside. Sky all hevvy and grey. Nothing moving no wind jus all col and stil. Littl Nimbel Potter and that lot waiting for a site of me and singing:
    "Riddley Walker wernt no talker
    Dint know what to say
    Put his head up on a poal
    And then it tol all day"
    Wel you know 1ce the kids start singing at you thats a cern kynd of track youre on nor there aint too much you can do about it. Making the kids stop singing wont help its too late by then youve jus got to clinch your teef and get on with it.
    In the divvy roof at breakfas I wer sat at the top tabel which I only ben sitting there since I took the scar I wernt all that use to it. I had Lorna on 1 side of me and Fister Crunchman on the other side. Him what I ben on the weal with that morning when my dad got kilt. Girt big red hairt bloak 1 of Empys nexters he lookit jus like his name he lookit like he cud bus rocks with his bare hans and walk thru fentses without noatising. Lorna wer hanging over me in a special way like no 1 only her in the woal worl knowit how it wer with me since I done my trants reveal. Fister Crunchman he kep sqwinting at me with his littl sharp blue eyes and nodding his head I wer jus waiting for him to lif up 1 of them hevvy fisses of his and drive me in to the groun.
    Finely Fister stil nodding his head and sqwinting at me he said, "Wel Riddley."
    I said, "Wel Fister."
    He said, "Wel Riddley you know if I wer you." And noddit some mor.
    I said, "What if you wer me Fister? Whatwd you do?"
    He heft up 1 finger and kep nodding. He said, "Mynd you I aint qwick Im jus a woar out old hevvy is all I am."
    I said, "Every body knows you aint a bit woar out plus youre as qwick as the nex 1."
    He said, "Which is you nor I aint no where near as qwick as you. Youre myndy dont you see. You ben lernt to read and write and all ways thinking on things. Trubba not nor I aint staring but I wunt want to be like that it aint no way for a man to be."
    I said, "No Trubba but you wer saying if you wer me."
    He said, "There it is you see. Which I aint becaws Im slow nor I aint myndy so how cud I be you. Yet if I _wer_ you and praps youwl let me give a word and to the whys."
    I said, "Im craving for it Fister."
    He said, "Riddley what Im going to say I Trubba not your dad it ben a diffrent time when he come a man this ben stil a moving crowd back then. May be a connexion man cud stil help his crowd to keap a littl bit a head of the cow shit plus may be he bint give no syn which you ben."
    I said, "Fister whatre you getting at youre going roun by such a long track Im afeart Iwl dy on the road."
    He said, "Riddley youre the qwick 1 how can you be so slow. Here come that dog at you dint he. Old woar out leader old woar out guvner which