Riddley Walker

We borrert a drag to take Dad hoam. Going back to fents then all of us. They give us ful days meat at Widders Dump and Reckman Bessup he wer ther connexion man he brung the comping station. What we callit dead mans iron and he carrit on his back.

We wer going out thru the gate when there gone up behynt us the death wail loud and strong it musve ben 40 peopl at leas. All them voyces going up black and sharp and falling a way in a groan: AIYEEEEE.

I said to Reckman Bessup, “That cant be for my dad he wernt nothing to them.”

He said, “Its a babby dead beartht. That babby come in to the worl dead same time as your dad gone with Aunty.”

I said, “Is there a connexion?”

He said, “Not 1 as Iwl make.”

Going back slow then there come dogs follering on our track we hadnt seen none that day til then. Shapit black is how I think of them tho mos of them are patchy colourt. Its the hy leggitness of them. Ther thick necks and littl heads and littl ears. It wer the Bernt Arse pack with ther black and red spottit leader. All of them head down and slumping on behynt us jus out of bow shot. I wer looking at the leader and waiting for some thing I cud feal it in my froat. He dint have his head down he had it up and looking tords us.

There begun to be some rowling and yipping and yapping from the other dogs then crowding the leader and him terning. Grooling and smarling he wer but the others crowdit on him then the leader he come running tords us. The other dogs dint foller they hung back and he come oansome.

All of us stoppt then and looking at the dog. Not 1 of us put arrer to string we all knowit wernt that kynd of thing. I steppt out a littl way from the others and they all movit a way from me it wer like some thing you do in a dream. Straiter Empy said, “Riddley hes offering and hes favering you.”

I stood there and holding ready with my spear. Nothing like it never happent befor but it wer like it all ways ben there happening. The dog getting bigger bigger unner the grey sky and me waiting with the spear. It dint seam like the running brung him on tho he wer moving fas. It wer mor like he ben running for ever in 1 place not moving on jus getting bigger bigger til he wer big a nuff to be in front of me with his face all rinkelt back from his teef. Jus in that fraction of a minim the dogs face and the boars face from my naming day they flickert to gether with my dads face all smasht. I helt the spear and he run on to it. Lying there and kicking with his yeller eyes on me and I finisht him with my knife.

Straiter Empy said, “Look how his teefs woar down and hes all girzelt. A old leader come to his time and crowdit out come back to us to dy. Ive heard of it but I never seen it befor. Its Luck to you Riddley.”

We laid the dog acrost Dads legs. Reckman Bessup said to me, “This dogs offert his self to your dad. Made his Plomercy and now theywl boath look at the nite to gether.”

I said to Reckman Bessup, “Heres my dad dead and this dog and that babby at Widders Dump all on the same day. Be there a connexion?”

He said, “Whynt you stop asking me that. What I connect is shows I aint no tel woman nor I dont know nothing about blips nor syns.”

I said, “Thats as may be but youre stanning here and seen what happent plus you ben at Widders Dump this morning.”

He thot on it a littl then. A sour man but cudnt help getting a littl interstit. He said, “I wunt try no tel but you can tel your oan self. Every 1 knows if you get blipful things to gether you take the farthes out 1 for the nindicater. Whats the farthes out 1 of the 3 youve namit?”

I said, “The dog.”

He said, “Whats a dog? Its some-thing you cant get close to. They keap ther farness nor you cant trap them nyther theyre too clevver. Plus theyre a danger theywl eat you if they catch you oansome and they go mad at Ful of the Moon. So here youve got a far thing come close and a danger thing as cudnt be trappt offers its self. How old myt you be?”

I said, “I jus come 12 at Ful of the Moon.”

He said, “Heres a old woar out leader took by a boy what aint a boy no mor hes come 12 and a man. You hearing any tel?” I said, “The far come close took by the littl come big.”

He said, “You said it I dint. I dont say no farther you bes tel your oan self on from there. No use asking other peopl they dont know no moren you do. Now your dads gone youwl be connexion man at How Fents peopl wil be asking you in stead of you asking them. You bes start putting things to gether for your self you aint a kid no mor.”