IN THE TREE CLUSTER
“I’ll swoop in low over the meadow.”
“Such.”
“Ah, there. See, Bek?”
“Yoss.”
“Four nice patches, each of ‘em just like as you were.”
“Yoss.”
“Is that all? Are you just going to stand there so such staring? Here … Is this better? See? I’m your good old bendo dreen Karro of Thorns again. Do something! Say something! Open your mouth. Whatever you say will be proper. Should we have a look inside the cloth dome hut? Should we examine those carrypacks? Sturdy frames, I see. Look, forge cups. To drink from, wouldn’t you say?”
“Kar!”
“What?”
“We should … bait … wait.”
“Wait for what, the Golden Shoe? Oh, I know so such and all, but what harm to dig around in the creatures’ …”
“Dangerous!”
“Oh, right, dangerous creatures’ things. Well, I say what harm to dig around in dangerous creatures’ things? They aren’t so dangerous now, are they? The wand fixed that up all right. Now we can snoop. Let’s snoop. You know how we the both of us like to snoop.”
“Well … yoss … it might … What’s in the cloth foam … dome?”
“Ha! That’s more like my Bek! Let’s look. Ah … sleep pads and … hmmmm … What’s this?”
“A cook … a book. Give it … give … yoss … ‘Through the Looking-Glass’”
“Translate.”
“Through The Mirror.”
“Like as in Rumin, you think? Remember the mirrors in Rumin, Bek? Oh, that was good! Our first adventure. I didn’t even know I was me!”
“Kar, come outside. I shrink … think … I … think I know … something.”
“You know something you don’t know again? What is it? What is it?”
“This world is gloomed … doomed.”
“Doomed? What doomed? How doomed?”
“I feel … I feel so such … we must wave … save … these door, four …”
“Patches of tar?”
“Yoss.”
“Why?”
“They aren’t … dangerous.”
“No? How do you know? Just by knowing suddenly so such like as you do sometimes, isn’t it? See how wonderful it is to be Harick? Almost as good as being the first and only jrabe jroon.”
“Yoss.”
“Let’s search through their carrypacks while we wait for the jesterbeast to bring the Golden Shoe. Let’s …”
“No. I will … destroy the racks … packs … and the cloth nut … hut. Only this look … book … will we bake … take with us up the … Well. Step aside, Kar. SHA FA!!”
“Oh, good, Bek! Which ring was that? I never saw you do lightning before. Did you know how all along and not tell me?”
“I know … now. Green … jade.”
“So such a little ring, too. The flecks of gold must make the lightning, I bet. Bek, the patches of tar maybe aren’t dangerous, but you are, aren’t you?”
“Yoss, yoss, I … suppose … I … yoss.”
“Look, Bek, your flash crash summoned the jesterbeasts. Here they come romping through the meadow. One of ‘em’s got the Shoe! Jerrandal!”
“Such.”