Pokrewne

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AZERRAD MICHAEL Badz jaki badz
Baczko, Michael Elternunterha Wenn Kinder zahlen sollen
[heft] Perry Rhodan 2590 Der Michael Marcus Thurner
[heft] Perry Rhodan 2570 Die Michael Marcus Thurner
Corum 04 La Lance et le Taure Michael Moorcock
Connelly Michael Harry Bosch Muzyka z kufra
Connelly, Michael Harry Bosch Dunkler als die Nacht
Connelly, Michael Harry Bosch Der letzte Coyote
Connelly, Michael Harry Bosch Echo Park
Connelly, Michael Jack McEvoy Unbekannt verzogen

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.Leave it to Haste to take the path of least resistance.Haste's voice wavered."The things I see…I get the impression that this is old trouble coming back around."Kale clenched his teeth.He saw the path forward — clearly — it didn't involve Haste."I'll arrange it."◊ ◊ ◊Chuggie leaned into the doorway of the tiny house.Going inside seemed like a bad idea.The old woman had stacks and stacks of junk piled high, just waiting to be toppled.He didn't think it would take much to bring the whole place down."Let's see, it's an old leather case… around here somewhere," said the old woman.She dug through the piles, not noticing that Chuggie was about to collapse in her doorway."Yeah, maybe we jus' wait for daylight, an' I'll join the search.What, ah, did you say your name was?" Chuggie wobbled, nearly fell headlong into the house, then found his balance again."My name is Shola.Ah, here it is!" she cackled.She shoved past him."Sit." She pointed to a rickety chair next to a crude table."I hope you won' be offended if I happen to forget your name again later.I'm bad with names and… damn near falling over.My name's Chuggie," he said loud enough to make his voice heard over the wind."So you said," she called back."This wind just won't do."Shola cast a squinty glare at the sky.The air went still.Clouds dispersed, and the three moons shone down.Chuggie barely noticed, however.He struggled to keep his eyes open and was quite busy slapping himself on the cheek and rubbing his eyes.The case rattled as Shola set it on the table.A bright green light bathed her wrinkled face as she opened it, as if the case held a moon of its own.She pulled out a stick of glowing chalk.With it, she diagrammed the moons upon the table.She drew X's for stars and connected everything with an intricate web of lines.She hummed with her hoarse croaking voice as she drew."That's some fancy chalk," Chuggie said."If you know where I can get some for myself, I bet I'd get a good price outta that.""Put your hands out," she said.Chuggie stuck his hands out in her direction."No, palms up, together.Like this." When she had his hands where she wanted them, she emptied a pouch of bones onto his palms.With hands full of green-tinted bones, Chuggie asked, "You a witch, Shola?" If this turned out anything like the last time someone did this to him, Chuggie would wake up in the morning buried up to his neck.She paused and looked at him.He could see her smiling in the moonlight, but he couldn't tell if it was out of amusement or madness."Sure, I am a witch." She hooted unpleasant laughter."You may drop the bones."When he did, they fell quite randomly onto her glowing pictograph.Some touched moons, some touched nothing and some fell off the table onto the ground."My, my," she said."How interesting." She turned her face up to the night sky, then back to the bones, then up to the sky, and so forth.Green moonlight glinted in her eyes, and an eerie grin touched her lips.On the table, the chalk glowed brighter then dimmed, pulsating as if in time to some phantom heartbeat."You've been expecting me," he said.Still facing skyward, Shola answered, "Oh, a bit.My scarecrows might have mentioned something about you in passing.""Scarecrows don't move on their own like that," Chuggie said."How did they attack me?"Shola calculated his reading.She didn't look up as she spoke."Oh, you mean that business in the garden?" She shrugged."I thought you were from Stagwater.Monstrous people in Stagwater.They've been out here before, a long time ago.But then I saw you in the light, and I knew you weren't from there." She threw her head back and smiled a crazy smile, causing Chuggie to flinch."How'd you know that?" he asked, certain there were bigger questions he should be asking."They're all ugly," she said, matter-of-factly."Uglier even than you!""I'm… I'm…" Chuggie tried to finish his thought, but couldn't.He stood, walked five paces, and dropped to his knees.He truly felt he had something more to add, so he raised his arm, index finger point up.Then he dropped onto his face.Chapter 3All night long, a cold layer of autumn's dew settled over Chuggie and soaked his clothes, making him shiver.As the sun rose, bringing a little warmth with it, his fitful dreams subsided, and he felt like he could at last get some sleep.His hostess was up and about, however.She directed a scarecrow in drawing a bucket of rusty water from the well near the garden.She hobbled alongside as the scarecrow placed the bucket next to Chuggie's head.Chuggie lay very still and peered out at Shola through eyes squinted almost shut.His foggy mind couldn't recall where he was, but he knew it couldn't possibly be time to meet the day.She cackled and poked him with a stick, tittering and tormenting him as a morning bird sang on a far off branch.When she finally jabbed him hard enough, he snatched the stick from her.He growled, broke the stick in two, then curled up and tried to go to back to sleep."No use sleeping, traveler.It's morning, and you've work to do." Shola produced another stick and resumed jabbing Chuggie's ribs."How 'bout you jus' kill me instead," came Chuggie's muffled voice."A lil' fire'll do it, jus' make it quick.""We can see to that after you clean up my garden," she said."There's a bucket of water next to you."Chuggie pushed up to his hands and knees.With great effort and concentration, he peeled his eyes all the way open.He looked around, trying to figure out where he was and how he'd gotten there [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]