/tip rIflektd.
"it's a hyrd TiN, t b a myrbal stAcM," hI TYt, ribeliasli, "n F'm not gOiN t stAnd i. f jIrz F'v bin a boHar t har, SI sez; sO SI'z gOiN t get rid v mI. wel, HEr'z an Iziar wE Hn t bikam a stAcM. nO bq kUdhAv eni fan fYrevar stAndN in H midal v a flQr gyrdan! F'l ran awE, Ht's wat F'l d -- n F mE Az wel gO bifYr SI mEks mI JriNk Ht nAsti staf in H krtal." hI wEtd antil H snYrz v H Old wic anQnsd SI waz fAst aslIp, n Hn hI arOz softli n went t H kabard t fFnd samTiN t It.
"nO jMs styrtN on a Jarni wiTQt fMd," hI disFdd, sarcN apon H nErO Selvz.
hI fQnd sam krasts v bred; bat hI hAd t lUk intM /mombi'z bAskit t fFnd H cIz SI hAd brYt fram H viliJ. wFl tarnN Ovar H kontents v H bAskit hI kEm apon H pepar-bocs wic kntEnd H "/pQdar v /lFf."
"F mE Az wel tEk Hs wiT mI," hI TYt, "Yr /mombi'l bI jMzN i t mEk mYr miscif wiT." sO hI pUt H boks in hiz pokit, tageHar wiT H bred n cIz.
Hn hI kYSasli left H hQs n lAcd H dYr bihFnd him. QtsFd bOT mMn n styrz SOn brFtli, n H nFt sImd pIsfal n invFtN Aftar H klOs n il-smelN kican.
"F'l b glAd t get awE," sed /tip, softli; "f F nevar did lFk Ht Old wUman. F wandar hQ F evar kEm t liv wiT har."
hI waz wYkN slOli tYrd H rOd wen a TYt mEd him pYz.
"F dOn't lFk t lIv /JAk /pampkinhed t H tendar marsIz v Old /mombi," hI matard. "n /JAk biloNz t mI, f F mEd him Ivan if H Old wic did briN him t lFf."
hI rIcrEsd hiz steps t H kQ-stEbal n Opand H dYr v H stYl wEr H pampkin-hedd mAn hAd bin left.
/JAk waz stAndN in H midal v H stYl, n bF H mMnlFt /tip kUd sI hI waz smFlN Jast Az JOviali Az evar.
"kam on!" sed H bq, bekanN.
"wEr t?" Askd /JAk.
"jM'l nO Az sMn Az F d," Ansard /tip, smFlN simpaTetikali intM H pampkin fEs.
"Yl wI'v got t d z t crAmp."
"vEri wel," ritarnd /JAk, n wYkd Ykwardli Qt v H stEbal n intM H mMnlFt.
/tip tarnd tYrd H rOd n H mAn folOd him. /JAk wYkd wiT a sYrt v limp, n akEZanali wan v hiz Jqnts v hiz legz wUd tarn bAkward, insted v frantwFz, YlmOst kYzN him t tambal. bat H /pampkinhed waz kwik t nOtis Hs, n bIgAn t tEk mYr pEnz t step kErfali; sO Ht hI met wiT fjM Aksidants.
/tip led him aloN H pAT wiTQt stopN an instant. HE kUd not gO vEri fAst, bat HE wYkd stedili; n bF H tFm H mMn sANk awE n H san pIpd Ovar H hilz HE hAd crAvald sO grEt a distans Ht H bq hAd nO rIzan t fIr parsMt fram H Old wic. mYrOvar, hI hAd tarnd farst intM wan pAT, n Hn intM anaHar, sO Ht SUd enIwan folO Hem i wUd prMv vEri difikalt t ges wic wE HE hAd gon, Yr wEr t sIk Hem.
fErli sAtisfFd Ht hI hAd eskEpd -- f a tFm, At lIst -- bIiN tarnd intM a myrbal stAcM, H bq stopd hiz kmpAnjan n sItd himself apon a rok bF H rOdsFd.
"let's hAv sam brekfast," hI sed.
/JAk /pampkinhed wYcd /tip kjariasli, bat rifjMzd t Jqn in H rIpAst. "F dOn't sIm t b mEd H sEm wE jM r," hI sed.
"F nO jM r not," ritarnd /tip; "f F mEd jM."
"O! did jM?" Askd /JAk.
"sartanli. n pUt jM tageHar. n kyrvd jYr Fz n nOz n Irz n mQT," sed /tip prQdli. "n Jrest jM."
/JAk lUkd At hiz bodi n limz kritikali.
"i scrFks mI jM mEd a vEri gUd Job v i," hI rimyrkd.
"Jast sO-sO," riplFd /tip, modestli; f hI bigAn t sI sartan dIfekts in H knscrakSn v hiz mAn. "if F'd nOn wI war gOiN t crAval tageHar F mFt hAv bin a lital mYr pyrtikjMlar."
"wF, Hn," sed H /pampkinhed, in a tOn Ht ekspresd sarprFz, "jM mast b mF krIEtar mF pErant mF fYHar!"
"Yr jYr inventar," riplFd H bq wiT a lAf. "jes, mF san; F rIli bilIv F Am!"
"Hn F O jM ObIdians," kntinjMd H mAn, "n jM O mI -- sapYrt."
"Ht's i, egzAktli," diklErd /tip, JampN ap. "sO let as b of."
"wEr r wI gOiN?" Askd /JAk, wen HE hAd rizMmd HEr Jarni.
"F'm not egzAktli Sar," sed H bq; "bat F bilIv wI r hedd /sQT, n Ht wil briN as, sMnar Yr lEtar, t H /emarald /siti."
"wat siti z Ht?" enkwFrd H /pampkinhed.
"wF, it's H sentar v H /lAnd v /oz, n H bigist tQn in Yl H kancri. F'v nevar bin HEr, mFself, bat F'v hard Yl abQt its histari. i waz bilt bF a mFti n wandarfal /wizard nEmd /oz, n evrITiN HEr z v a grIn kalar -- Jast Az evrITiN in Hs /kancri v H /gilikinz z v a parpal kalar."
"z evrITiN hIr parpal?" Askd /JAk.
"v kYrs i z. kAn't jM sI?" ritarnd H bq.
"F bilIv F mast b kalar-blFnd," sed H /pumpkinhed, Aftar stErN abQt him.
"wel, H grAs z parpal, n H crIz r parpal, n H hQzz n fensz r parpal," eksplEnd /tip. "Ivan H mad in H rOdz z parpal. bat in H /emarald /siti evrITiN z grIn Ht z parpal hIr. n in H /kancri v H /manckinz, Ovar At H /Ist, evrITiN z blM; n in H /sQT kancri v H /kwYdlNz evrITiN z red; n in H /west kancri v H /wiNkIz, wEr H /tin /wUdmAn rMlz, evrITiN z jelO."
"O!" sed /JAk. Hn, Aftar a pYz, hI Askd: "did jM sE a /tin /wUdmAn rMlz H /wiNkIz?"
"jes; hI waz wan v HOz hM helpd /dYraTi t descrq H /wikid /wic v H /west, n H /wiNkIz war sO grEtfal Ht HE invFtd him t bIkam HEr rMlar, -- Jast Az H pIpal v H /emarald /siti invFtd H /skErkrO t rMl Hem."
"dIr mI!" sed /JAk. "F'm getN knfjMzd wiT Yl Hs histari. hM z H /skErkrO?"
"anaHar frend v /dYraTI'z" riplFd /tip.
"n hM z /dYraTi?"
"SI waz a garl Ht kEm hIr fram /kAnzas, a plEs in H big, QtsFd /warld. SI got blOn t H /lAnd v /oz bF a sFklOn, n wFl SI waz hIr H /skErkrO n H /tin /wUdmAn akampanId har on har crAvalz."
"n wEr z SI nQ?" inkwFrd H /pampkinhed.
"/glinda H /gUd, hM rMlz H /kwYdlNz, sent har hOm agen," sed H bq.
"O. n wat bikEm v H /skErkrO?"
"F tOld jM. hI rMlz H /emarald /siti," Ansard /tip.
"F TYt jM sed i waz rMld bF a pQrfal /wizard," abJektd /JAk, sImN mYr n mYr knfjMzd.
"wel, sO F did. nQ, pE atenSn, n F'l eksplEn i," sed /tip, spIkN slOli n lUkN H smFlN /pampkinhed skwErli in H F. "/dYraTi went t H /emarald /siti t Ask H /wizard t send har bAk t /kAnzas; n H /skErkrO n H /tin /wUdmAn went wiT har. bat H /wizard kUdn't send har bAk, bikYz hI wazn't sO mac v a /wizard Az hI mFt hAv bin. n Hn HE got ANgri At H /wizard, n Tretand t ekspOz him; sO H /wizard mEd a big balMn n eskEpd in i, n nO wan hAz evar sIn him sins."
"nQ, Ht z vEri intarestN histari," sed /JAk, wel plIzd; "n F andarstAnd i parfektli Yl bat H eksplanESn."
"F'm glAd jM d," respondd /tip. "Aftar H /wizard waz gon, H pIpal v H /emaralf /siti mEd /hiz /mAJesti, H /skErkrO, HEr /kiN; n F hAv hard Ht hI bikEm a vEri popjMlar rMlar."
"r wI gOiN t sI Hs kwIr /kiN?" Askd /JAk, wiT intarest.
"F TiNk wI mE Az wel," riplFd H bq; "anles jM hAv samTiN betar t d."
"O, nO, dIr fYHar," sed H /pampkinhed. "F Am kwFt wilN t gO wErevar jM plIz."