H bq, smYl n rAHar delikat in apIrans sImd samwat embErasd At bIiN kYld "fYHar" bF H tYl, Ykward, pampkinhedd mAn, bat t denF H relESanSip wUd involv anaHar loN n tIdias eksplanESn; sO hI cEnJd H sabJekt bF AskN, abraptli:
"r jM tFrd?"
"v kYrs not!" riplFd H aHar. "bat," hI kntinjMd, Aftar a pYz, "i z kwFt sartan F SAl wEr Qt mF wUdan Jqnts if F kIp on wYkN."
/tip riflektd, Az HE JarnId on, Ht Hs waz crM. hI bigAn t rigret Ht hI hAd not knscraktd H wUdan limz mYr kErfali n sabstAncali. jet hQ kUd hI evar hAv gesd Ht H mAn hI hAd mEd mjarli t skEr Old /mombi wiT wUd b brYt t lFf bF mInz v a mAJikal pQdar kntEnd in an Old pepar-boks?
sO hI sIsd t riprOc himself, n bIgAn t TiNk hQ hI mFt jet remadi H difiSansIz v /JAk's wIk Jqnts.
wFl Has engEJd HE kEm t H eJ v a wUd, n H bq sAt dQn t rest apon an Old sYhYrs Ht sam wUdkatar hAd left HEr.
"wF dOn't jM sit dQn?" hI Askd H /pampkinhed.
"wOn't i scrEn mF Jqnts?" inkwFrd H aHar.
"v kYrs not. it'l rest Hem," diklErd H bq.
sO /JAk crFd t sit dQn; bat Az sMn Az hI bent hiz Jqnts fyrHar Hn jMZMal HE gEv wE YltageHar, n hI kEm klAtarN t H grQnd wiT sac a krAS Ht /tip fIrd hI waz entFrli rMind.
hI raSd t H mAn, liftd him t hiz fIt, scrEtand hiz yrmz n legz, n felt v hiz hed t sI if bF cAns i hAd bikam krAkd. bat /JAk sImd t b in priti gUd SEp, Aftar Yl, n /tip sed t him:
"F ges jM'd betar rimEn stAndN, hIrAftar. i sImz H sEfist wE."
"vEri wel, dIr fYHar. Jast Az jM sE," riplFd H smFlN /JAk, hM hAd bin in nO wFz knfjMzd bF hiz tambal.
/tip sAt dQn agen. prezantli H /pampkinhed Askd:
"wat z Ht TiN jM r sitN on?"
"O, Hs z a hYrs," riplFd H bq, kErlisli.
"wat z a hYrs?" dimAndd /JAk.
"a hYrs? wF, HEr r tM kFndz v hYrsz," ritarnd /tip, slFtli pazald hQ t eksplEn. "wan kFnd v hYrs z alFv, n hAz fYr legz n a hed n a tEl. n pIpal rFd apon its bAk."
"F andarstAnd," sed /JAk, cIrfali "Ht's H kFnd v hYrs jM r nQ sitN on."
"nO, i izn't," Ansard /tip, promptli.
"wF not? Ht wan hAz fYr legz, n a hed, n a tEl." /tip lUkd At H sY-hYrs mYr kErfali, n fQnd Ht H /pampkinhed waz rFt. H bodi hAd bin fYrmd fram a crI-craNk, n a brAnc hAd bin left stikN ap At wan end Ht lUkd vEri mac lFk a tEl. in H aHar end war tM big nots Ht rizembald Fz, n a plEs hAd bin copd awE Ht mFt Izili b mistEkan f H hYrs'z mQT. Az f H legz, HE war fYr scrEt limz kat fram crIz n stak fAst intM H bodi, bIiN spred wFd apyrt sO Ht H sY-hYrs wUd stAnd farmli wen a log waz lEd akros i t b sYd.
"Hs TiN rizembalz a rIl hYrs mYr Hn F imAJind," sed /tip, crFiN t eksplEn. "bat a rIl hYrs z alFv, n crots n prAnsz n Its Ots, wFl Hs z noTN mYr Hn a ded hYrs, mEd v wUd, n jMzd t sY logz apon."
"if i war alFv, wUdn't i crot, n prAns, n Its Ots?" inkwFrd H /pampkinhed.
"i wUd crot n prAns, parhAps; bat i wUdn't It Ots," riplFd H bq, lAfN At H idIa. "n v kYrs i kAn't evar b alFv, bikYz i z mEd v wUd."
"sO Am F," Ansard H mAn.
/tip lUkd At him in sarprFz.
"wF, sO jM r!" hI eksklEmd. "n H mAJik pQdar Ht brYt jM t lFf z hIr in mF pokit."
hI brYt Qt H pepar boks, n Fd i kjariasli.
"F wandar," sed hI, mjMziNli, "if i wUd briN H sY-hYrs t lFf."
"if i wUd," ritarnd /JAk, kYmli f naTiN sImd t sarprFz him. "F kUd rFd on its bAk, n Ht wUd sEv mF Jqnts fram wErN Qt."
"F'l crF i!" krFd H bq, JampN ap. "bat F wandar if F kn rimembar H wardz Old /mombi sed, n H wE SI held har hAndz ap."
hI TYt i Ovar f a minit, n Az hI hAd wocd kErfali fram H heJ evri mOSn v H Old wic, n lisand t har wardz, hI bilIvd hI kUd ripIt egzAktli wat SI hAd sed n dan.
sO hI bIgAn bF spriNkalN sam v H mAJik /pQdar v /lFf fram H pepar-boks apon H bodi v H sY-hYrs. Hn hI liftd hiz left hAnd, wiT H lital fiNgar pqntN apward, n sed: "wIYg!"
"wat daz Ht mIn, dIr fYHar?" Askd /JAk, kjariasli.
"F dan't nO," Ansard /tip. Hn hI liftd hiz rFt hAnd, wiT H Tam pqntN apward n sed: "tIYg!"
"wat's Ht, dIr fYHar?" inkwFrd /JAk.
"i mInz jM mast kIp kwFt!" riplFd H bq, pravOkd At bIiN intaraptd At sO impYrtant a mOmant.
"hQ fAst F Am larnN!" rimyrkd H /pampkinhed, wiT hiz Itarnal smFl.
/tip nQ liftd bOT hAndz abav hiz hed, wiT Yl H fiNgarz n Hamz spred Qt, n krFd in a lQd vqs: "pIYg!"
imIdiatli H sY-hYrs mMvd, screcd its legz, jYnd wiT its copt-Qt mQT, n SUk a fjM grEnz v H pQdar of its bAk. H rest v H pQdar sImd t hAv vAniSd intM H bodi v H hYrs.
"gUd!" kYld /Jak, wFl H bq lUkd on in astoniSmnt. "jM r a vEri klevar sYrsarar, dIr fYHar!"