nQ, /Jenaral /JinJar -- hM, jM wil rimembar, kmAndd H /yrmI v /rivOlt -- waz rendard vErI anIzI bF H eskEp v H /skErkrO fram H /emarald /sitI. SI fIrd, n wiT gUd rIzan, Ht if hiz /mAJestI n H /tin /wUdmAn Jqnd fYrsz, i wUd mIn dEnJar t har n har entFr yrmI; f H pIpal v /oz hAd not jet fYrgotan H dIdz v HIz fEmas hIrOz, hM hAd pAsd saksesfalI TrM sO menI startliN Advencarz.
sO /JinJar sent pOst-hAst f Old /mombI, H wic, n promisd har lYrJ rIwYrdz if SI wUd kam t H asistans v H rebal yrmI.
/mombI waz fjarIas At H crik /tip hAd plEd apon har Az wel Az At hiz eskEp n H Teft v H preSas /pQdar v /lFf; sO SI nIdd nO arJN t indMs har t crAval t H /emarald /sitI t asist /JinJar in difItN H /skErkrO n H /tin /wUdmAn, hM hAd mEd /tip wan v HEr frendz.
/mombI hAd nO sMnar arFvd At H rqal pAlis Hn SI diskavard, bF mInz v har sIkrit mAJik, Ht H Advencararz war styrtN apon HEr /JarnI t H /emarald /sitI; sO SI ritFrd t a smYl rMm hF ap in a tQwar n lokd harself in wFl SI prAktisd sac yrts Az SI kUd kmAnd t privent H ritarn v H /skErkrO n hiz kmpAnjanz.
Ht waz wF H /tin /wUdmAn prezatlI stopd n sed:
"samTiN vErI kjarIaslI hAz hApand. F Yt t nO bF hyrt n evrI step v Hs /JarnI, jet F fIr wI hAv YlredI lost Qr wE."
"Ht z kwFt imposabal!" prOtestd H /skErkrO. "wF d jM TiNk, mF dIr frend, Ht wI hAv gon ascrE?"
"wF, hIr bifYr as z a grEt fIld v sanflQrz -- n F nevar sY Hs fIld bifYr in Yl mF lFf."
At HIz wardz HE Yl lUkd arQnd, OnlI t fFnd Ht HE war indId sarQndd bF a fIld v tYl stYks, evrI stYk bErN At its top a JFgAntik sanflQr. n not OnlI war HIz flQrz YlmOst blFndN in HEr vivid hjMz v red n gOld, bat Ic wan warld arQnd apon its stYk lFk a minIacar wind-mil, kmplItlI dAzalN H viZn v H bihOldarz n sO mistifFiN Hem Ht HE nM not wic wE t tarn.
"it's wickrAft!" eksklEmd /tip.
wFl HE pYzd, hezitEtN n wandarN, H /tin /wUdmAn atard a krF v impESans n AdvAnsd wiT swiNN Aks t kat dQn H stYks bifYr him. bat nQ H sanflQrz sadanlI stopd HEr rApid warlN, n H crAvalarz plEnlI sY a garl'z fEs apIr in H sentar v Ic flQr. HIz lavlI fEsz lUkd apon H astoniSd bAnd wiT mokN smFlz, n Hn barst intM a kYras v mErI lAftar At H dismE HEr apIrans kYzd.
"stop! stop!" krFd /tip, sIzd H /wUdmAn'z yrm; "HE'r alFv! HE'r garlz!"
At Ht mOmant H flQrz bigAn warlN agen, n H fEsz fEdd awE n war lost in H rApid revlaSnz.
H /tin /wUdmAn Jropd hiz Aks n sAt dQn apon H grQnd.
"i wUd b hyrtlis t cop dQn HOz pritI krIcarz," sed hI, despondantlI, "n jet F d not nO hQ els wI kn prOsId apon yr wE."
"HE lUkd t mI scrEnJlI lFk H fEsz v H /yrmI v /rivOlt," mjMzd H /skErkrO, "bat F kn not knsIv hQ H garlz kUd hAv folOd as hIr sO kwiklI."
"F bilIv it's mAJik," sed /tip, pozitivlI," n Ht samwan z plEiN a crik apon as. F'v nOn Old /mombI d TiNz lFk Ht bifYr. probablI it's naTiN mYr Hn an ilMZn, n HEr r nO sanflQrz hIr At Yl."
"Hn let as Sat Qr Fz n wYk fYrward," saJestd H /wUdmAn.
"ekskjMz mI," riplFd H /skErkrO, "mF Fz r not pEntd t Sat. bikYz jM hApan t hAv tin Flidz, jM mast not imAJin wI r Yl bilt in H sEm wE."
"n H Fz v H /sY-/hYrs r not Fz," sed /JAk, lInN fYrward t egzAmin Hem.
"nevarHales, jM mast rFd kwiklI fYrward," kmAndd /tip, "n wI wil folO Aftar jM n sO crF t eskEp. mF Fz r YlredI sO dAzald Ht F kn skErslI sI."
sO H /pampkinhed rOd bOldlI fYrward, n /tip grAspd H stab tEl v H /sY-/hYrs n folOd wiT klOzd Fz. H /skErkrO n H /tin /wUdmAn brYt ap H rIr, n bifYr HE hAd gon menI jyrdz a /Jqfal SQt fram /JAk anQnsd Ht H wE waz klIr bifYr Hem.
Hn Yl pYzd t lUk bAkward, bat not a crEs v H fIld v sanflQrz rimEnd.
mYr cIrfalI, nQ HE prasIdd apon HEr /JarnI; bat Old /mombI hAd sO cEnJd H apIrans v H lAndskEp Ht HE wUd SarlI hAv bin lost hAd not H /skErkrO wFzlI knklMdd t tEk HEr darekSn fram H san. f nO wic-krAft kUd cEnJ H kYrs v H san, n i waz HErfYr a sEf gFd.
hQevar, aHar difikaltIz lE bifYr Hem. H /sY-/hYrs stepd intM a rAbit hOl n fel t H grQnd. H /pampkinhed waz picd hF intM H Er, n hiz histarI wUd hAv endd At Ht egzAkt mOmant hAd not H /tin /wUdmAn skilfalI kYt H pampkin Az i disendd n sEvd i fram inJarI.
/tip sMn hAd i fitd t H nek agen n riplEsd /Jak apon hiz fIt. bat H /sY-/hYrs did not eskEp sO IzilI. f wen hiz leg waz pUld fram H rAbit hOl i waz fQnd t b brOkan of, n mast b riplEsd Yr ripErd bifYr hI kUd gO a step fyrHar.
"Hs z kwFt sIrIas," sed H /tin /wUdmAn. "if HEr war crIz nIr bF F mFt sMn mAnjMfAkcar anaHar leg f Hs Animal; bat F kn not sI Ivan a Srab f mFlz arQnd."
"n HEr r nIHar fensz nYr hQzz in Hs pyrt v H lAnd v /oz," Add H /skErkrO, diskonsalatlI.
"Hn wat SAl wI d?" inkwFrd H bq.
"F sapOz F mast styrt mF brEnz warkN," riplFd hiz /mAJestI H /skErkrO; "f ekspIrIans hAz, tYt mI Ht F kn d enITiN if F bat tEk tFm t TiNk i Qt."
"let as Yl TiNk," sed /tip; "n parhAps wI SAl fFnd a wE t ripEr H /sY-/hYrs."
sO HE sAt in a rO apon H grAs n bigAn t TiNk, wFl H /sY-/hYrs okjMpFd itself bF gEzN kjarIaslI apon its brOkan lim.
"daz i hart?" Askd H /tin /wUdmAn, in a soft, simpaTetik vqs.
"not in H lIst," ritarnd H /sY-/hYrs; "bat mf prFd z inJard t fNd Ht mF anAtamI z sO brital."
f a tFm H lital grMp rimEnd in sFlant TYt. prezantlI H /tin /wUdmAn rEzd hiz hed n lUkd Ovar H fIldz.
"wat sYrt v krIcar z Ht wic aprOcz as?" hI Askd, wandariNlI.
H aHarz folOd hiz gEz, n diskavard kamN tYrd Hem H mOst ekscraYrdinErI obJekt HE hAd evar bIheld. i AdvAnsd kwiklI n nqzlislI Ovar H soft grAs n in a fjM minits stUd bifYr H Advencararz n rigyrdd Hem wiT an AstoniSmnt Ikwal t HEr On.
H /skErkrO waz kYm andar Yl sarkamstAnss.
"gUd mYrnN!" hI sed, palFtlI.
H scrEnJar rimMvd hiz hAt wiT a flariS, bQd vErI lO, n Hn rispondd:
"gUd mYrnN, wan n Yl. F hOp jM r, Az an AgregESn, enJqiN ekselant helT. parmit mI t prizent mF kyrd."
wiT Hs kartIas spIc i ekstendd a kyrd tYrd H /skErkrO, hM akseptd i, tarnd i Ovar n Ovar, n hAndd i wiT a SEk v hiz hed t /tip.
H bq red alQd:
"mr. h. m. wogal-bag, t. I."
"dIr mI!" IJAkjMlEtd H /pampkinhed, stErN samwat intentlI.
"hQ vErI pikjMlIar!" sed H /tin /wUdmAn.
/tip's Fz war rQnd n wandarN, n H /sY-/hYrs atard a sF n tarnd awE its hed.
"r jM rIlI a /wogal-/bag?" enkwFrd H /skErkrO.
"mOst sartanlI, mF dIr sar!" Ansard H scrEnJar, brisklI. "z not mF nEm apon H kyrd?"
"i z," sed H /skErkrO. "bat mE F Ask wat 'h. m.' stAndz f?"