Most nights are dark. This obvious fact, overstated throughout literature for many years past, oppressed Tim and Gullet as they made their way back onto the pebbled path. It was going to be very hard, if not impossible, to stay on the path without some method of lighting their way. An occasional glowfly flitted past them, shedding a feeble light, but there were not enough of them to be of any help. The horned moon hoarded her shabby beams. It was only the crunch of gravel and pebbles under their feet that guided the two further along the path to their destination -- the Toll Man.
A sudden warmth inside the breast pocket of his coat alerted Tim to the fact that his bag of King’s gold coins was acting strangely. It felt warm and was beginning to hum. When he opened the coin sack a pillar of yellow light shot out.
“I don’t know why the King’s coins are doing this” said Tim to Gullet, “but now we’ve got all the light we need.”
“Too much, maybe” said Gullet. “Attracting attention is likely to get us eaten up. Can you control that beam somehow?”
Tim fumbled with the sack until he was able to focus just a narrow beam along the pebbled path.
“That’s better!” said Gullet. “Now we’re as safe as a baby in a blanket.”
But of course they were not safe at all. For the gold coins were glowing and humming because they were approaching a nest of banksies. A banksie makes all precious metals, like gold, start to glow and hum. Banksies love gold so much that they will do anything to get their manicured little hands on it -- up to and including ambush and murder. This particular nest of banksies made a practice of cozening travelers by acting friendly and accommodating until they could pick their golden pockets and then push them down a schmoozle hole.
“Hiya, pal!” the banksies called out as they surrounded Tim and Gullet. “Glad to see ya! You’re lookin’ good there, buddy. Take a load off yer feet. Just park it right here. We been waitin’ fer some classy good-lookin’ guys like you two to brighten up the place!”
The banksies are little people, like Gullet. A few of them gathered together are annoying, but hardly intimidating. But this nest contained hundreds of banksies, and they could smell the gold that Tim was carrying. They closed in on the two travelers, their dainty hands convulsively extended towards the gold, as they continued their inane chatter.
“Mind if we have a gander at that there bag of gold, pardner? Must be pretty dang heavy by now. We’d like to help you out, buddy boy. Put that heavy gold in our burrow while you two rest up with some home cookin’. Whaddya say there, chum? Stay the night, why dontcha? We got lots of room over by that schmoozle hole. Comfy beds. Soft pillows. Thunder mugs, if ya need ‘em. Just make yerself at home, why dontcha?”
“Get back, you pests!” shouted Tim at the banksies, slapping their greedy hands away.
“Not their hands -- don’t touch their hands!” cried Gullet, but it was too late.
Banksies are very proud of their hands -- they wash them in daisy water and rub them with spill oil to keep them soft and pink and wrinkle-free. Anyone who strikes at their hands is asking for woe.
Now deeply offended, the banksies abandoned all pretense of cordiality -- they snarled as they threw themselves on Tim to wrest the gold from his hands. Gullet hid himself under a paddle bush, silently enduring the spanking his backside immediately received from the leaves.
“This is the end of us both” Gullet whimpered.
Then came the slabber bats, attracted by all the noise. They swooped down to pick up a banksie or two for their midnight snack. The banksies retreated in panic back to their underground nest, leaving Tim exposed to the rest of the slabber bats -- who were now whipped into a feeding frenzy, ready to rip Tim from stem to stern.
“The bag -- open the bag for light!” cried Gullet from under the paddle bush. Tim threw open his bag of gold coins so the light spilled everywhere in great golden beams, which temporarily blinded the bats and sent them winging away in confusion. Gullet crawled out from his bush to urge Tim to hurry away.
“Those bats will be back in a minute” he said, helping Tim pick up the gold coins that had fallen out of the bag during the scuffle with the banksies. “All we have to do is go past the Stoney Broke and we’ll be at the Toll Man’s gate. Hurry up!”
The distant beat of leathery wings told Tim and Gullet the slabber bats were on their way back. Heedless of what the bright light might attract, they ran past the Stoney Broke -- a ruined watch tower -- and down the sloping path until they came up to a massive iron gate, where a tall and gaunt figure motioned for them to stop. They had reached the Toll Man at last!
***************************************************************
SPONSORED CONTENT
Carrying around a bag of gold is a pretty sure way of inviting trouble. In the past, people had little choice but to put their gold coins under their straw mattresses or carry them around in a heavy leather pouch. That bred thieves and robbers, not to mention banksies. But nowadays there’s a better way to keep your gold coins snug as a slug in a jug -- you can deposit your gold in a Savings Institution! Rack and Rune Savings and Loan Company will be happy to keep your gold reserves in our theft-proof vault. Nobody gets their hands on your money once it’s deposited with us -- not even you! Your gold will be prudently invested in such bonanzas as pepper mines and owl pie factories. Just remember, a dinkum saved is better than two in the bush!
******************************************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment