Read Online Seeker by William Nicholson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: William Nicholson
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down. Before she knew what he was doing he had reached out one hand, seized the puppy, and pranced away from her. It was so quick and unexpected that he was right over on the far side of the track before she could react.
"Give him back!" she cried.
"I got him now!" he replied, taunting her. He held the bleating puppy high in the air above his head.
She took a step towards him, but he danced back, away from her.
"You come after me, I'll smash him!" he cried. "I'll smash his head on a stone!"
"No!" Morning Star came to a stop. "Don't hurt him!"
The puppy was squealing and struggling in the goatboy's big-knuckled hand. Amik stood, ears pricked forward, growling softly. Morning Star, choking with fear and anger, turned to her father.
"Papa! He can't!"
"You let me be," called Filka. "You got a dog already. This dog's mine now."
Arkaty tried to calm him down with his gentle voice.
"Come along now, Filka. This is no way to do things. We're all friends and neighbors."
"I'm not good enough for you," retorted Filka. "Don't think I don't know. Funny-in-the-head Filka, you say. But I got special friends."
Arkaty made a move towards him.
"Let me be!" cried Filka. "Or I kill the little dog!"
And he really did swing the puppy down towards an outcrop of rock, but he stopped short when Morning Star screamed.
Arkaty lowered his hand.
"This is not kind," he said reproachfully.
"Not kind!" jeered Filka. "When was anyone ever kind to Filka? But I got special friends now. So you can all just let me be!"
With these words, he turned and ran off up the hillside, into the deepening twilight.
Morning Star burst into bitter sobs.
"He's so horrible! So horrible!"
Her father put his arm round her and comforted her as best as he could. She clung to him and sobbed and sobbed.
"I'll go and have a word with him tomorrow," he said.
"He's hateful, hateful, hateful."
"He's a cranky lad, I know. But he's good to his goats. He'll be kind to the little pup."
"I never even said good-bye."
There was nothing to be done for now. They climbed the path on into the sheep field, and there her father settled her down and pulled the rug over her and let her cry out all her tears. When at last she fell silent, he kissed her wet cheeks and said to her, "So who else do you need to say good-bye to, then?"
She looked up at him, blinking the tears from her eyes.
"Are you going to tell me?" he said. "Or is it to be mumbo-dumbo all the way, until you go?"
"Go where?"
"To your holy island."
"You know!"
"How could I not know? You're my own child, aren't your?"
"Oh, Papa! How can I ever leave you? Say you don't want me to go, and I won't go."
"Oh, so you won't go. And what then?"
"I'll stay here with you."
"And what will you do here with me all the rest of your life? Nothing is what you'll do. No, my lambling, you go and see what's to be seen and come back one day and tell me all about it."
"How will you get along without me?"
"Am I newborn? Didn't I get along for almost thirty years before you showed yourself?"
"Won't you be lonely?"
"No doubt I shall. And maybe you'll be lonely, too."
"Yes. I will."
She put her arms round him under the rug and hugged him close and was filled with love for him.
"So you'll be off the morning after next, I think."
"Oh, Papa. You know everything."
"And it's a long way to your holy island, and a dangerous way to get there."
"I'll not come to harm."
"You'll not come to harm because you'll not go alone."
"Not go alone? But you can't leave the flock."
"And that is why I've arranged for you to have a companion on the road."
In this way, to her astonishment, Morning Star learned that her father had been quietly preparing for this time. He had made arrangements to hire an escort to go with his daughter all the way to the holy island. So all the time she had been fearing to break it to him that she was leaving, he had been planning her departure.
"What sort of companion?"
"A man who knows how to chase away any
"Give him back!" she cried.
"I got him now!" he replied, taunting her. He held the bleating puppy high in the air above his head.
She took a step towards him, but he danced back, away from her.
"You come after me, I'll smash him!" he cried. "I'll smash his head on a stone!"
"No!" Morning Star came to a stop. "Don't hurt him!"
The puppy was squealing and struggling in the goatboy's big-knuckled hand. Amik stood, ears pricked forward, growling softly. Morning Star, choking with fear and anger, turned to her father.
"Papa! He can't!"
"You let me be," called Filka. "You got a dog already. This dog's mine now."
Arkaty tried to calm him down with his gentle voice.
"Come along now, Filka. This is no way to do things. We're all friends and neighbors."
"I'm not good enough for you," retorted Filka. "Don't think I don't know. Funny-in-the-head Filka, you say. But I got special friends."
Arkaty made a move towards him.
"Let me be!" cried Filka. "Or I kill the little dog!"
And he really did swing the puppy down towards an outcrop of rock, but he stopped short when Morning Star screamed.
Arkaty lowered his hand.
"This is not kind," he said reproachfully.
"Not kind!" jeered Filka. "When was anyone ever kind to Filka? But I got special friends now. So you can all just let me be!"
With these words, he turned and ran off up the hillside, into the deepening twilight.
Morning Star burst into bitter sobs.
"He's so horrible! So horrible!"
Her father put his arm round her and comforted her as best as he could. She clung to him and sobbed and sobbed.
"I'll go and have a word with him tomorrow," he said.
"He's hateful, hateful, hateful."
"He's a cranky lad, I know. But he's good to his goats. He'll be kind to the little pup."
"I never even said good-bye."
There was nothing to be done for now. They climbed the path on into the sheep field, and there her father settled her down and pulled the rug over her and let her cry out all her tears. When at last she fell silent, he kissed her wet cheeks and said to her, "So who else do you need to say good-bye to, then?"
She looked up at him, blinking the tears from her eyes.
"Are you going to tell me?" he said. "Or is it to be mumbo-dumbo all the way, until you go?"
"Go where?"
"To your holy island."
"You know!"
"How could I not know? You're my own child, aren't your?"
"Oh, Papa! How can I ever leave you? Say you don't want me to go, and I won't go."
"Oh, so you won't go. And what then?"
"I'll stay here with you."
"And what will you do here with me all the rest of your life? Nothing is what you'll do. No, my lambling, you go and see what's to be seen and come back one day and tell me all about it."
"How will you get along without me?"
"Am I newborn? Didn't I get along for almost thirty years before you showed yourself?"
"Won't you be lonely?"
"No doubt I shall. And maybe you'll be lonely, too."
"Yes. I will."
She put her arms round him under the rug and hugged him close and was filled with love for him.
"So you'll be off the morning after next, I think."
"Oh, Papa. You know everything."
"And it's a long way to your holy island, and a dangerous way to get there."
"I'll not come to harm."
"You'll not come to harm because you'll not go alone."
"Not go alone? But you can't leave the flock."
"And that is why I've arranged for you to have a companion on the road."
In this way, to her astonishment, Morning Star learned that her father had been quietly preparing for this time. He had made arrangements to hire an escort to go with his daughter all the way to the holy island. So all the time she had been fearing to break it to him that she was leaving, he had been planning her departure.
"What sort of companion?"
"A man who knows how to chase away any
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