Read Online The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond - Free Book Online Page A

hours. She scrubbd the walls & the bath & the toilet & she hooverd the flore. Soon the plays smelt of sope and disinfectint & I new the stink of rottd burd wud soon be gon. The only thing she fownd was a singl grey fether on the flore by the toylet. She lifted it up & lookd at it & lookd at me.
    How did this get here she said.
    Dont no Mam.
    She smyld.
    No. Of cors you dont.
    She held it up & blew it soft & up it went into the air.
    We wotched it flowtin. I rappd the scarf with the blak frinjes on it arownd me. I smelt the aynshent sents in it. She went away. I rote on the walls for a final time.
    I rote a word that ment goodby.
    Goodby.



“Get him up & get the hood on him. Do it fast befor he starts to think.”
    Its a womans voys the first thing I hear that mornin as I wake. I kepe my eyes tite shut. I pul a blankit over me. Then the blankits yankd away & massiv hands ar on my sholders & hot breths in my fase & thers a smell of blud & the voys of a man is groanin in amayzment.
    “Its true. O my goodness Veronica its reely true.”
    Mams tender tuch on my cheek & then her kiss & then her wisper.
    “Yes its true. I told you of my lovely son & here he is. Wake up Billy. Its time to go.”
    “Sho a leg” says the man. He trys to lift me. I go rijid & stiff & he hesitayts.
    “Hells teeth” he says. “Hells bluddy teeth.”
    I open my eyes & hes rite abuv me. Massiv shiny fays and massiv shiny hed and big brown eyes. He blinks he steps bak from me he grimases he liks his lips with his brite red tung.
    “McCaufreys the name” he says.
    He reeches down & tuches me just wer my mam tuchd on the cheek.
    “Im the butcha” he wispers. “Im yor pal. Trust me.”
    I look past him and thers a littl blakhared witefaysd woman close behynd him. And thers my mam with her eys fixd on me and her hands spred across her fase. And I see that the dore I must never go throu stands wyd open.
    “No!” I gasp but Im off the bed & on my fete & the butcha has me warkin forward.
    “Now the hood!” says the woman. “Its nesessary. It wil stop him from bein overwelmd.”
    The butcha puts his arms rownd me & holds me tite. The woman cums to stand befor me. Her eyes ar cold her breth is cold. I look to Mam but she shuts her eyes.
    “Stand stil boy” says the woman. “Do as yor told. It is for the best.”
    She drops the hood across my eyes & all goes dark. Tiny poynts of lyt like stars shyn threw it.
    “My naym is Missus Malone” she says. “This is the second time Ive brout you owt into the world, William Dean. Now then, butcha.”
    I hear Mam weeping as Im warkd towards the dore. I grab the fraym to hold me bak but its Mam that pulls my hands away. The butcha shoves me & Im throu and the dore clicks shut behind my bak.
    Thers darknes no points of lyt then another click like another dore is opend & then the poynts of lyt agen.
    I abandon myself to my fayt. I let myself be moved further let myself be lowerd onto sumthing hard.
    I stare into the darknes and the points of lite.
    “Let him rest” says the butcha. “Let him take his tym now that its dun.”
    I feel his hand on my hed.
    “A childe” he wispers “growing in Blinkbonny all this tym.”
    “Tayk me bak” I wisper but my voys is tiny & muffld & no won replys.
    We wate. Wer all stil. Evrything turns straynjly peesful. Mam is at my syd with her arm arownd me. Shes sobbing softly. Birds are tweetin far away. Thers distant clankin & groanin. I widen my eyes & try to stare throu the hood but all owtsyd remanes a mistry.
    The butcha starts to wissl lyk a jaunty bird.
    Missus Malone tells him to shut up.
    “Shal I take the hood away?” wispers Mam.
    “No” I anser.
    “Be brayv” says the butcha.
    “Do it” says Missus Malone.
    I shut my eyes tite. Mam lifts the hood away & kisses me.
    “Open yor eyes” she says. “See how you hav cum to the plays wer you hav always been.”
    I open my eyes. Shes rite befor me & thers a brite lite shinin on us from abuv. Her fays is