Read Online Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Terry Pratchett
Ads: Link
diamond.
Tiffany looked down. On the toes of her boots, snow was melting. She was, strangely, glad about that. It meant that what had just happened was magical, not madness. Because if she closed her eyes, she could still hear the wheezy breathing of the headless man.
What she needed right now was people, and ordinary things happening. But more than anything else, she wanted answers.
Actually, what she wanted more than anything else was not to hear the wheezy breathing when she shut her eyes….
The tents had gone. Except for a few pieces of broken chalk, apple cores, some stamped-down grass, and, alas, a few chicken feathers, there was nothing at all to show that the teachers had ever been there.
A small voice said, “Psst!”
She looked down. A toad crept out from under a dock leaf.
“Miss Tick said you’d be back,” it said. “I expect there’s some things you need to know, right?”
“Everything,” said Tiffany. “We’re swamped with tiny men! I can’t understand half of what they say! They keep calling me a hag!”
“Ah, yes,” said the toad. “You’ve got Nac Mac Feegles!”
“It snowed, and then it hadn’t! I was chased by a horseman with no head ! And one of the…what did you say they were?”
“Nac Mac Feegles,” said the toad. “Also known as pictsies. They call themselves the Wee Free Men.”
“Well, one of them head-butted the horse! It fell over! It was a huge horse, too!”
“Ah, that sounds like a Feegle,” said the toad.
“I gave them some milk and they tipped it over!”
“You gave the Nac Mac Feegle milk ?”
“Well, you said they’re pixies!”
“Not pixies, pictsies. They certainly don’t drink milk!”
“Are they from the same place as Jenny?” Tiffany demanded.
“No. They’re rebels,” said toad.
“Rebels? Against who?”
“Everyone. Anything,” said the toad. “Now pick me up.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a woman at the well over there giving you a funny look. Put me in your apron pocket, for goodness’ sake.”
Tiffany snatched up the toad and smiled at the woman. “I’m making a collection of pressed toads,” she said.
“That’s nice, dear,” said the woman, and hurried away.
“That wasn’t very funny,” said the toad from her apron.
“People don’t listen anyway,” said Tiffany.
She sat down under a tree and took the toad out of her pocket.
“The Feegles tried to steal some of our eggs and one of our sheep,” she said. “But I got them back.”
“You got something back from the Nac Mac Feegle?” said the toad. “Were they ill?”
“No. They were a bit…well, sweet, actually. They even did the chores for me.”
“The Feegle did chores ?” said the toad. “They never do chores! They’re not helpful at all!”
“And then there was the headless horseman!” said Tiffany. “He had no head !”
“Well, that is the major job qualification,” said the toad.
“What’s going on, toad?” said Tiffany. “Is it the Feegles who are invading?”
The toad looked a bit shifty. “Miss Tick doesn’t really want you to handle this,” it said. “She’ll be back soon with help—”
“Is she going to be in time?” Tiffany demanded.
“I don’t know. Probably. But you shouldn’t—”
“I want to know what is happening!”
“She’s gone to get some other witches,” said the toad. “Uh…she doesn’t think you should—”
“You’d better tell me what you know, toad,” said Tiffany. “Miss Tick isn’t here. I am.”
“Another world is colliding with this one,” said the toad. “There. Happy now? That’s what Miss Tick thinks. But it’shappening faster than she expected. All the monsters are coming back.”
“Why?”
“There’s no one to stop them.”
There was silence for a moment.
“There’s me,” said Tiffany.
CHAPTER 4
The Wee Free Men
N othing happened on the way back to the farm. The sky stayed blue, none of the sheep in the home paddocks appeared to be
Tiffany looked down. On the toes of her boots, snow was melting. She was, strangely, glad about that. It meant that what had just happened was magical, not madness. Because if she closed her eyes, she could still hear the wheezy breathing of the headless man.
What she needed right now was people, and ordinary things happening. But more than anything else, she wanted answers.
Actually, what she wanted more than anything else was not to hear the wheezy breathing when she shut her eyes….
The tents had gone. Except for a few pieces of broken chalk, apple cores, some stamped-down grass, and, alas, a few chicken feathers, there was nothing at all to show that the teachers had ever been there.
A small voice said, “Psst!”
She looked down. A toad crept out from under a dock leaf.
“Miss Tick said you’d be back,” it said. “I expect there’s some things you need to know, right?”
“Everything,” said Tiffany. “We’re swamped with tiny men! I can’t understand half of what they say! They keep calling me a hag!”
“Ah, yes,” said the toad. “You’ve got Nac Mac Feegles!”
“It snowed, and then it hadn’t! I was chased by a horseman with no head ! And one of the…what did you say they were?”
“Nac Mac Feegles,” said the toad. “Also known as pictsies. They call themselves the Wee Free Men.”
“Well, one of them head-butted the horse! It fell over! It was a huge horse, too!”
“Ah, that sounds like a Feegle,” said the toad.
“I gave them some milk and they tipped it over!”
“You gave the Nac Mac Feegle milk ?”
“Well, you said they’re pixies!”
“Not pixies, pictsies. They certainly don’t drink milk!”
“Are they from the same place as Jenny?” Tiffany demanded.
“No. They’re rebels,” said toad.
“Rebels? Against who?”
“Everyone. Anything,” said the toad. “Now pick me up.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a woman at the well over there giving you a funny look. Put me in your apron pocket, for goodness’ sake.”
Tiffany snatched up the toad and smiled at the woman. “I’m making a collection of pressed toads,” she said.
“That’s nice, dear,” said the woman, and hurried away.
“That wasn’t very funny,” said the toad from her apron.
“People don’t listen anyway,” said Tiffany.
She sat down under a tree and took the toad out of her pocket.
“The Feegles tried to steal some of our eggs and one of our sheep,” she said. “But I got them back.”
“You got something back from the Nac Mac Feegle?” said the toad. “Were they ill?”
“No. They were a bit…well, sweet, actually. They even did the chores for me.”
“The Feegle did chores ?” said the toad. “They never do chores! They’re not helpful at all!”
“And then there was the headless horseman!” said Tiffany. “He had no head !”
“Well, that is the major job qualification,” said the toad.
“What’s going on, toad?” said Tiffany. “Is it the Feegles who are invading?”
The toad looked a bit shifty. “Miss Tick doesn’t really want you to handle this,” it said. “She’ll be back soon with help—”
“Is she going to be in time?” Tiffany demanded.
“I don’t know. Probably. But you shouldn’t—”
“I want to know what is happening!”
“She’s gone to get some other witches,” said the toad. “Uh…she doesn’t think you should—”
“You’d better tell me what you know, toad,” said Tiffany. “Miss Tick isn’t here. I am.”
“Another world is colliding with this one,” said the toad. “There. Happy now? That’s what Miss Tick thinks. But it’shappening faster than she expected. All the monsters are coming back.”
“Why?”
“There’s no one to stop them.”
There was silence for a moment.
“There’s me,” said Tiffany.
CHAPTER 4
The Wee Free Men
N othing happened on the way back to the farm. The sky stayed blue, none of the sheep in the home paddocks appeared to be
Similar Books
