Mungus: Book 1 (25 page)

             
Burl must have seen something on my face because his smile began to waver.

             
“Well,” said Burl.  “Where is he?”

             
I looked away from Burl’s face and said, “shouldn’t we start unloading these things?”  I began to reach for a burlap sack tied around Rusty when Burl grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to look at him in the eyes.

             
“Where’s Saul?” he asked.

             
I pulled my lips together and shook my head.  “He’s gone.”

             
“Gone where?” asked Burl.  He was fighting to not understand it.

             
“He’s dead, Burl,” I said.

             
Burl’s face froze like a statue for a moment and then he looked over at the trees and drew a heavy breath.  A tear ran down his face and he wiped it away with a forced smile.  “Help me unload Rusty,” he said.

             
We unloaded the horse and put him back into his pasture without a word.  I walked beside Burl back to his house.  He was limping along on his cane and we still hadn’t exchanged another word.  He began to sniffle and then he stopped walking.  He plopped down on his bottom in the dirt road and began to wail and blubber like a baby.  I sat down beside him and ran my hand over his back.

             
“Saul!” he yelled.

             
“Shh, it’s okay.”

             
He cried like that for some time and when he was done the sky was dark.  I sat with him in the dirt and rubbed his back as he cried with tears running into his long wiry facial hair.  He sniffled a few times and then wiped his tears away.  “How did it happen?” he asked.

             
I told him, sometimes pausing for minutes to keep from crying.  I explained how I got out and that Lauren was in the cabin waiting for us at that time.

             
“Ye’ didn’t tell me that I had company,” Burl said.  “Oh, how embarrassing!  They probably think that I’m an awful host,” said Burl while he ran his hands over his tangle of hair, trying to fix it.

             
“No they don’t.  They’re just thankful to have a place to stay.”

             
“Well, can you help me up?”

             
I stood up and helped Burl to his feet.  He grabbed his cane and limped beside me back to his house.  When we opened the front door Lauren and Julia were on the floor playing with some blocks that they had found.

             
“Hello,” Lauren said.

             
“Lauren and Julia, this is Burl.  Burl, this is Lauren and Julia.”

             
“Nice to meet ye’,” said Burl.  His face had turned red as he looked over Lauren.  She stood up and they shook hands.  She was much taller than he was and looked beautiful in the flickering candle light.

             
“Are ye’ hungry?” Burl asked.  We were and so he made us a big meal, cooking some beef that he had bought in town.  We sat around the table eating, talking, and laughing.  Lauren seemed to enjoy Burl’s company.  He wasn’t the most handsome man, but he was nice.  He seemed to really like Julia and I was pleased to see that everyone was getting along so well.

             
After dinner Burl got out his pipe and the rich aroma of burning tobacco filled the room.

“So Burl,” I said.  “You never did tell me where you where.”

Burl sucked on his pipe some and then blew out a cloud of smoke.  “I went te’ town, of course.  You know I do that, don’t you?  I had to visit my friend Teddy, give ‘im some food and I traded some myself.  Teddy’s who I stayed with.”

“Who’s Teddy?” I asked.

“He’s a friend of mine.  I’ve known ‘im for years.”

“Is he another Beardsley?” Lauren asked.

Burl shook his head and blew out smoke.  “He’s a Salyer.  He works for the government.  Red uniform and all.”

We were all shocked.  Even Julia looked up from her blocks.  Beads of sweat came onto Burl’s head and he wiped them away with a handkerchief.  “What?” he asked.

Lauren cocked her head.  “It’s just surprising that you’re such good friends with a Salyer guard.  Are you not afraid that he will report you?”

“Am I afraid that Teddy will report me?” Burl asked chuckling.  “No! 
Not at all.  Teddy is a good guy.”  Burl sucked on his pipe a little more and the embers grew hot in the bowl.  “If ye’ heard how I’d met Teddy it wouldn’t seem so bizarre.  How about a story?”

We all were interested so Burl began.

“I was a much younger man when I met Teddy.  My beard was just long enough to cover my neck and nothing more.  I had built my house, but my farm wasn’t as good as it is now.  I had nearly fished my lake barren and I had no livestock to kill.  I was hungry.”  Burl puffed and more smoke came around him.

“The only horse I had at that point was Rusty, and he was just a little tike, walking around on skinny legs.  He was probably 6 months old and not nearly old enough for a journey into town.  So I slipped on my boots and I started the journey on foot, not even knowing how I was
gonna get food if I made it to town.  I were walkin’ along one of the dirt roads when a group of four Salyers came trottin’ along, all in their uniforms and such.  I’ve never trusted those guards, pompous as hell if you ask me.

“Not to say that all of ye’ are like that, ‘cause I like some Salyers,” said Burl nodding to Lauren.

“I’m not offended,” Lauren said.  “I understand.  Some of us are mean.”

“There ye’ go,” said Burl.  He puffed on his pipe and continued on.  “So when I saw these fellers
comin’ around I got scared and hid in them woods.  I had both of my legs then and even though I was quicker than I am now, I weren’t quick enough.  They spotted me, chased me down, and beat me up.  Teddy was one of ‘em.”

“And you trust him after that?” I said in disbelief.

Burl put a hand up to show that he understood where I was coming from.  “Just wait and you’ll see why.

“So these guys were
beatin’ me up, kickin’ me and hitting me and such.  I tried to fight back but it were no use.  They had me four on one and they were going to show me what was what.  I noticed one thing though, while they were beatin’ me; one of ‘em weren’t hittin’ too hard at all.  The other three were rearin’ back and punching with all of their might, but one, a tall lanky one with big ears, seemed to be goin’ through the motions.  He seemed to just be hittin’ me ‘cause that’s what he was ‘sposed to do.

“Well, when they was done, they tied me up to a tree and started drinking.  Dark whiskey was their drink.  They told me that they were going to take me to the Theatre in the morning.  Boy, was I scared!  They started
gettin’ drunk and rowdy, all four of ‘em, or so I thought.  They passed around the bottle, took swigs of it and talked about all kinds of vulgar things late into the night.

“I couldn’t sleep,
o’course, I was wide awake, wondering what would happen in the morning.  They had tied me up real good like, feet and all.  I weren’t gettin’ away, no how.  Just when I was starting to feel real sad and somber like and I thought all of ‘em had fallen ter sleep, the one with the big ears sits up.  He looks around with big eyes like this, and ‘e sees that no one else is awake.  Then, he came walkin’ over to me.

“That made me more scared than ever.  I were
lookin’ up at this guy wonderin’ what he was gonna do to me now that all of them others was asleep.  He told me to be quiet, and I obeyed out of fear.  He were walkin’ well and didn’t seem to be drunk at all.  Lookin’ back, I think that he was fake drinkin’.  So he came over and untied me.  ‘E said that ‘is name was Teddy, and ‘e let me go.  Boy, did I run away from there that night!

“A little while later I saw ‘
im again and he invited me over to his house.  It’s a big house, and Teddy is such a nice guy.  He is always takin’ people in and helpin’ em out.  Why, right now he’s got a family living in his attic.  He feeds ‘em and everything.  It’s a sad story, really.  They were a Beardsley family and they were gonna get thrown in the Theatre, kids and all.  There were wanted posters up all around town for ‘em.  Luckily, Teddy found them before anyone else did and saved ‘em.”

“So you just went down and traded and gave him food?” I asked.  “What did you stay the night for?”

“Well,” Burl took a few more puffs of his pipe, “I was up there in town tradin’ food and what not.  I gave Teddy some loafs of bread that I had made.  He told me to stay the night.  He said that he had to work in the day and he had to talk to me.  So I did.”

“Why did he want you to stay the night?” Lauren asked.  In the candlelight, she leaned forward over the table and gazed at Burl as though she had never seen a more interesting man before.

Burl leaned back and blew smoke up towards the ceiling.  “I was gonna bring this up.  Walt, I have a question to ask ye’.”  Burl looked at me with serious eyes.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“I were talkin’ to Teddy, you see.  He works for the government up in town and he gets wind of things coming up sometimes.  He told me that the Salyers were getting ready to send another ‘care package’ up to the Grecos.”

Lauren shook her head and looked sad.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Member how I told you that the
Beardsleys who didn’t want to sign the contract were drugged into coming down with that tea stuff?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Well they’re going to do that to the Grecos now that the rest of the ones up there don’t seem interested in joining Ramus.”

“Oh, I remember when the drugged
Beardsleys came to work on daddy’s farm when I was just a little girl,” said Lauren.  “It was awful.  They all had sunken in eyes, were terribly gaunt, and would do anything for a small bit of whatever drug was in that tea.”

Burl nodded and fear ran through me.  I thought of all of the people that I had grown up around in the ship being a slave with a strong addiction as their handcuffs.

Burl continued.  “So Teddy told me that they already have all of the stuff in barrels ready to go.  They’re gonna send it up any day now.  And.  I told Teddy that you would be coming back to my house.  And.  Well.”  Burl took another drag from his pipe and swallowed.  “Teddy was wondering if ye’ would help us out.”

“Help how?” I asked.

“Teddy was wondering if ye’ would be willing to sneak into one of the barrels tomorrow night.  He’s got a friend working then and he says that he’ll help you guys out.”

“No!” Lauren objected.  “He can’t!  The boy has been in so much danger so far, risking his life to save the people on Glen’s farm.  I forbid it!”

I sat quietly.

“I don’t think that it’s up to ye’ to forbid!” said Burl.  “Let the boy
make up his mind.”

“Look at him!” said Lauren.  “Look at his face.  Can’t you see that he’s scared?”

“’Course he’s scared,” Burl threw back.  “It’s a dangerous thing, sneakin’ in there and such, but think of all the lives he would save.  A whole bunch of Grecos!”

Both of their faces had grown red and they were talking fast.  I didn’t know what to think.

“How is he going to save a whole bunch of Grecos if he’s dead?  How long is he going to be locked away in that barrel, anyway?” Lauren asked.

“I don’t know,” said Burl.

Lauren threw up her hands and laughed.  “You don’t know?  Well that’s great.  What if he dies in there?  Is that something you’re willing to live with?”

“
S’matter of fact, it is!  If the boy don’t even try then all of the Grecos will be drug slaves.  Is that something ‘yer willing to live with?”

“But why does it have to be him?  Why not you, or me, or Teddy?” asked Lauren

“He’s the only one who’s small enough,” said Burl.  “E’s got to fit in a little barrel.”  Both Lauren and Burl were panting with anger.  Burl took a puff from his pipe and looked over at me.  “What do ye’ want to do?”

“Yeah,” Lauren chimed in.  “What do you want to do?”

Their eyes were heavy on me and I didn’t have a good answer.  I was scared.  “When would we leave here, if I decided to go?” I asked Burl.

“
T’morrow morning.  Bright n’ early.”

“Can I sleep on it?” I asked.

“Sure you can,” said Lauren.

That night, Lauren and Julia slept in Burl’s
bed, I slept in the guest bedroom and Burl slept on the couch.  I lay on top of the quilt with my hands under my head looking at the stars outside of the window.  I was awake and thinking over the options for a long while.  I wanted to help, but I also didn’t want to die.  It wasn’t until late into the night that I made my decision and went to sleep.

18

Teddy

              “Good mornin’, sunshine.”

             
I opened my eyes to see Burl’s smiling face in the morning light.  “What time is it?” I asked.