Boneland. Alan Garner

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ in your interest to stay.’

      ‘I know it is. But I want to go. I want to go home. I need to. I want to go now.’

      ‘Avoid alcohol until you’ve seen your own doctor. Remember.’

      ‘I’ll remember.’

      A porter wheeled him to the main hall. With each passage from the ward to the air he felt himself return. The taxi was waiting.

      ‘Where are we for, squire?’ said the driver.

      ‘Church Quarry, please.’

      ‘Where’s that?’

      ‘I’ll show you.’

      ‘Best sit at the front, then.’

      Colin got in and held the backpack on his knee.

      ‘Done your seat belt?’

      ‘Sorry.’

      The driver reached over and ran the belt across Colin’s chest between his arms and the backpack and locked it. They drove round the car park to the road.

      ‘Which way?’ said the driver.

      Colin’s cheek was on the backpack.

      ‘Don’t nod off, mate, else we’ll never get home.’

      ‘Sorry. Go by Trugs.’

      ‘Got you.’

      They left the town into the falling sun, away from the straight walls, the corridors without shadow, the flatnesses, along roads and lanes that bent, dipped and lifted, copying the land. Colin’s head drooped.

      ‘What line of business are you in, then?’ said the driver.

      ‘Sorry?’

      ‘What’s your job?’

      ‘Ah. Survey. M45. At the moment.’

      ‘It wants widening.’

      ‘I’m measuring it.’

      ‘Comes in handy sometimes.’

      ‘Yes?’

      ‘M6, M42, M45, M1.’

      ‘How do you mean?’

      ‘It misses the worst of the traffic.’

      ‘May I have a little air?’

      ‘Sure. So what’s this survey you’re doing?’

      ‘Plotting dwarfs.’

      The driver looked at him.

      ‘Only the anomalous. Bear right at The Black Greyhound,’ said Colin.

      ‘Bloody Norah.’

      ‘The main work is MERLIN.’

      ‘What’s that?’

      ‘Acronym.’

      ‘Oh. To keep them bridges up.’

      ‘Turn right here,’ said Colin. The taxi wove between potholes along a farm track beside the wood. ‘At the next tree will do fine.’

      ‘You all right, mate?’

      ‘Perfect,’ said Colin. ‘Thank you very much.’

      He walked into the silence of the wood and the quarry and his Bergli hut. He put the key to the door but he could not feel the lock. Sweat ran and his mouth was dry. Light shone on the log planks. He turned his head towards it in the dusk. It was a torch, dazzling him.

      ‘You sure you’re all right, mate?’ said the driver.

      ‘Perhaps a little help,’ said Colin. He slid down the doorframe. ‘How remiss of me.’

      ‘Come here. Let’s be having you.’ The driver took the key, unlocked the door and opened it. ‘Where’s the switch?’

      ‘For what?’

      ‘The electric.’

      ‘I don’t use it.’

      ‘By the cringe.’

      The driver put his arms under Colin’s shoulders and lifted him across the threshold. He swung his torch to see the room, then hefted Colin along the floor and laid him down on a bunk that was against the wall.

      ‘The lamp’s on the table,’ said Colin. ‘Matches in the drawer.’

      The driver looked. ‘And what’s this effort?’

      ‘Tilley. Loosen the pump to release any pressure.’

      ‘What pump?’

      ‘The knurled projection on the top of the reservoir. Give it a quarter turn to the left and retighten. Open the jar of meths and dip the preheater in. When it’s soaked, clip the preheater around the vaporiser stem, light it with a match and slide it up under the glass. When the meths begins to expire, give four full firm rhythmic strokes on the pump, like so: “Here comes a candle to light you to bed”; then as the flame dies, turn on the lamp and the mantle will ignite audibly and burn yellow. After thirty seconds give several strokes on the pump until the mantle is white and the lamp is making a steady hiss. What’s the matter?’

      The driver was laughing. ‘Stone the crows! You’re summat else, you are!’

      ‘What? Where? How many?’ Colin got himself to the table. He pulled a chair across, sat heavily, and lit the Tilley lamp. His hands shook but his pumping brought the hissing white.

      ‘How many?’

      ‘How many what?’ said the driver.

      ‘Crows.’

      The driver’s phone rang. ‘Hi, Fay. I’m with a customer. The job from the hospital. Eh? You’re breaking up.’

      ‘A figure of speech,’ said Colin. ‘Of course.’

      ‘I’ll ring you back. Cheers.’

      ‘So selfish of me to detain you,’ said Colin.

      ‘You’re all right, mate. Part of the service.’

      ‘Thank you. Thank you. That’s generous. Most generous. Should I need a taxi in the future, will you be able to drive me?’

      ‘Sure. Here’s our card. Give us a bell.’

      ‘But I’d like you to do it, personally. What’s your name?’

      ‘Call СКАЧАТЬ