The Bone People by Keri Hulme Read Free Book Online

sinking premonitory feeling in her stomach.
    "Yeah, I been doing some quiet checking up. The Tainuis left for over the hill early this morning by all
    accounts, and Simon Gillayley was supposed to be with them."
    "Bloody hell," says Kerewin, "but his father? His mother? Anyone?"
    "Lessee, Hana died two, maybe three years ago. If Joe's not around, the Tainuis usually are."
    "And Joe isn't around?"
    A long pause.
    "No," he says, and she can hear him chewing his lips. "Ah, has there been any trouble?"
    "No, I fed him, he sat round, and then went off to bed at my suggestion. He seemed helluva tired. I assume
    he's still there."
    A current of surprise wafts to her.
    "I take it he takes off fairly frequently?"
    "O Periodically," the operator's tones are restrained, "like about twice a week."
    "Sol got the impression you are surprised by something?"
    "Yeah, when you said there's been no trouble. There always is. The kid's got a touchpaper temper. Also, he
    specialises in sneak thievery and petty vandalism."
    A little break of silence while she absorbs that lot.
    "And," adds the operator, "it's well known he's not all there. Emotionally disturbed or something."
    "Well, he's been no trouble so far." She feels somehow defensive of the child.
    "Lucky you," and there's another pause. He says, "As I see it, you've got alternatives. You can ring the cops and have him picked up. That makes life hard for Joe, and as I said, he's a good bloke. It can't be easy
    bringing up a kid on your own, even the ordinary kind... I don't think the police have come into it since
    Simon tramped all Mrs Hardy's lettuces to death. Or you can keep him there until morning, say late morning,
    because I guarantee Joe'll be up and
    I
    about by then. And choice number three, throw him out on his ear right now."
    "It's still wet," she says briefly. Then, intrigued, "Why on earth did he stamp on Mrs Whatsit's lettuces?"
    "I don't know. Can't have liked their faces or something. As I said, the kid's batty. Deficient."
    "So I don't really have alternatives?"
    "If he's no trouble, your words, and you're too humanitarian to kick him out or get the police in, no, you
    haven't got much choice."
    "Not humanitarian, worried about my lettuces... actually the slugs got all the last lot so it doesn't upset me
    one way or the other."
    "Well, in that case I'll leave a note for the graveyard shift to get hold of Joe, and if you sleep in late, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
    "Thanks."
    "And listen, Joe'll make everything right by you. He's good like that."
    "Yeah. Thanks again."
    "S'all right," says the operator, cheerful and kindly, "Let's know what happened sometime eh?"
    "I will. Goodnight."
    "Goodnight... O...."
    "What?"
    "Check your silver," click.
    Ha bloody ha. I'll just turn the brat upside down and shake him thoroughly before he leaves.
    And speaking of leaving, the stout is due to exit.
    Running up the dark stairway, surefooted, lightheaded, giddy in the spiral between the walls--
    Her original plan had included a garderobe, but there'd been problems. A convenient stream was one, the
    stench another. Let Genet sniff his farts like flowers, she preferred other incense. So a modern watercloset
    flush in the medieval stone--
    She sneaks to her bedroom doorway: there is a curled shape dimly visible on the bed.
    No movement. No sound. She cannot hear any breathing.
    A sudden absurd fear, that the unwelcome guest has somehow changed into an even more unwelcome corpse,
    grips her. Stupid! she says furiously, Stupid! She stalks down the stairs, shoulders high, still listening
    intently.
    Frae ghosties an ghoulies
    an longlegged beasties
    an things that gae bump!
    in the night,
    guid God deliver us--
    "Stupid," she tells herself out loud, when safely in the light and warm of the livingroom circle.
    But what would you have done if he really had died? Forget him. He'll go away with the morning.
    She has no appetite for food now. She hunts out the sleeping bag she had