Mungus: Book 1 (26 page)

             
“Early,” he said.  “Look, Walt, I don’t wanna rush ye’, but if we’re gonna go to Teddy’s today, we need to go soon.  Have ye made a decision?”

             
“I’m going.”

             
Burl smiled.  “Excellent.  Well, come get ye’ some breakfast.”

             
The sun was just beginning to shine light over the farm and Burl and I ate a quiet breakfast of eggs and ham.  “Yer hair is startin’ to grow back a little,” said Burl.  I reached my hand up and felt the top of my head.  The little hairs were prickly under my fingers.

             
“Ye’ still can’t see it too well, but it’s there.”

             
When I was done eating I knocked on the door to Burl’s bedroom.  Lauren opened up looking sleepy in a night gown.

             
“Hello,” I said.

             
“Hello,” she smiled.  She looked from me to Burl standing in the back of the kitchen.  “I guess that you’re going, then.”

             
“Yeah.  I am,” I said.

             
She nodded and then stepped out of the bedroom and hugged me.  Then she knelt down to eye level with me and put a stern finger in my face.  “You be safe now.”

             
“I will be.”

             
She hugged me once more and said, “You have a good heart, Walt.”

             
Burl and I left shortly after that.  We got on top of Rusty and I sat behind Burl as we rode.  I looked back at Burl’s house for as long as I could and didn’t look forward until the trees had blocked my field of vision.  The horse rode on for a little over an hour until we came out of the forests and entered the roads that led to the town.

             
“So why’d ye’ decide to do it?” Burl asked.  I couldn’t see his face and he didn’t turn around to look at me when he asked the question.

             
I stared at his long red hair in the back of his head and answered.  “I was up thinking last night and,” I took a deep breath.  “And I figured that it’s what Saul would have wanted me to do.”

             
“I bet ye’ that yer right,” said Burl, and we rode on.

             
It was early morning by the time that we reached Teddy’s house.  Dew was still sitting on the grass but the rising sun was already heating up the day.  “This is it,” said Burl.

             
I was looking at a two story wooden house at the far end of town.  It wasn’t made of clay, like many of the structures were; but rather, it was a neatly constructed building consisting mostly of wood.  “It’s a pretty house,” I said.

             
“Sure is,” Burl said.  He tied Rusty up to a pole outside and we went up to the front door before any Salyer guards could spot us.

             
Burl was about to knock when the front door swung open and in its place stood a smiling tall Salyer guard in full red uniform.  “Burl!” he said wrapped the hairy man in a warm embrace.

             
“Hello, Teddy,” Burl said.  Teddy’s hands were the size of dinner plates and covered most of Burl’s back.

             
“And this is Walt?” asked Teddy.

             
“Tis,” Said Burl.

             
“Oh, how nice to meet you,” said Teddy.  We shook hands and his slender fingers completely engulfed mine.  “Please,” Teddy said.  “Come in.”

             
I entered the front door of Teddy’s home and the first thing that I noticed was that it was impeccably clean.  Most of the walls and doorways around the house were made of unpainted wood, but throughout the home there was not a speck of dust out of place.  “Are you two hungry?” asked Teddy.

             
I wasn’t.  I had eaten a big meal with Burl right before we left but to my surprise, Burl responded, “I’m starving.”

             
Teddy led us into his kitchen where we stood around the counter eating biscuits and eggs.  I ate little while Teddy and Burl ate enough for five people.  Even though they ate a large amount of food there were still heaps of eggs and biscuits when they were finished.

             
“Looks like ye made too much food,” Burl said.

             
“No such thing,” said Teddy.  “The Wilks will eat anything that we don’t.”  Teddy grabbed the plates of food in his long hands and we followed him into a hallway.  He pulled a string from the ceiling and a wooden staircase unfolded onto the floor.  In the hole of the ceiling a dirty faced man stuck his head out.  “Hungry?” asked Teddy.

             
The man looked at the eggs and bacon and nodded.  Teddy handed them up to the man and then he shut the attic back up.

             
“it’s a shame that they have to stay up in the attic,” Teddy said as we walked back into the kitchen.  “I think that Bernard from the government offices in onto me, though, and I can’t have runaway Beardsleys hanging around downstairs.”

             
“Should we go up into the attic?” I asked.

             
Teddy waved his hand.  “No, that won’t be necessary.  You’re hairs so short that you don’t even look like your pictures on the posters and Burl is free to come and go to town as he pleases.  And besides, you’ll only be here one day.”  Teddy looked up at the kitchen clock and his eyes widened.  “Oh,” he said.  “I’m late.  Well, I’ll be back after dark.  Make yourselves comfortable, eat anything that you want.”  Teddy then threw on his coat and rushed out the door.

             
Burl laughed.  “He’s always late, that’s just like Teddy.  So unorganized.”

             
I looked around the kitchen and furrowed my brow.  Shelves lined the walls and were stocked with all kinds of spices and peppers stacked in neat little rows.  The chairs at the kitchen table were pushed in and the table was set with napkins and silverware.  Hanging from the ceiling above the counter were pots and pans, put in order from biggest to smallest.  It appeared as though the man who lived there was incredibly organized, despite Burl’s comment.

             
Burl saw my eyes and looked around this kitchen.  “Oh, yeah, this is organized, but he doesn’t do this.  The family in the attic comes down at night and dusts all of his things.”

             
“Why do they do that?” I asked.

             
Burl shrugged, “Teddy doesn’t ask ‘em to or nothing, they just do.  It’s probably a way to say ‘thank you’ to Teddy for all of his hospitality.”

             
Burl and I went into the living room and plopped ourselves down onto soft couches in front of the fireplace.  Paintings depicting country life hung over the walls.  Soon after Burl got situated on the couch, I heard him snoring. 

             
I was beginning to get worked up thinking about what would happen that night.  I wandered what would happen if I got caught.  I would go to the Theatre, surely, and maybe even be tortured.  The thought made me shiver.  Burl had explained the plan again to me that morning over breakfast.

             
Two Salyers were always on guard, watching over the barrels and sacks of food that were to be sent to the Grecos.  They watched it so that no one would tamper with it or try to steal it.  There were big barrels of black beans there.  The plan was to put me in one of those barrels.  Teddy was going to empty out one of the barrels slowly at work that day, and at the night time his friend was going to be on guard.  His friend, Fred I think his name was, was going to distract the other guard somehow and then Teddy was going to go and put me into the barrel.  It seemed like a solid enough plan, but I was still nervous.

             
I closed my eyes and tried to calm down.  I thought about the time in my life when my whole family had been alive.  I imagined that I was still on the ship and that my mom, dad, Saul and I were all sitting around dinner and laughing.  Before too long, I was asleep.

             
Burl shook me up and I looked around.  Teddy was back from work and sitting in a chair by the window.  It was pitch dark outside.  “What time is it?” I asked.

             
“A little past midnight,” Teddy said.  “We’ll be leaving soon.”

             
Fear shot in me and my heart started to beat quickly.  I thought that I would have more time.

             
“I’ve cooked you something.  Are you hungry?”

             
“Not really,” I said.

             
“Oh, don’t be nervous.  You’ll be fine, I promise,” said Teddy.

             
His promise did not make me feel better.  I had promised Saul that he would be okay and he’s not.  Some things you can’t promise.  I followed Burl and Teddy into the kitchen where they ate roast beef and pieces of bread and talked and laughed.  I remained quiet.

             
“You okay?” Burl asked.

             
I nodded.

             
“You don’t have to do this.  Do ye’ still want to?”

             
I nodded again.

             
After Teddy and Burl had eaten Teddy took the food up to the attic and then I hugged Burl goodbye.  “Ye’ll be alright,” he told me.

             
I could tell by the way that he was talking to me that I was visibly nervous.  I wandered if he had felt my heart thumping while I hugged him.

             
Teddy looked at the clock and said, “Greg’s expecting us to be waiting soon.  We’d better get going.”

             
I said goodbye to Burl before Teddy and I slinked out the backdoor.  I followed Teddy and he led me into the forest.  “Where is the place that they keep this food?” I asked him.

             
“It’s out by the landing strip.  Is that where you flew in?”

             
“I think so.”

             
As we got closer, I found out that it was.  I saw the strip of grass that the carrier ship had landed in when I was brought down to Mungus.  About fifty yards to the side of that was a tent held up by wooden poles and ropes coming out of the ground.  The inside was lit with light from a lantern and I could see barrels of all shapes and sizes, boxes, and large burlap sacks sitting on the floor.  We watched them from the trees and kept a good distance so that they couldn’t see us.

             
“And when are they supposed to actually send this stuff up?” I asked.

             
“Should be soon,” said Teddy.  “They’re fixing a carrier ship and when it is in flying shape they are taking it up.”

             
Two guards walked back and forth in front of the tent.  They were in red uniforms and looking around with watchful eyes.  “The short one’s Greg,” Teddy said.

             
We were quiet for a while and we waited.  My heart was thumping up and down in my chest and my mouth was dry.  I couldn’t help but stare at the swords that were holstered in the guards’ sheaths.  I felt like I was there for ages, wondering what Greg would do to distract the other guard when I heard him scream.  I looked up and the smaller of the two guards was screaming and pointing.  “Dog!” he said.  He ran off to the side.  The other guard looked in the night air for the dog and when he couldn’t find one he sprinted after his partner, looking scared of the dog that wasn’t there.

             
“Follow me,” said Teddy.  He stayed low and jogged out of the trees in a straight line headed for the tent.  I looked around, saw that the guards were out of sight, and followed.  We ran through the night and when we reached the tent Teddy ran for a barrel and opened up a lid.  “Get in,” he said, and I was just about to when the two Salyer guards that had run from the dog tackled us and shackled our hands behind our backs in heavy cuffs.  Teddy fought and kicked and tried to get away, but it was no use: We were trapped.

              They walked us to the Theatre.  One of the guards held onto each of us by the shoulder and Greg led holding a lantern to light up the paths in front of us.  The lantern shown orange on the walls of the corridors and we followed Greg towards the back and down a flight of stone steps.  In the dim light Teddy and I shared a worried look.  We were taken down and down and then put into a holding cell until morning.  Greg and the other guard left and Teddy and I were left alone in the dark.

             
When the guards were both gone, Teddy started to weep.  “I’m so sorry,” he said.  “I never meant for you to get into trouble like this.  I thought that it would be okay.  I thought that I could trust Greg.”

             
“Why did he do that?” I asked.

             
“Probably for the money,” Teddy sniffed.  “There’s a big reward for catching criminals.”