The Testimony of Taliesin Jones (32 page)

H
e is
cl
ose
to t
elling
Luc
a
bout Mr
s
Willis but th
e
m
oment
i
s
l
ost as
thr
ee
b
oys s
tride t
owards
them with
a
rms int
er
l
ocked c
hanting,
'
Join
o
n, j
oin o
n f
or
Bulldo
gs!
J
oin o
n, j
oin o
n f
or
Bulld
ogs!'
Th
e
thr
ee-headed g
ame-caller
s
tops in front
o
f th
em,
th
e co
ld
a
ir r
oaring
fr
om
th
eir
link
ed
H
ydra
h
eads.
Th
e
middl
e
h
ead
hi
sses
fir
st.

'Co
me
o
n th
en
W
orm,
j
oin o
n.'

'N
o
th
anks,'
h
e say
s.

O
ne
o
f th
e
h
eads sees
th
e ea
rly
g
loves.

'It
's
n
ot eve
n
c
old
ye
t, W
orm.
Wh
y yo
u
wea
rin
'
g
loves?'

'
I
a
m
co
ld,' h
e say
s
a
nd h
e
m
oves
hi
s s
houlders
in
a
m
ock s
hiver
to
pr
ove i
t.

'
He's
go
t
wa
rts,' Lu
c
Th
e
L
oyal
s
ays.

 
'Ur
gh
.
D
on't y
ou e
ver was
h?
Didn
't yo
ur m
other
t
ell yo
u
a
bout
was
hing
y
our
h
ands
W
ormy war
ty,
wor
my, wi
ggly,
wa
rty w
orm?'
th
e
H
ydra says.

O
ddly T
aliesin is
n't
s
tung b
y a
ny
o
f th
ese
t
aunts or eve
n hi
s
b
est f
riend's p
erfidy.
H
e k
nows h
ow evi
l
b
oys ca
n b
e f
rom
th
e
b
ook
h
e's
r
eading.
And
a
nyway, h
e seems
to
h
ave c
reated
a sto
re f
or
the
in
sults; a
kind
o
f
r
eservoir o
r
a cess
pool
wh
ere
h
e ca
n
s
luice th
e
d
etritus.
M
aybe
th
e co
llective hurt
s
w
ill ove
rflow
so
me
d
ay,
fl
ooding
hi
s
p
ool a
nd bur
sting
hi
s
bank
s.
H
e's
n
ot cr
ied in
a
lon
g
t
ime,
n
ot s
ince h
e was
wr
ongly acc
used
o
f
s
tealing
a
b
ook fro
m hi
s
l
ast sc
hool. And h
e
d
idn't c
ry
w
hen
his m
other
l
eft
h
ome.
H
e
i
s developing a
h
ard o
uter
s
hell.

'Co
me
o
n Lu
c, '
th
e
l
eft
h
ead
s
ays
.

Lu
c
l
ooks a
t
Ta
liesin.

'
I d
on't
min
d, '
T
aliesin says
.

Lu
c
D
aniel wo
uldn't d
ie for
h
im
so
h
e won'
t t
ell
h
im ye
t. Th
e
thr
ee-headed
mo
nster
s
prouts
a
nother
h
ead a
nd
s
trides
o
n
c
hanting,
l
ooking
f
or more
bull
dogs.

O
n th
e
bu
s
h
ome
Juli
e Dye
r
smokes
thr
ee
c
igarettes
a
nd p
aints
h
er
n
ails
.
Sh
e o
ffers t
o
p
aint
T
aliesin's
n
ails
b
ut h
e
k
eeps
th
e g
loves
on
th
ank yo
u
ve
ry
m
uch.
S
he
kee
ps
og
ling him
cove
tously,
as
if h
e's a
n un
opened
C
hristmas pr
esent a
nd
s
h
e's
a
bout
to
rip
o
ff h
is
th
in w
rapping
a
nd
ge
t t
o w
hat i
s i
nside. Juli
e Dye
r
is
c
hanging
s
hape
a
nd
size more
qu
ickly
th
an s
hould b
e
hum
anly
p
ossible.
In
a few
m
onths
s
he h
as go
ne
f
rom b
eing
th
e g
irl
w
ith th
e a
lmost-breasts t
o t
he
gi
rl
with th
e
qu
ite-definitely-breasts.
A
s
a re
sult
r
eading h
as
b
ecome ve
ry di
fficult
.
Wh
en
th
e
b
ack
end of th
e
bu
s ca
re
ers
Ta
liesin find
s
him
self
delib
erately
l
etting
hi
s c
hicken l
e
gs
pr
ess
up
agai
nst h
er ele
phantine th
ighs.
Sh
e
d
oesn't
min
d.
Th
ey
h
ave
b
ecome f
riends
beca
use
o
f bo
oks,
but hi
s e
n
t
husiasm fo
r
r
eading o
n th
e
bu
s
h
as
dimini
shed
in inv
erse
pr
oportion
t
o
h
er
b
allooning.
Sin
ce
A
nimal
F
arm
s
he ha
s
b
ecome
v
oracious
f
or
m
ore
r
eadings,
demandin
g
tw
o o
r thr
ee w
hole
c
hapters
a
t
a go
.
S
he h
as
thi
s
irrit
ating
h
abit o
f pr
edicti
ng
w
hat
is go
ing
to
h
appen, i
nvariably
ge
tting
i
t
r
ight.

'
C'mo
n th
en,
l
et
'
s
h
ave
L
ord of The
Fli
es.
Wh
at's go
ing t
o
h
appen
t
o
Pi
ggy?' s
he
as
ks
.
'
I
wa
nt t
o
kno
w w
hat th
ey're go
ing t
o
d
o
t
o
h
im.
Th
ey're go
ing t
o
kill h
im,
I kn
ow
th
at's w
hat th
ey're go
ing t
o
d
o
.
Th
ey're ev
il, tho
se
b
oys.'

H
e
s
t
a
rt
s to
r
ead,
th
e g
loves
ma
king
i
t h
ard
t
o
turn p
ages
.
So
me
of t
he l
anguage is o
btuse
a
nd th
e
acti
on vag
ue but it d
oesn't see
m t
o
m
atter;
it
co
mmunicates
a se
nse. Th
ere
i
s so
mething t
errible goi
ng t
o
h
appen,
Julie Dy
er is
ri
ght. To
day, in th
e
pl
ayground
h
e
s
aw
th
e
truth in th
is
b
ook;
th
e
truth th
at
b
oys can
b
e worse
th
an a
nim
a
ls
.
If h
e
w
as o
n th
at is
land h
e
'd
b
e
li
ke
R
alph
.
H
e'd
tr
y a
nd rem
ember
th
e
ri
ght way to
l
ead
h
is
lif
e,
h
e wo
uldn't p
ick
up a sp
ear.
B
oys
d
on't
h
ave
t
o
b
e
b
ad
.
O
ne d
ay,
h
e
vo
ws,
h
e w
ill form
a ga
ng
a
nd it
w
ill b
e goo
d.