It’s made of a shiny light colored metal. He
pulls on it with his other hand and it gets longer. He looks
through the narrow end and I can now see there’s a circle of glass
at the other, wider end. Finn had been standing hands on his hips,
looking out over the valley, but at this new object of Tater’s his
eyes grow all big and round.
“ Shizen! What is that?” he
says in wonder.
“ Finn!” I say, scolding him.
“Stop your cussin’!”
But I’m sure as shizen wondering the
same. What is it?
“ Ah yes, this little beauty
is called a spyglass,” Tater answers but he don’t take it from his
eye. He just keeps sweeping the valley.
“ Got this off of a real
friendly lady in Skytown by the name of Glenalda. Traded her a
bottle of whiskey and a lovely silk dress of my mothers.” He laughs
to himself. “Yes…that was quite the night indeed…but I’m rambling
again aren’t I? This, my young friends, helps you to see far off in
the distance. Very handy for scouring the vicinity for any sign of
danger or threat.”
He does another sweep then takes it
down from his eye.
“ And it appears we are
good.”
I forget all my hostility and anger
towards Tater and nearly run Finn over in my haste to reach the
little man and his curious object.
“ Let me see!”
“ Can I try?”
We’re trying to yell over each other,
to be the first to get a look at this wonder, but Tater holds the
spyglass away from us.
“ Careful! It’s a very
delicate object.”
He hesitates for a bit, looks from me
to his spyglass. I can tell he don’t wanna part with it, but
finally he relents and hands it over.
“ You promise to be
careful?”
“ Aye!” I say, taking it
eagerly.
I hold it to one eye, squinting the
other like Tater had done. All of a sudden the mountains that
seemed so far away before loom in front of me and I cain’t help but
step back in shocked astonishment. I can see every rocky ledge and
treed valley perfectly clear like I could reach out and touch
them!
“ Holy Shizen!” I say,
pulling it away for a moment just to make sure my eyes weren’t
playing a trick on me. Nope the mountains are just as far away as
before. I quickly put it back to my eye again. How is this little
thing making this possible?
Finn is yanking at my tunic
impatiently.
“ My turn! My
turn!”
I don’t want to let it go. It’s one of
the most amazing things I’ve ever seen but it ain’t fair not to let
Finn try so I reluctantly hand it over. I cain’t help but laugh
when his mouth falls open at what he sees. His hand goes up in
front of him and he’s reaching like he thinks he can touch what’s
in the spyglass. At hearing my laugh he turns the spyglass to me,
grinning.
“ Hey Tara, you got a hanger
in your nose.”
“ What?” My hand goes to
cover my nose but Finn cracks up laughing.
“ No there ain’t you mule
turd,” I yell at him but it makes me laugh too.
Finn hands the spyglass carefully back
to Tater.
“ That was amazing Tater!” he
says, bouncing up and down. “You got anything else to show
us?”
“ Another time perhaps,”
Tater says putting it away. “But I think it is best we head out. A
word of advice though before we proceed through the valley,
yes?”
His tone is light but I get the feeling
he ain’t telling us everything, and my gut clenches, chasing away
my earlier feeling of peacefulness.
“ What is it?” I ask. “Did
you see something in that spyglass of yours?”
“ No, no. Everything was
clear. No sign of any threat. But I suggest we move through the
valley quickly. Not make camp until we get to the base of the
mountains. If we make haste we should be there before
nightfall.”
Taters words are not easing my worries
none.
“ Why? Thought you said
everything was clear? Why do we gotta hurry? Are there critters or
such we should watch out for?” I say.
He chuckles as if the idea of such a
thing was ridiculous.
“ No not ‘critters’ per say.
But beyond that third rise
pulls on it with his other hand and it gets longer. He looks
through the narrow end and I can now see there’s a circle of glass
at the other, wider end. Finn had been standing hands on his hips,
looking out over the valley, but at this new object of Tater’s his
eyes grow all big and round.
“ Shizen! What is that?” he
says in wonder.
“ Finn!” I say, scolding him.
“Stop your cussin’!”
But I’m sure as shizen wondering the
same. What is it?
“ Ah yes, this little beauty
is called a spyglass,” Tater answers but he don’t take it from his
eye. He just keeps sweeping the valley.
“ Got this off of a real
friendly lady in Skytown by the name of Glenalda. Traded her a
bottle of whiskey and a lovely silk dress of my mothers.” He laughs
to himself. “Yes…that was quite the night indeed…but I’m rambling
again aren’t I? This, my young friends, helps you to see far off in
the distance. Very handy for scouring the vicinity for any sign of
danger or threat.”
He does another sweep then takes it
down from his eye.
“ And it appears we are
good.”
I forget all my hostility and anger
towards Tater and nearly run Finn over in my haste to reach the
little man and his curious object.
“ Let me see!”
“ Can I try?”
We’re trying to yell over each other,
to be the first to get a look at this wonder, but Tater holds the
spyglass away from us.
“ Careful! It’s a very
delicate object.”
He hesitates for a bit, looks from me
to his spyglass. I can tell he don’t wanna part with it, but
finally he relents and hands it over.
“ You promise to be
careful?”
“ Aye!” I say, taking it
eagerly.
I hold it to one eye, squinting the
other like Tater had done. All of a sudden the mountains that
seemed so far away before loom in front of me and I cain’t help but
step back in shocked astonishment. I can see every rocky ledge and
treed valley perfectly clear like I could reach out and touch
them!
“ Holy Shizen!” I say,
pulling it away for a moment just to make sure my eyes weren’t
playing a trick on me. Nope the mountains are just as far away as
before. I quickly put it back to my eye again. How is this little
thing making this possible?
Finn is yanking at my tunic
impatiently.
“ My turn! My
turn!”
I don’t want to let it go. It’s one of
the most amazing things I’ve ever seen but it ain’t fair not to let
Finn try so I reluctantly hand it over. I cain’t help but laugh
when his mouth falls open at what he sees. His hand goes up in
front of him and he’s reaching like he thinks he can touch what’s
in the spyglass. At hearing my laugh he turns the spyglass to me,
grinning.
“ Hey Tara, you got a hanger
in your nose.”
“ What?” My hand goes to
cover my nose but Finn cracks up laughing.
“ No there ain’t you mule
turd,” I yell at him but it makes me laugh too.
Finn hands the spyglass carefully back
to Tater.
“ That was amazing Tater!” he
says, bouncing up and down. “You got anything else to show
us?”
“ Another time perhaps,”
Tater says putting it away. “But I think it is best we head out. A
word of advice though before we proceed through the valley,
yes?”
His tone is light but I get the feeling
he ain’t telling us everything, and my gut clenches, chasing away
my earlier feeling of peacefulness.
“ What is it?” I ask. “Did
you see something in that spyglass of yours?”
“ No, no. Everything was
clear. No sign of any threat. But I suggest we move through the
valley quickly. Not make camp until we get to the base of the
mountains. If we make haste we should be there before
nightfall.”
Taters words are not easing my worries
none.
“ Why? Thought you said
everything was clear? Why do we gotta hurry? Are there critters or
such we should watch out for?” I say.
He chuckles as if the idea of such a
thing was ridiculous.
“ No not ‘critters’ per say.
But beyond that third rise
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