urtains in th e ch est if y ou ca n,' hi s fath er s ays, dumpin g th e ye llow v elvet o nto th e fl oor. ' What d id she w ant?'
' She sa id s he can pick up th e trunk
t omorrow. And s he
wanted th ese fish kniv es.' Hi s fath er t akes th e kniv es and
fork s. .' Never knew w e had the se . W e'll h ave nothin g l eft a t thi s r ate. S he'll want th e tel evision n ext. Put
th ese in th en . ' Tali esin folds th e c urtains a nd s queezes
th em into th e b ox.
H e f etches th e s topped cl ock from th e mantle piec e, st ill unw ound si nce s he l eft. B y ge tting rid of this cl ock th ey m ay m ove o n fro m thi s limb o s tate, h e th inks . H e w raps it in n ewspaper a nd fi nds s pace f or it betw een und erwear a nd c utlery . T he b ox i s now c rammed , like a tr easure c hest b ound f or a fa r d istant sea port , filled with the b ounty
o f a once h appy m arriage.
CHAPTER EIGHT
J UST-DROPPED L EAVES c arpet the p ath to th e go rge. Th e woo d i s ju st p ast gold en, th e tr ees gr owing s keletal, s howing th emselves . T aliesin take s tw o strid es to hi s fa ther's one a nd th eir coa ts m ake noi ses as the a rms bru sh aga inst th eir b odies . So me o f th e le aves se em t o be h anging on f or t heir liv es, wa iting f or a s mall bree ze t o e nd it a ll. Th ere i s a c risp wi nd up n ow a nd i t w hispers to the l eaves t o dr op a nd t hey say , ' No, n ot just ye t, let us stay h ere g olden for a f ew m ore d ays, th en a t l east y ou can make a
noi se ru stling thr ough u s; a fter a ll w ithout u s y ou are silent ; w e a re yo ur i nstruments.' Th is w ay th ey b argain with their l ives.
Taliesin's
father wants to convince his son that his latest plan can work. He has made
some connection between this pl an wo rking a nd his wife c oming b ack b ecause
o f it.
'I'm go ing t o s how y ou so mething,'
h is fa ther s ays.
The
cave was once a place where Taliesin played a game called Run From The Dragon.
It was an uncomplicated game th at i nvolved runn ing from
th e ca ve t o th e to p e nd of th e w ood with out looking
ov er yo ur s houlder.
Th e p oint of th e r ace was n't t o c ome first, it w as a ll a bout ma king
th e o ther p erson l ook b ack. If y ou l ooked b ack th en yo u l ost th e ga me. It as h ard f or a yo ung bo y w ith a li vely im agination n ot t o b elieve th er e was s omething th ere w hen hi s o lder br other sa id th ere was. F or Jon athan it wa s a lways a si mple v ictory . J onathan's literal co mpetitive mind k ept h is gaze fixe d fir mly a head . It was ea sy f or him t o win th e ga me . T here w ere tim es wh en Ta liesin was conv inced th at h e co uld s mell th e b east a nd f eel it s h eat li cking a t hi s n eck. Hi s fear co njured ima ges o f a mag nificent m onster: t wenty foot win gspan, c rimson sca les and a methyst eyes . J onathan's c easeless co mmentary a ugmented thi s pi cture . ' It's ri ght b ehind u s, i t's a lmost g ot u s . D on't l ook b ehind, wh atever you do, d on't l ook b ehind.'
T he dr agon was th eir fa ther's fi ctitious cr eation -th e s upp osed l ast dr agon i n W ales, inhabit ant o f th e ca ve. H e e ncouraged hi s so ns t o beli eve f ervently in it s e xistence, fu elling t heir bel ief wi th b edtime s tories f eaturing th e h eroic br others Ta l a nd J on . But w hen, durin g a p articularly Co n vi ncing run, T aliesin f ell a nd c hipped h is t ooth, h is m other s uggested th at it was t ime t o g ive up the se s illy ga mes b efore so meone go t serio usly hurt .
H e ca n h ear hi s m other n ow, tellin g him t o g ive up hi s c hildish fa ntasies, w hile h is fa ther tri es t o e ncourage him. Hi s m other's voice is se nsible; hi s fa ther's vo ice h alf-jesting. Hi s m other ge ts c rosser. H is fa ther l aughs a t h er se riousness . And o n th ey a rgue th eir un iversal ar gument, his f ather e njoying b eing a d evil's a dvocate, hi s m other ge tting mo re i mpatient.
A l
' She sa id s he can pick up th e trunk
t omorrow. And s he
wanted th ese fish kniv es.' Hi s fath er t akes th e kniv es and
fork s. .' Never knew w e had the se . W e'll h ave nothin g l eft a t thi s r ate. S he'll want th e tel evision n ext. Put
th ese in th en . ' Tali esin folds th e c urtains a nd s queezes
th em into th e b ox.
H e f etches th e s topped cl ock from th e mantle piec e, st ill unw ound si nce s he l eft. B y ge tting rid of this cl ock th ey m ay m ove o n fro m thi s limb o s tate, h e th inks . H e w raps it in n ewspaper a nd fi nds s pace f or it betw een und erwear a nd c utlery . T he b ox i s now c rammed , like a tr easure c hest b ound f or a fa r d istant sea port , filled with the b ounty
o f a once h appy m arriage.
CHAPTER EIGHT
J UST-DROPPED L EAVES c arpet the p ath to th e go rge. Th e woo d i s ju st p ast gold en, th e tr ees gr owing s keletal, s howing th emselves . T aliesin take s tw o strid es to hi s fa ther's one a nd th eir coa ts m ake noi ses as the a rms bru sh aga inst th eir b odies . So me o f th e le aves se em t o be h anging on f or t heir liv es, wa iting f or a s mall bree ze t o e nd it a ll. Th ere i s a c risp wi nd up n ow a nd i t w hispers to the l eaves t o dr op a nd t hey say , ' No, n ot just ye t, let us stay h ere g olden for a f ew m ore d ays, th en a t l east y ou can make a
noi se ru stling thr ough u s; a fter a ll w ithout u s y ou are silent ; w e a re yo ur i nstruments.' Th is w ay th ey b argain with their l ives.
Taliesin's
father wants to convince his son that his latest plan can work. He has made
some connection between this pl an wo rking a nd his wife c oming b ack b ecause
o f it.
'I'm go ing t o s how y ou so mething,'
h is fa ther s ays.
The
cave was once a place where Taliesin played a game called Run From The Dragon.
It was an uncomplicated game th at i nvolved runn ing from
th e ca ve t o th e to p e nd of th e w ood with out looking
ov er yo ur s houlder.
Th e p oint of th e r ace was n't t o c ome first, it w as a ll a bout ma king
th e o ther p erson l ook b ack. If y ou l ooked b ack th en yo u l ost th e ga me. It as h ard f or a yo ung bo y w ith a li vely im agination n ot t o b elieve th er e was s omething th ere w hen hi s o lder br other sa id th ere was. F or Jon athan it wa s a lways a si mple v ictory . J onathan's literal co mpetitive mind k ept h is gaze fixe d fir mly a head . It was ea sy f or him t o win th e ga me . T here w ere tim es wh en Ta liesin was conv inced th at h e co uld s mell th e b east a nd f eel it s h eat li cking a t hi s n eck. Hi s fear co njured ima ges o f a mag nificent m onster: t wenty foot win gspan, c rimson sca les and a methyst eyes . J onathan's c easeless co mmentary a ugmented thi s pi cture . ' It's ri ght b ehind u s, i t's a lmost g ot u s . D on't l ook b ehind, wh atever you do, d on't l ook b ehind.'
T he dr agon was th eir fa ther's fi ctitious cr eation -th e s upp osed l ast dr agon i n W ales, inhabit ant o f th e ca ve. H e e ncouraged hi s so ns t o beli eve f ervently in it s e xistence, fu elling t heir bel ief wi th b edtime s tories f eaturing th e h eroic br others Ta l a nd J on . But w hen, durin g a p articularly Co n vi ncing run, T aliesin f ell a nd c hipped h is t ooth, h is m other s uggested th at it was t ime t o g ive up the se s illy ga mes b efore so meone go t serio usly hurt .
H e ca n h ear hi s m other n ow, tellin g him t o g ive up hi s c hildish fa ntasies, w hile h is fa ther tri es t o e ncourage him. Hi s m other's voice is se nsible; hi s fa ther's vo ice h alf-jesting. Hi s m other ge ts c rosser. H is fa ther l aughs a t h er se riousness . And o n th ey a rgue th eir un iversal ar gument, his f ather e njoying b eing a d evil's a dvocate, hi s m other ge tting mo re i mpatient.
A l
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