The cemetery, the stables, and...- Thursday night
Susan doubted anyone would blame her for being distracted the last few days. Being visited by the rat and raven had been strange enough, but then there'd been Binky. She would have written it off as hallucinations caused by something she ate, but Lucrezia had seen him, too. She'd checked the stables this morning and found him exactly where she'd left him yesterday.
She had someone she needed to talk to, and she had a feeling she'd know where he'd be.
The raven was hopping across the ground when Susan arrived, though he did stop when he noticed she was there. "What were you trying to tell me the other night?" she asked.
"Tell you?" said the raven. He looked about as guilty as a bird could look.
"All that dah-dah-dah-DAH stuff."
"He said I wasn't to tell you," said the raven. "I was just supposed to warn you about the horse. I got carried away. Turned up, has it?"
"Yes!"
"RIde it."
"I did. It can't be real! Real horses know where the ground is!"
"Miss, there's no horse realer than that one."
"I know his name! I've ridden him before!" Susan said.
The raven sighed. Sort of. The raven sighed as much as ravens could sigh. "RIde the horse. He's decided you're the one."
"Where to?" asked Susan.
"That's not for me to know and you to find out."
That was not helpful. "Just supposing I was stupid enough to do it... can you kind of hint about what will happen?"
"Well... you've read books, I can see. Have you ever read any about children who go to magical faraway kingdoms and have adventures with goblins and so on."
"Yes, of course." It was not an attractive prospect.
"It'd probably be best if you thought along those lines," said the raven.
Still not a very attractive prospect.
"I'd better be going," said Susan.
There didn't seem to be any rules about curfew at this school. It was both freeing and slightly annoying. It was as if they didn't know how a proper school should be run. It did, however, mean that she didn't have to sneak into the stables at this hour.
Binky was still there, but only for as long as it took for Susan to get him out of the box, hop on, and ride... elsewhere.
[NFI, totally FB. Dialogue taken from Soul Music by Terry Pratchett, if pretty adapted.]
She had someone she needed to talk to, and she had a feeling she'd know where he'd be.
The raven was hopping across the ground when Susan arrived, though he did stop when he noticed she was there. "What were you trying to tell me the other night?" she asked.
"Tell you?" said the raven. He looked about as guilty as a bird could look.
"All that dah-dah-dah-DAH stuff."
"He said I wasn't to tell you," said the raven. "I was just supposed to warn you about the horse. I got carried away. Turned up, has it?"
"Yes!"
"RIde it."
"I did. It can't be real! Real horses know where the ground is!"
"Miss, there's no horse realer than that one."
"I know his name! I've ridden him before!" Susan said.
The raven sighed. Sort of. The raven sighed as much as ravens could sigh. "RIde the horse. He's decided you're the one."
"Where to?" asked Susan.
"That's not for me to know and you to find out."
That was not helpful. "Just supposing I was stupid enough to do it... can you kind of hint about what will happen?"
"Well... you've read books, I can see. Have you ever read any about children who go to magical faraway kingdoms and have adventures with goblins and so on."
"Yes, of course." It was not an attractive prospect.
"It'd probably be best if you thought along those lines," said the raven.
Still not a very attractive prospect.
"I'd better be going," said Susan.
There didn't seem to be any rules about curfew at this school. It was both freeing and slightly annoying. It was as if they didn't know how a proper school should be run. It did, however, mean that she didn't have to sneak into the stables at this hour.
Binky was still there, but only for as long as it took for Susan to get him out of the box, hop on, and ride... elsewhere.
[NFI, totally FB. Dialogue taken from Soul Music by Terry Pratchett, if pretty adapted.]