farlanhardy.net The Wayward Way - News - Contact - Home - About My Dad's Music - Arifah's Site - Buy CD Extracts From "The Wayward Way" A novel by Farlan Hardy The Wayward Way Book Three King of the other thing..and a pivot to boot. Part Two. I was very pleased with Will, given me a new direction he had. Sybil look'd at me growing pile of miniature type, illuminated manuscript type work with great approval. "Yes!" she said "S'you Farley Old Son. Real king of the other thingish!" Then she looked deep and serious. "Magical things ull happen now. You'll see. I can feel it me lovely Pivot you. Oh Yes, Something on the move, something magical." Will gazed at Sybil with unconcealed admiration. "Amazing!" He said "Yer Sybil's amazing Hay? the things she can see. Primative that is. Deep in the feelings. Feels life moving she does. Cosmic!" I discided ter give Will a treat, cus he'd elp'd me with me painting. So I took im ter the Birmingham Art Gallery. Thought he'd like ter see Orphelia. Yer know that sick old pre-raphaelite painting by what's is name. Will sniggered a bit when he saw Orphelia, and said Orphelia was a sicko, ment ter amuse people, Said she was Yueky, Said the artist had got it just right. A great painting of a yueky sicko.. he said with great satisfaction. Will had strong views on all the art we looked at. And so the outing was a great succes. Course I got a few funny looks cus no one else could see Will. People was thinking I was a nutter talking ter meself.. I enter'd the attic. I had seen from the street that me candles was lit. So I expected ter see me Sybil sitting by the fire sipping tea, or staring inspired into the flames. But no! No Sybil! Sat in me Sybil's chair was a small girl, Oooh! about twenty years old she was, black curly hair, rosey cheeks, big black eyes, shiny white teeth. She grinned up at me "Hay!" She said "You Farlan?" "Yer." I said "Who are you, and what yer doing, sitting in me Sybil's chair?" She grinned, her brilliant teeth caught the fire light and flashed like neon lights they did. "Hay! Shut yer mouth, you'll give me a migrain. Tell us who yer are!" "What with me mouth shut?" She neon'd at me again.. I slumped in me chair opposite ter her. "Where's me Sybil Hay?" "Gone out with yer Mom, to the cinema, a movie they both wanted ter see. See?" "Right!" I said remembering "That's right they did wanna see a film! Now! Who are you??" "Matilda." she said leaning foward in Sybil's chair, to stretch out her hand for me to shake. And giving me a good view of her cleavage. I give her cleavage a good look, and shook her hand. "I'm yer cousin from America." she said. "Yer int got an american accent!" I said suspiciously. She flashed her neon's at me again. "I don't do accents." She said "Yer don't need ter do accents ter speak like an american." I said "If yer come from America!" "Well, that's good!" She said with satisfaction "Cus I don't do accents!" I give up on that, and stared at her. She was wearing a thin white blouse and a long maroon skirt. Great figure I thought. Hmm, wonder if it's legal ter shag yer cousin.. Hmm,. She waved her arm around the room. "Love all this stuff, paintings, wonderfull. Must be great ter be so gifted." "Gifted??**" I said puzzled. "I int gifted. Every one sez I'm an Idiot. Nah, I int gifted, Har! But I did recently find meself as an artist. I could show yer if yer intrested?" "I'm intrested in everything." She said "Show me." I opened the draw in a low chest a drawers under the sloping attic ceiling. And pulled out a big deep box of me latest work, what I'd dun since me chat ter Will. Since me conversian ter small.. I dragged a tea chest over to her chair to act as a table, and layed out me new work for her ter see. Me suspicions of her had gone. Obviously she was an open book kinda girl. Great tits an all.. I felt a bit intrested in her body. Wonder'd if she'd like ter get it immortalized by a gifted artist Tee Hee, But I din say nothing, only thought it! She poured over me works, practically carressed em, stroked em with her fingers. Bit sensual that. Her hands was very beautiful, like a black person's hands I noticed. Then it dawn'd on me she was black. Well not coal black. No. but a black person alright. In fact her skin was quite pale. "Are you black?" I sez. "A Huh!" She said absently. "How'd I cum ter ave a black cousin?" I said mystified. She giggled. "Me Dad was your Mom's brother. Me Mom was a jet black lady from the deep south. Sah, I'm half black really, half white.!" "Wow!" I said "That makes you special!" "Not in the States it don't." She said not looking up, but still working her way intently through me miniatures. At last she layed them aside, and sat back staring at me. "Hmm," she said "ye've got great gifts alright. Who put yer on to miniatures? Really brings out your particular style. Yer. better than these big things..Still there brilliant an all. But these are stunning! Really stunning!" I felt meself blush, people generally don't say nice things about me work, cept Sybil does. But she don't count, cus she's me Sybil. I was warming ter Matilda. Actually I was getting hot ter Matilda. In fact I wanted ter see a lot more of Matilda. "Tell yer what, yer old cousiny thing. Whip of yer cloath's and I'll dash off a bit of a mater-piece for yer" She looked momentarily startled. Then she roared with laughter, Great laugh. Hah! I thought that's the black half laughing that is. Lovely, lovely black womans laugh. "So!" I sez. "What yer doing here in Birmingham?" "Come ter see me Dad's people." She said. "Yer know, me roots.." "Right!" I said "Roots, Good idea that. I'm all in favour of roots." She laughed some more. "Yer Mom said I can stay as long as I like." "Great." I said "Me and Sybil ull show yer around." There was a nervous cough. Matilda's eyes grew large and frighten'd "What's that?" she whispered, grabbing me hand, her hand was dry and cool. I smiled. "Oh! S'all right. S'only Will" Will reverse faded into full view. "Jesus Christ!" said Matilda clutching me. "It's a bloody real live ghost." "No. S'only Will. No need ter be frightened." Will smiled, is gentle-shy nervous smile. Matilda smiled back a shy nervous smile of her own. And reached out ter touch Will. Course her hand went through him. "Hee Hee! sez Will. "That tickles that does. Matilda laughed a white woman's laugh. "Well!" she said "Tickled ter meet yer old Will." For long we was all sitting round relaxed and happy..They was talking about America. Will revealed that he'd gone ter America after he'd left the Angel, and before he'd come ter stay with me. So there they was chatting away happily. I sat back in me chair, dint bother ter make sense of there words. I drifted off, drowsy, by the fire. A picture of Sybil floated inter me mind. Sybil looking solemn and serious. Saying "Magical things ull happen now Farley. Things are on the move." I looked across at Matilda through half closed lids. Alive she looked. Greedy for life. Magical! Life moving deep I thought. Primitive! And then I musta fallen asleep and dreamed. Well, maybe it was a dream. Maybe it want. Maybe it was magic. I seemed ter be in a forest clearing. Bright southern stars shone down turning the grass and trees silver. A little way off sat a cloak'd figure by a wood fire. The fire sent white smoke up into the deep dark blue night sky. Smell'd sweet, like wood fresh from the living bough was burning. I walked over and sat down opposite the cloak'd figure, his face was in deep shadow. His eyes glittered. He chuckled. Instantly I heard the chuckle I knew who he was...me old Arab. He who laughs throughout all eternity. "Ah! me old rogue'ish Arab Hay! Got a trick or two for me ave yer?" I said in a forced cheerful voice. Truth is I was uneasy. This guy allways brung me trouble. He spoke in a weird.. chanting voice. "I sit here beneath mother moon, my son I." "Wait a minute!" I sez "Look there int no moon. Yer're a confused old arab int ya? Yer sit beneath the stars is all!" He looked at me calmly, looked up at the moonless sky, sighed wearily and continued chanting. "I sit here beneath mother moon." He waved his right hand up at the sky. A great big harvest moon appeared. Well a course it bloody did. Should've kept me trap shut. "Now old son." he sez chuckling, and dropping is chant voice for is normal rogue's voice "Now life's moving, gone deep it has. Magical forces at work see? Got a trick a two, it's true, got advice an all" He laughed. "Here yar look." In his outstretched palm, an autumn leaf, burning golden in the cold silvery light. "Look!" He said urgently "Look deep." I dunno why. The guy always pisses me off. Get's me inter trouble. So I dunno why I looked. But I did. "Deeper!" he said gently "Look deeper." The veins in the leaf began to glow, almost as if I could see into the living atoms, moving like carlights along the motorways at night. No! not like..Was! They was motor cars speeding along neon lit roads. A complex network a roads. The leaf, the autumn leaf had grown and turned into a city. All around me speeding cars flashing lights. "Christ!" I said "Looks like a city. Neon lights flashing. Theatre's Cimema's amusement arcades, shops. Night life Hay! Co Ca bloody Cola adverts Ha, Ha Strip joints..City life. What a riot!" "Now!" said the old arab, and I was back in the forest clearing by the crackling wood fire. The cool stars and the warm harvest moon suspended above me. The dark forest full of sounds. Owl's hooting, wild animals crying out.The cold smell of the out doors, of the forest, the grass, and the wood fire. "It was all so real." I said amazed. "Yer."sez the arab "So it should be. Cus it is yer idiot." "What's it mean?" I asked. Suddenly me suspicion's add returned. "What's it mean Old Arab." He laughed but dint answer. Big surprise that! "Now" he sez "one more trick for yer. Then I'm off home." "Home?" I said surprised "Dint think yer add a home. Where's yer home? Maybe I'll visit yer sometime." I laughed "Hah, Hah. Bring me friends. Bet ye'd like that Hay?" "Home!" he said chuckling "Where's me home Farley old son? Don't yer know?" I felt suddenly nervous again. "No! I don't. Where is it?" I said "Where is it?" He laughed. "In yer heart Old son. In yer soul, S'where me home is. S'where I live." "Oh" I said primly "I see. You're a lodger, or worse a squatter." he titter'd "Worse still old son. Worse still." "I don't wanna know." I said firmly. "Show us yer last trick and go ho.." I trailed off cus I dint wanna say it. "Go home." He said in a quiet gentle voice. Almost a whisper. "You want me to go home." His voice was gone wistfull, full of un-nameable sadness, sorrows and joys. Deep unsettling things like that. So soft and gentle and wisfull his voice had become. I tried to shake off the feelings he'd hung on me. "Home." He whispered one last time. Wounded me it did with it's gentleness. "Last trick." He said abruptly. Changing the mood. Almost yer might think, cus he could see I was near ter tears. Near to some inexplicable grief. Almost yer might think. He was bin kind. Ah but yer'd only think that if yer dint know him! A hard man, that old Arab. A hard, hard man. "Whats yer last trick then?" I said. Subdued I was be now, by me brush with gentleness.. "Only this Farley old son." He held out his right hand again. A pale feather rested in his palm, like a snow flake, or a ghostly smile. "Up!" he said and the feather floated upwards and turned into a beautifull pale lady. She danced and laughed like tinkerling bells in the air above us. I watched entranced. The veils she wore, were like the wispy clouds you sometimes see trailing themselves across the face of mother moon.. The arab chuckled. A deep throaty chuckle. Clapped his hands. The pale beautifull dancing girl was gone. I just caught a glimpse of a white bird, a dove maybe or even a swan. Just a glimpse as it flew off into the moon.. "Here yar old son" said the Old Arab "Ave a fag." "I don't smoke. I sez absent mindedly. "Yer yer do." He said. "Course yer do." "Oh yer." I said "I do." I lit a cigarette from the fire. "I forgot!" I said smiling at im foolishly. "Yer did." He said "and that's me advice to yer. Little old Farley." "What is?" I said confused. "DON'T FORGET!" He bellowed. "DON'T FORGET WHAT? I bellowed back. "Anything." He whisper'd softly. "Don't forget anything. Remember who you are!" His voice had gone so quiet and whispery I could hardly catch his words. "Who am I?" I whisper'd back. "Who am I?" But he was gone. The stars and the moon was gone. The forest and the little clearing was gone. "Who am I? I shouted. "Who am I?" Matilda laughed. "You're Farlan." She said.."Farlan Hardy..Me cousin." The door open'd. Sybil came in. She looked bigger than usual. Then I realised it was cus I'd been looking at Matilda and she was quite small. Made Sybil look like a giantess. Powerfull, full of life. Flushed and excited from her outing. "Great film." she said "Yer Mom want's ter see yer Farley. See yer met Matilda. Hi! Will. Written any great sonnets lately?" "Sonnets?" Said Matilda hungrily. "Is Will a writer. Was he famous?" Light dawned in Matilda's bright dark eye's "Say. You aint. Nah. Yer couldn't be" Will beamed and squirmed in happy embarrassment. "Yes!" He said blissfully "I'm William Shakespear." "OH WOW!" said Matilda. "OH. DOUBLE WOW. And did you really write all them plays or was it Chistopher Marllow?" Will's gentle smooth brow darken'd. "Off ter see me Mom." I mutter'd and fled the room. "I WILLIAM SHAKESPEAR. I ALONE DID WRITE.." I slammed the door behind me. Sybil could handle it. Calm im down. She had a way with old Bill Shakespear. ************************ Go to next extract

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