Wicked Gregory Maguire

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.Anyway, even being irritated, Frex was glad to be home.Because of the beauty ofMelena-she was almost glowing tonight as the sun left the sky-and because of thesurprise of Turtle Heart, smiling and un-self-conscious next to him.Maybe because ofTurtle Heart's religious emptiness, which Frex found challenging and appealing,almost tempting."Then there's the dragon beneath Oz, in a hidden cavern," Nanny was saying toTurtle Heart."The dragon who has dreamt the world, and who will burn it in flameswhen he awakes-""Shut up that superstitious codswallop!" shouted Frex.Elphaba, on all fours, advanced on the uneven planks of the flooring.She baredher teeth-as if she knew what a dragon was, as if she were pretending-and roared.Her green skin made her more persuasive, as if she were a dragon child.She roaredagain-"Oh sweetheart, don't," said Frex-and she peed on the floor, and sniffed herurine with satisfaction and disgust.One afternoon toward the end of summer, Nanny said, "There's a beast abroad.I've seen it at dusk several times, lurking about in the ferns.What sorts of creaturesare native to these hills anyway?"- 52 -"You don't find anything larger than a gopher," said Melena.They were at theside of the brook, working at laundry.The small spring wetness had long sinceceased, and the drought had clamped its hand down again.The stream was only athin trickle.Elphaba, who would not come near the water, was stripping a wild peartree of its stunted crop.She clung to the trunk with her hands and out-turned feet,and threw her head around, catching the sour fruit with her teeth and then spittingseeds and stem on the ground."This is larger than a gopher," said Nanny."Trust me.Have you bears? It couldhave been a bear cub, though it moved mighty fast.""No bears.There's the rumor of rock tigers on the felltop, but they tell me not asingle one has been sighted in ages.And rock tigers are notoriously skittish and shy.They don't come near human dwellings.""A wolf then? Are there wolves?" Nanny let the sheet droop in the water."It couldhave been a wolf.""Nanny, you think you're in the desert.Wend Hardings is desolate, I agree, but it'sa tame barrenness for all that.You're alarming me with your wolf and your tiger talk."Elphaba, who would not speak yet, made a low growl in the pocket of her throat."I don't like it," said Nanny."Let's finish up and dry these things back at the house.Enough is enough.Besides, I have other things I want to say to you.Let's give thechild to Turtle Heart and let's go off somewhere." She shuddered."Somewhere safe.""What you have to say you can say within earshot of Elphaba," said Melena."Youknow she doesn't understand a word.""You confuse not speaking with not listening," said Nanny."I think sheunderstands plenty."- 53 -"Look, she's smearing fruit on her neck, like a cologne-""Like a war paint, you mean.""Oh, dour Nanny, stop being such a goose and scrub those sheets harder.They'refilthy.""I need hardly ask whose sweat and leakage this is."Oh you, no you needn't ask, but don't start moralizing at me-""But you know Frex is bound to notice sooner or later.These energetic afternoonnaps you take-well, you always had an eye for the fellow with a decent helping ofsausage and hard-boiled eggs-""Nanny, come, this is none of your affair.""More's the pity," said Nanny, sighing."Isn't aging a cruel hoax? I'd trade my hard-won pearls of wisdom for a good romp with Uncle Flagpole any day."Melena flipped a handful of water in Nanny's face to shut her up.The olderwoman blinked and she said, "Well, it's your garden, plant there what you choose andreap what you may.What I want to talk about is the child, anyway."The girl was now squatting behind the pear tree, eyes narrowed at something inthe distance.She looked, thought Melena, like a sphinx, like a stone beast.A fly evenlanded on her face and walked across the bridge of her nose, and the child didn'tflinch or squirm.Then, suddenly, she leaped and pounced, a naked green kitten afteran invisible butterfly."What about her?""Melena, she needs to get used to other children.She'll start talking a little bit ifshe sees that other chicks are talking."- 54 -"Talking among children is an overrated concept.""Don't be glib.You know she needs to get used to people other than us.She'snot going to have an easy time of it anyhow, unless she sheds her greeny skin as shegrows up.She needs the habits of conversation.Look, I give her chores to do, I warblenursery rhymes at her.Melena, why doesn't she respond like other children?""She's boring.Some children just are.""She ought to have other pups to play with.They would infect her with a sense offun.""Frankly, Frex doesn't expect a child of his to be interested in fun," said Melena."Fun is counted for overmuch in this world, Nanny.I agree with him on that.""So your dragon-snaking with Turtle Heart is what-devotional exercises?""I said don't be catty, please!" Melena focused on the toweling, beating it withannoyance.Nanny would go on about this; she was up to something.And Nanny hadhit the nail on the head.There crept Turtle Heart into the cool shadows of thecottage, when Melena was tired from a morning's work in the vegetable garden.Hecovered her with a sense of holiness, and it was more than her undergarments thatwould drop away from her when they tumbled panting onto the bedclothes.Shewould lose her sense of shame.She knew this did not follow conventional reason.Nevertheless, should a tribunalof unionist ministers call her to court for adultery, she would tell the truth.SomehowTurtle Heart had saved her and restored her sense of grace, of hope in the world.Herbelief in the goodness of things had been dashed into bits when little green Elphabacrawled into being.The child was extravagant punishment for a sin so minor shedidn't even know if she had committed it.- 55 -It was not the sex that saved her, though the sex was mighty vigorous, evenfrightening.It was that Turtle Heart didn't blush when Frex showed up, that he didn'tshrink from beastly little Elphaba.He set up shop in the side yard, blowing glass andgrinding it, as if life had brought him here just to redeem Melena.Wherever else hemight have been heading had been forgotten."Very well, you old interfering cow," said Melena."For the sake of argument, whatdo you propose?""We must take Elphie to Rush Margins and find some small children for her toplay with."Melena sat back on her haunches."But you have to be jesting!" she cried."Slowand deliberate as Elphaba is, at least she's unharmed here! I may not be able tosummon much maternal warmth, but I feed her, Nanny, and I keep her from hurtingherself! How cruel, to inflict the out-side world on her! A green child will be an open invitation for scorn and abuse [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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