Matt Cook
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An extract from Bilo
The wooden mobiles tangled as the afternoon wind caught them, and they made a low clunking music. Bilo was tired after the climb, and as ever his little legs were covered in orange dust.
“Jemmed!” he bellowed.
The cave opening pierced his voice inward like an ear hole.
“Jemmed!”
There was a faint stirring. Bilo was unable to cross the cave threshold uninvited, and the wall curves meant the inner dwelling was obscured. Anyway, he wasn't feeling so cheeky now, he was tired and wanted to be polite.
“Jemmed!” he yelled.
“Yes, Yes. Come in,” said Jemmed, appearing from nowhere. There was a bend in his body like a question mark. He led Bilo inside, and sat him down on the pale limestone.
“Here,” he said, chucking an animal pelt at the boy.
Bilo put the animal hide under his bottom, avoiding the dusty cold of the stone. He was quiet. He was thinking of ways to say sorry without using the word itself. Why did he always do this to Jemmed, who hadn't a friend in the world? Except for Bilo himself, and perhaps the cave insects, and his gods. So, instead of explaining his most recent tantrum he occupied himself with the fire for awhile, looking at it mostly. He also knelt close and gave it a few experimental blows to see what would happen.
“I knew you would come,” said Jemmed mysteriously. This didn't seem to help Bilo with his silence, and Jemmed began to nod knowingly, in strange approval. There were odd dry plants on the floor. It seemed that he was mixing them in a wood bowl with a pestle. They were green and smelled unusual.
“What's that?” said Bilo, mouth finally unstitched.
“It is nothing. Tell me, how is the egg?”
“I'll tell you, if you tell me what that is.”
“You mean something has happened to the egg?”
“I don't know, has it?”
“Tell me!”
There was deep frustration in Jemmed's voice, though it was never hard to provoke. Bilo huffed and lay out on his back across the animal fur. It was actually pretty cosy in there.
“Aaaah,” he indulged himself with a grin.
Jemmed put his concocting to one side, and scratched his head. He was losing the battle again.
“Nothing has happened has it?” he said, remaining uncertain.
Bilo's eyes were shut and he had become very still. Jemmed looked at him surprised by this development. It seemed as if he had just fallen asleep; understandably, it must have been a long climb for those bandy legs.
“Hnngggguuuhh.”
A very deliberate snore. Stentorian.
“Hnnnnnuunnggghhh.”