You'll be fresh and fast.
I'm sure you'll catch me
And get your wish at last!"
Clyde had a bad feeling,
But he was quite spent.
He ate him some berries,
Then to sleep he went.
When he got to snoring,
The blackbird flapped down.
He feasted on berries
Near the boy sleeping sound.
The bird ate his fill
And flew back up the tree,
Chuckling quietly at
His cruel trickery.
In the morning, Clyde woke.
He knew he was lost,
And also in trouble,
Oh, Mom would be cross.
Just then the blackbird
Walked right within reach.
Clyde lunged at the bird,
Who escaped with a screech.
"I told you, I told you,
Today is your day!
Soon you'll have your wish
And be on your way!"
The chase then began,
And like the day before,
The boy got close often
But nothing more.
At the end of the day,
With no success in the chase,
He was so far from home,
His wish would go to waste.
So lost and so distant
From his family was Clyde.
"I'll have to wish myself home,
Not my father!" he cried.
As night fell, the blackbird
Felt his energy fade.
Once more the boy's basket
He set out to raid.
Like this it went on,
Three days in a row.
The boy got ever closer,
Just a tad bit too slow.
The blackbird led on,
And the wooden faced boy
Chased his wish sadly.
He'd forgotten all joy.
But he knew, yes he did,
He no longer had a choice.
His only hope was to nab
That bird with the voice.
On the fifth day, the forests
Gave way to plains.
Tall grass replaced trees
On wide, flat terrains.
The day after that,
The grass was gone, too.
And the rocks and the dirt.
No cloud was in view.
The wooden faced boy
Didn't know, but he saw
The Black Marble Flats
Of Kuna Din Bah.
They stopped on the edge,
The boy and the bird.
The bird began talking,
And here's what was heard:
"My wooden faced friend,
You've plenty of heart.
You're brave and you're bold.
You're clever and smart.
I can't flee much further,
You'll have your wish soon.
It will surely be granted
By tomorrow at noon.
I've no trees to rest in,
And I can't stay in flight.
Let's wait 'til morning
And rest one more night."
With a heavy old heart
The boy of wood face
Did as he was told
And, for now, gave up chase.
Like always, that night,
The blackbird got creeping
And feasted on berries
While the boy was sleeping.
But when morning came,
The boy was up early.
The whole situation
Had him feeling surly.
He was up 'fore the sun,
Quieter than a snail,
He crept close to the bird
And leapt with a wail.
His hands wrapped around
The bird for a second,
But he couldn't hold on
When the bird got to peckin'.
The blackbird escaped and
Flew some ways away.
He said, "That's the spirit!
You'll catch me today!"
Clyde followed the bird.
The day had begun.
The only thing missing
Was the sunny old sun.
The sky was flat gray,
And black was the ground,
That's all that there was
For miles around.
Clyde looked to the north,
Or was he facing west?
He regretted each step
Of this foolish quest.
Just then, at his feet,
The black marble shook.
Ten hasty steps back
Was what the boy took.
Up from the ground,
A top hat came spinning.
Beneath it a head
With big, sharp teeth grinning.
An armless, fanged man
Spun up from the ground.
He snapped his jaws fierce,
Twisting up and back down.
It took just a second,
Then he disappeared.
Not a mark on the ground.
Above, the bird cheered.
With basket in hand,
Clyde ran away,
zoom
!
Suspecting the blackbird
Had led him to his doom.
The further he ran, the more
Things looked the same.
How he hated that bird
For its devious game.
And every few minutes,
From black stony ground
Up spun the bad men
Snapping jaws all around.
The wooden faced boy
Was starting to tire
To escape those Black Flats
Was his only desire.
After the long day,
The sky had gone dim.
And the spinners stopped coming
To bite after him.
Clyde laid on down
On the ground that was stone.
For a moment he wondered
Where the blackbird had flown.
That's when he heard it.
The blackbird was back
To taunt him some more
And to steal his snack.
Said the bird, "My young friend,
Please let me explain,"
But the wooden faced boy
Couldn't hold his disdain.
"Be quiet, you bird!
You've led me out here
To feed to those devils
That I've come to fear!
Your lies and your tricks
Have served you so well,
But you'll get no more kicks
When you're roasting in…"
Well, the boy didn't finish.
He let his words ring.
He needed his strength
For what morning may bring.
He slept softly that night,
As the blackbird crept in
To rob him of berries
With a blackbirdy grin.
What the bird didn't know,
What he couldn't see,
Was that inside the basket
Were no berries to eat.
Instead, at the bottom
Were only the stones,
Placed there without care
When Clyde had been alone.
The bird pecked a berry,
But the berry was rock.
In pain and surprise,
He gave out a squawk.
The noise woke the boy,
And with a startled gasp
Clyde closed up the basket
And latched up the clasp.
Inside the basket,
The bird lost his nerve.
Said the boy, "Quiet down!
It's what you deserve!
Now grant me my wish
Before your situation
Goes from bad to worse,
End of the conversation!"
"My friend," said the blackbird,
"I never meant ill.
Those spinning men forced me
Against my birdy will!"
With a harsh wooden scowl,
The boy gave reply,
Saying, "Whatever your reason,
Little care I.
Deliver your promise,
And give me my wish,
Or you'll wish you had.
You'll be sleeping with fish!"
Said the blackbird, "Alright!
I'll do as you say.
Just tell me your wish,
And we'll get underway."
Said Clyde, "My wish
Is for my family and me
To be reunited
At our home by the sea."
The bird said, "That's fine,
Just let turn me loose."
Clyde said, "No way, bird.
I'll have no more abuse.
When you grant my wish,
You'll be free of that basket.
Otherwise, little bird,
It will serve as your casket!"
With a scared gulp,
The bird changed his tune.
He squawked magic words:
"Zap Zimmy Zappoon!"
With a flash of lightning
And a thunderous boom,
The two were transported
From the black marble gloom.
At his home Clyde appeared
Out of thin air,
Startling his mother
Right out of her chair.
She shouted his name
And scooped him in her arms,
Relieved that her boy
Was home safe from harm.
"Where have you been?"
She asked with a tear.
He said "I was tricked
By this blackbird right here."
He held up the basket
And told her the tale.
As she listened, his mother
Had gone a bit pale.
"Hello!" came a voice
From outside the door.
It was Dad! He'd returned!
Together once more!
From then on they lived
Happy as you can get,
With a basket-bound blackbird
To keep as a pet.
As Chuggie finished, he saw Olin sleeping peacefully. It was a good thing he told the version of the story he had. Usually, the family killed and ate the bird.
Fey Voletta followed Non into Haste's office. Under normal circumstances, she'd never be persuaded to visit the fat pervert so late in the evening. Non had something up his metal sleeve, tonight.
The sweaty, red-faced slob didn't bother with a greeting. "Why weren't you in the square today, Non?"
"Nice to see you tonight, Mr. Haste. Thank you for seeing us." She could barely bring herself to look at the disgusting pile of a man. Instead, she looked around at Haste's awful stuffed animal heads. What a pleasure it would be to see Haste's head up there with them!
"No laws were broken in the square," Non said.
"No laws?" Haste's voice cracked, and his jowls quivered. "A Stagwater magistrate was murdered!"
"The death of Fitch was a suicide." Non clomped over to Haste's desk with heavy footsteps.
Haste shook a fist in the air. "Play your games, metal man. Soon Stagwater's laws will make a
loyal
servant of you and your kind."
"We serve law, not men," replied Non. "Steel Jacks are thorough in our undertakings."
"You let a man destroy our northern gate, slay a magistrate, then continue on to destroy our southern gate without any interference at all. Thorough failure, as I see it." Haste dabbed sweat from his face.
"I don't know, Non. Mr. Haste is acting pretty hostile to a law enforcement officer." Fey Voletta turned and batted her eyelashes at Non. To her chagrin, Non waved her off with a little glance and a twitch of his big metal shoulder.
"You've read our contract with Stagwater. We are required to serve as long as we are welcome." Non took a quick step toward the Chief Magistrate. "We serve only as long as you cooperate."
Haste squirmed in his chair. "What is your point, Non?"
"Part of our service includes developing means and tools to expand our abilities."
"I don't have time for this tonight. I'll send you my correspondence tomorrow." Haste waved a dismissive hand at the Steel Jack.
"Non —" Fey Voletta started, but he shushed her again with a sharp wave of his little neck-hands.
"We planned to enlist Norchug Mot Losiat," Non's voice buzzed louder. "We hold you responsible for his disappearance."
"We can discuss this tomorrow." He pointed Non and Fey Voletta toward the door. "You're on thin ice tonight, Non."
Fey Voletta studied Non closely, looking for some sign that he had a backbone somewhere in that metal suit. How could he take this sort of treatment from such a pathetic man? Steel Jacks were such magnificent beings, sadly restrained. The feeling was like seeing a frost lion caged at a zoo, sedated and fat. Such creatures were built for greater things. "You are under arrest for interfering with Steel Jack operations. Will you come peacefully?" Non's voice rang in Fey Voletta's ears.
"That's better." She smiled and drew her weapon, unable to hide her elation.
Haste leapt to his feet, knocked his chair over, and jabbed a finger at Non. "You're out of your mind! I
run
this town. I
am
Stagwater!"
"A Steel Jack may not choose which laws to enforce," said Non.
Fey Voletta licked her lips and raised her knife. "Let me take care of him, Non. Please?"
"
What
?!" Haste shrieked. "How dare you?"
"I like your initiative, kitten, but his crime is not a capital offense. We do, however, hope his sentence will be… transformative." Non turned back to Haste. "Will you come peacefully?"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Haste bellowed. His round, red face shook as he jumped to his feet.
Non stepped around one side of the desk, but Haste went around the other. Whichever way the Steel Jack went, Haste kept the desk in between them.
"My conjury protects this city!" Haste snatched up a silver platter lid from the food service next to his desk.
Did the slovenly pervert think he could use it to fight off a Steel Jack? Fey Voletta giggled at Haste's impotent attempt at self-defense.
"Without me, there's nothing to hold the Gooch at bay. This entire shit-pile town will be plunged into Desecration!"
"You believe you control the creature to the north?" With one hand, Non flung the massive wooden desk across the room. It crashed into the far wall, shattering as it destroyed the plaster. Expensive pens and other desktop accessories flew around the office.