Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle by Philip Dodd

Chapter Two The Ancient Parrot

                                               Chapter Two

                                            The Ancient Parrot

When they first began to spread their civilization on their planet, turkles found the need to build canals, because there were not enough natural rivers for their irrigation and cargo bearing needs. Klubbe remembered that from geography at school. It cropped up in history, too, he recalled.

  He lent back in his seat and smiled. Feeling content, he acknowledged that his float down the canal would soothe his heart, calm his mind, and make more tranquil his inspired state. Though the barge he was a passenger on seemed to be cutting through the water at a fairly slow speed, he soon noticed that the Old Stork Inn was lost to his sight, a long way behind him, hidden by a clump of willow trees that lent over and shadowed a bend in the canal.

  To his left stood the rudderman, who introduced himself to him and the other passengers as Mook. A fairly tall, broad chested, middle aged turkle, Mook stood with his feet wide apart, as if he balanced on a barrel, holding the tiller of the rudder in both hands, while gazing down the length of the barge and the canal with a glint in his large, round, light grey eyes.

  Looking beyond Mook, the rudderman, Klubbe could see herds of bungcowths grazing in flat, grassy fields.

  Bungcowths are like very large cows with black coats, white horns and big, brown, undisturbable eyes.

  Turning to his right, Klubbe could see rough, unploughed moorland, with clumps of barka toa trees in the far distance.

  Among the reeds, along the canal edges, he saw families of zimpnimps swimming slowly and florgs hopping on and off lily pads and mossy stones. Florgs are like dark green toads with large black eyes. Zimpnimps are ducks with blue and white feathers.

  "Feel a bit fletched," said Mook, suddenly.

  Fletched being a turkle word for thirsty.

  "Would you like a drink of norg juice from my flask?" asked Klubbe, looking up at the rudderman's face.

  Norg juice was made from crushed norg nuts, well squashed rootle berries and water.

  "No, thanks," said Mook, gratefully. "I'll have a few swigs of blootch."

  Klubbe nodded his head understandingly, while he bit into his green apple, and watched Mook take more than one swig from his jar of blootch, which was a thick, black, treacle like liquid, made from the fruit of blootch trees.

  "Will this be your first visit to Unkka?" asked Mook, a few swigs of blootch later.

  "It will," said Klubbe, who felt suddenly talkative. "And I've never been in a barge before on a canal before, but I have floated on the ocean in my coracle, when I was a hermit. Always thought I'd enter Unkka on foot, if I ever went there. Never thought I'd float into it in a barge."

  "First time, then. You'll enjoy it. Many buildings you'll see there, statues and parks, all on a big scale," said Mook, his eyes bright, his chest inflated with inspiration and pride. "And it is all ruled by King Zilk and Queen Zubria. Best king and queen we could have. All turkles love them. Can't do enough for them."

  "And where would be the best place to stay?" asked Klubbe.

  "That would be the Ancient Parrot, my local inn," said Mook. "Often in there for a meal with my wife, Zebb. Live nearby, we do, in our old mariner mansion. Was a mariner, once. Sailed on the high seas and the wide oceans. When I wed Zebb, I decided I could'nt expect her and our children to wait for me to come home, voyage after voyage, so I became a bargeman, a rudderman, a steersman, a canal guide, as you can see. Like it I do. Not tame at all. Looks simple, but needs skill, to steer in a straight line, without bumping into other craft and the canal banks.