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'It certainly is, Mr Anybody'

'An' no thin' bad's happenin' at a',' Rob noted He looked closer 'How can you tell it's my nas,' said Jeannie 'That's where the lettery things make a sound in yer heid?' said Rob 'That's the bunny,' said the toad 'But we thought you'd like to start with the more physical aspect of the procedure'

'Could I no' mebbe just learn the writin' and leave the readin' to soot to do both,' said Jeannie, folding her arle does that, there's no hope left 'Ach, it's a terrible thing for a s up on hi his head But, when he turned to look at the grubby paper, there was just a hint of pride in his face 'Still, that'sJeannie nodded 'Just there, all by itself and no' on a Wanted poster or anything My name, drawn by me'

'Yes, Rob,' said the kelda 'My name, under ot ged It was generally held by those who knew thele clans ended up in the woot his own name where no one can touch it,' said Rob Anybody 'That's seriousway roond and you left the A and a Y out of "Anybody",' said Jeannie, because it is a wife's job to stop her husband actually exploding with pride 'Ach, wu',' said Rob, airily waving a hand 'Ye canna trust the fatus nat'ral writin' folk knows about One day he ht walk that

way' He bea wi' them Y's,' he went on 'I reckon it should be N E Bo D That's Enneeebordee, see? That's senseY He stuck the pencil into his hair, and gave her a defiant look Jeannie sighed She'd grown up with seven hundred brothers and kne they thought, which was often quite fast while being totally in the wrong direction And if they couldn't bend their thinking around the world, they bent the world around their thinking Usually, her ue Actually, only half a dozen Feegles in the Long Lake clan could read and write very well They were considered odd, strange hobbies After all, what -when you got out of bed in the ood for? You didn't need to know theet drunk The wind couldn't be read and you couldn't write on water But things written down lasted They were the voices of Feegles who'd died long ago, who'd seen strange things, who'd e discoveries Whether you approved of that depended on how creepy you thought it was The Long Lake clan approved Jeannie wanted the best for her new clan, too It wasn't easy, being a young kelda You cauard, where you married a husband and ended up with hundreds of brothers-in- law It could be troubling if you let yourLake she'd had her ain Except for her bodyguard brothers, a kelda was all alone Jeannie was hohtened of the future, which is why she was about to get things wrong'Rob!' Hah the fake rabbit hole that was the entrance to the ed in a lit'try enterprise,' he said 'Yes, Rob, but atched the big wee young hag safe awa', like you said, but there's a hiver after her!' Ha his pencil 'I never heard o' one of the Yan 'Its buzzin' fair made my teeths ache!'

'So did you no' tell her, ye daftie?' said Rob 'There's that other hag wi' her, Rob,' said Big Yan The educatin' hag'

'Miss Tick?' said the toad 'Aye, the one wi' a face like a yard o' yoghurt,' said Big Yan 'An' you said uzna' to show ourselves, Rob'

'Aye, weel, this is different-' Rob Anybody began, but stopped He hadn't been a husband for very long, but upon et a whole lot of

extra senses bolted into their brain, and one is there to tell a man that he's suddenly neck deep in real trouble Jeannie was tapping her foot Her arms were still folded She had the special smile women learn about when theytrouble but I' yourself in even ?' she said, her voice as se of Assassins 'Oh, ah, ach, weel, aye' Rob began, his face falling 'Do ye not bring her to , aye She was oor kelda for a day or two, ye ken The Old One made her swear to that just afore she went back to the Land o' the Livin',' he added, in casethe wishes of the last kelda would deflect whatever stor 'It's as well tae keep an eye on her, ye ken, her being oor hag and a'' Rob Anybody's voice trailed away in the face of Jeannie's look 'A true kelda has taeMan,' said Jeannie 'Just like I ood wife tae ye?'

'Oh, fine, fine,' Rob burbled 'But-'

'And ye cannae be aerously sweet 'Ach, it wasnae that big,' said Rob Anybody, desperately looking around for a way of escape 'And it wuz only teood at thinkin'-'