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Our goleo Come see
Dale left the cart track and started across the field toward the toiling goliath What’s a gole after hio, halt!
The scythes stopped cutting in ged toward theround vibrate as Hugo approached Still clutching the scythes, theover him
He’s made of dirt? Seth asked
Soil, clay, and stone, Dale said Granted the seo was donated to the preserve a couple hundred years ago
How tall is he?
Over nine feet when he stands up straight Mostly he slouches closer to eight
Seth gawked at the behemoth In form he looked o was broad, with thick lirass and the occasional dandelion sprouted fro head with a square jaw Crude features resembled nose, mouth, and ears The eyes were a pair of vacant hollows beneath a jutting brow
Can he talk?
No He tries to sing Hugo, sing us a song!
The wide ravelly roars, so o cocked his head back and forth, as if swaying to the ing
The goleood, Seth said
About as musical as a landslide
Does it eet happy or sad or angry or bored He’s like a robot Hugo just obeys commands
Can I tell him to do stuff?
If I order him to obey you, Dale said Otherwise he just listens to randparents
What else can he do?
He understands a lot He performs all sorts of manual labor It would take quite a teao never sleeps If you leave hiht
I want to tell hio, put down the scythes, said Dale
The goleo will obey Seth’s next command
Now? asked Seth
Say his nao, do a cartwheel
Hugo held out his paled
He doesn’t knohat you o, Seth is going to show you a cartwheel
Seth put up his hands, lunged sideways, and did a cartwheel with sloppy foro, do a cartwheel
The golem raised his arms, lurched to one side, and coood for a first try, Seth said
He duplicated yours Hugo, when you do a cartwheel, keep your body straighter and aligned on a single plane, like a wheel turning Hugo, do a cartwheel!
This tio executed a nearly perfect cartwheel
His hands left prints in the field He learns fast, Seth exclai physical, leastways Dale put his hands on his hips I’o take us to our next stop?
Really?
If you’d rather e can always- No way!
Kendra used a hacksaw to separate another puh of soil, Lena was cutting a large red one Nearly half the greenhouse was devoted to pureen
They had arrived at the greenhouse by a faint trail through the woods Aside froenerator to power the lights and the climate control
We really have to cut three hundred? Kendra asked
Just be glad you don’t have to load them, Lena said
Who does?
It’s a surprise
Are jack-o-lanterns really such a big deal?
Do they work? Quite well Especially if we can convince fairies to fill theht, explained Lena
Fairy lanterns have long been a the surest protections froht the house was already safe Kendra began sawing the stee puhts
Particularly on a Midsummer Eve after all the recent coht?
Leave that to Dale He could carve them all his, but the man can mass produce You carve only for fun; he kno to carve for need
I’ve never liked pulling out the guts, said Kendra
Really? Lena said I love the sli in the mud We’ll have delicious pies afterwards
Is this white one too small?
Maybe save it for autumn
Do you think the fairies will come?
Hard to say, Lena ad as ht be an exception
What if they don’t show up? Kendra asked
We’ll be fine Artificial lighting works, just not as well as fairies With the fairy lanterns, the commotion stays farther fro out tribal ht really so awful?
You’ll hear plenty of disturbing sounds
Maybe we should have skipped theher eyes froht will involve artifice and illusion Without the milk you could be even more susceptible It would only broaden their ability to mask their true appearance
Kendra severed another pu
I e could transplant some of your common sense to your brother
After all that’s happened, I’reenhouse opened, and Dale poked his head in Kendra, come here, I want you to meet somebody
Kendra walked to the door with Lena behind her In the doorway, Kendra paused and let out a s toward the greenhouse pulling a rickshaw-type contraption the size of a wagon What is it?
He’s Hugo, Seth crowed from inside the handcart
He’s a robot made of dirt! He jumped out of the cart and ran over to Kendra