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Back The Trickster
Chapters (74)
  1. The Trickster
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. Preface to the 20th anniversary edition
  6. Introduction
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. Keep Reading
  70. FURNACE
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. About the Author
  73. ALSO BY THE AUTHOR
  74. About the Publisher

Eden’s face had changed then, growing darker than Calvin had ever seen it, his old eyes fixing his son, but looking through him. ‘If you’d seen your Grandpappy usin’ it you’d pray every day of your life like I do that you don’t ever be the one to use it. This don’t get you no beer, son. This take away your soul.’

Moses had just looked at him, then across at Calvin as if seeing him for the first time, then lurched unsteadily out the door and into the night.

This take away your soul, Eden had said softly to himself as the screen door banged and Calvin had turned to the cooker to put the pan of onions back on the ring.

They had eaten then, and Eden had spoken for at least three hours. More than he had ever spoken at one time. He told Calvin about the days of being Walks Alone, and the railroad and the tunnel. He spoke warmly of the white man, the tall, thin minister his mother had honoured with the renaming of her only son. And he had spoken of truth, and how truth was the food and drink of the spirits.

He’d leaned forward, one elegant old hand circling a red plastic picnic tumbler full of beer, and touched Calvin’s hand with his other.

‘You know mortals always think there be lots of truths. You know the thing. Oh, there be this way or that way of lookin’ at stuff. Ain’t so, Calvin. The spirits know there be only one. Them that twists it and tricks you, they be mostly from beyond where we can get, and we got to keep away from ’em. But they be part of the world, same as a tree or a moose is. Trickster just doin’ what he does. We just been chosen to stop him doin’ it to us.’ He’d laughed, remembering something. ‘That white man, he didn’t understand nothin’. But he want the truth real bad too. You see, killin’ comes from the man. He couldn’t kill so much as a bug if it wasn’t that killin’ comes from the man. He just makes you reckon he could kill you soon as look at you, but he can’t. The killin’ comes from the man. And that’s the biggest part of the truth. That’s the part that kills the man too, if he don’t know that. You understand? Huh? you understand?’