"Kerr,.Katharine.&.Martin.H.Greenberg.-.Enchanted.Forests.V2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dragon Stories)

his teeth, "So what would the wood nymphs do with me?"

"Oh. they'd probably just drop a branch on your head and
have done with it. But you've made me laugh, young sir, so I'll
help you." She nibbed her hands with glee. "Oh yes, I think this
may be quite profitable for both of us."

Hector the mockingbird knew it meant trouble when the
woodcutter came to the forest. "Woodcutter- Woodcutter. Always
trouble- Always trouble. Sharp ax. Sharp mind. Cut, cut, trouble,
trouble, trouble."

Prissy the squirrel threw an acorn at his head: "Loud mocking-
bird! Too loud! Bad Hector! Bad-bad-bad!"

"Woodcutter! Woodcutter! Trouble, trouble, trouble!" Hector
whistled, laughing, and did a back flip to dodge another acom-
"Woodcutter! Woodcutter! Chop-chop! No trees! No nuts! No
squirrels!"

Prissy paused, cocking her head and another acorn. "No
nuts?" She dropped the acom in shock. "No nuts!" She ran off,
sounding the alarm: "No nuts! No nuts! No nuts!"

Hector did another back flip, proud of himself, then winged

24 Kevin Andrew Murphy

off through the forest, singing his song: "Woodcutter! Woodcut-
ter! Trouble-trouble-trouble!'*

Conrad stayed close to the witch- The birds and animals
seemed upset, and one squirrel sat on a high branch and scolded
him, throwing acorns at his head.

The cat put her head up and hissed. The squirrel dropped her
nuts and took off down the branch, chattering wildly.

"That's right, Mehitabel. You tell that nasty squirrel." The
witch stroked the cat's tail. "Destroy the forest? Of course not.
Just select portions. Parts that have crossed us."

The witch led the way straight to the door of her cottage,
through a garden filled with belladonna, henbane, monk's hood,
skullcap and a bush heavy with the luscious purple berries of
deadly nightshadeЧand a paranoid-looking black goat tethered
in the middle, carefully cropping the few nonpoisonous plants in
between. A broomstick hung over the threshold for those still
slow on the uptake.