A Felony of Birds by Harris Tobias	The Greer Agency by Harris Tobias	Assisted by Harris Tobias	Hold The Anchovies by Harris Tobias
Alien Fruit by Harris Tobias	Peaceful Intent--Stories of human/Alien Interaction by Harris Tobias	CHRONON--Time Travel by Harris Tobias	The Stang by Harris Tobias

The Bridge

by Harris Tobias

          The Bridge

          The Gypsies are angry. They have been driven from Ramona

          A traditional camping ground of the Genye or so this band 

        calls its self. Loosely translated it means the people.

          In the lead wagon Carlenko broods, his gristly chin cupped in one

          dirty hand, the other picking his huge Roman nose. Behind him,

          Bruschetta, his gypsy wife, all rings and beads, slaps the brooding

          and nose picking Carlenko from behind. "Capooch! she snarls, "you

          let them shame the Genye and you wither and run like a sulking dog

          you filthy stink you make me wretch. Ptooey." Bruschetta spits in 

          the four directions, taps wood and rests her withering look on poor 

          Carlenko. This whole conversation was rendered much more colorfully

          and nasty in their native tongue, which belonged to no known 

          language family and was almost completely unpronounceable.

          "We will stop here and discuss the matter." Carlenko signals for 

          the wagons to make camp. They circle and soon there is a fire in

          the middle and as if by magic, instruments and goat bladders

          filled with Gratka appear. The 17 men assemble around the fire

          and air their grievances. The fiery Gratka passes from mouth to

          mouth and in no time the men are drunk and roaring bawdy songs

          in their unspeakable tongue.

          In this manner the matter is discussed and unbelievably a

          consensus reached. "How come we let the habish drive us

          out?" Carlenko asks no one in particular. Habish is how the

          Genye refer to anyone who is not Genye and can be loosely

          translated to mean “snake”. 

          "We let the Habish drive us from Ramona we lose face." this

          was Harbek, a small, even for this stunted people, sinewy

          Gypsy with a single gold tooth in a toothless mouth. "Let us

          leave the good people of Ramona a token of our displeasure."

          "Rape and pillage!" yelled a dozen voices although they were too

          drunk to do either. In the end they burned the trestle over the Arn

          as that was the closest and easiest thing to do. So in the dead

          of night that is just what they did. Cursing each other's ancestry

          they piled up some brush at the foot of the big timbers, lit them 

          and slunk away before dawn. "this will show those stinking Habish 

          dogs," Carlenko muttered and got the caravan back on the road 

          before anyone could blame them for destroying the bridge.

          The flames consume the dry timbers even as the lonely whistle 

          of the Count's train is heard in the distance. It's all fate and

          never the one you expect.

Read more stories by this author

A Felony of Birds by Harris Tobias	The Greer Agency by Harris Tobias	Assisted by Harris Tobias	Hold The Anchovies by Harris Tobias
Alien Fruit by Harris Tobias	Peaceful Intent--Stories of human/Alien Interaction by Harris Tobias	CHRONON--Time Travel by Harris Tobias	The Stang by Harris Tobias

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