The Wake: Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist Edition

by Paul Kingsnorth

  well aelfgifu is locan at me lic she locs sum times at the swine what will be ate soon for mete. i cnawan it was my wyrd i cnawan what i was called to do and naht she colde sae wolde stop this in the heofon in the ground i colde feel it was tacan its path

  sistor i saes i can not tac him alone

  no

  he is hefig thu moste

  no i will not

  i gan to her and i locd at her and toc her hands then and she loccd at me

  for him i saes for grandfather

  she macs a sound lic she is sic but still holdan her hands i tacs her in to the hus where he lies. my father is fnaetteran i hieres him loud. we gan slow to my grandfathers bodig and we is both afeart

  tac his feet i saes help me and i gan then to his sculdors and i stands for a time locan and then i breathes deop. he is cold so cold i breathes again deop and i saes still i saes grandfather this is for the eald hus and i tacs him then by the sculdors and i worcs to tac him from the bier and on to the ground

  oh he is hefig mor hefig than it seemed i can not hold him he begins to mof and i can not cepe him in my arms. aelfgifu sees what is cuman and she leaps baec and she cries loud and i tries to hold him but i can not. the bier and the blosms and the herbs and my grandfathers bodig cums down hard to the ground and it seems the sound they macs can be hierde in all the fenns in the scir

  it seems cwiccer than the hafoc that my father is upon us cuman out of the deorc in his hwit clothes and here here is the nightgenga not in the fenn not in the holt but in the hus. aelfgifu is wepan now wepan loud she locs up at him he strics her hard only one time across the nebb and she falls baec callan and wepan she falls in to the door and to the ground but it is me he has cum for. my father cums to me lic fenris wulf at the end of all things he cums down and he does not stop he is hittan me now in the nebb now in the guttas he saes naht he does not loc at me only beats and beats me in the guttas ofer ofer

  this lifs with me now and will lif when all other things is gan. if he had spac called roared all this i colde haf ridden but he saed naht only came beatan and beatan lic there was naht to sae no mor lic he moste wear himself down on the stan before he colde efen spec. nefer had i seen this in him nefer had i cnawan it was within him and i his son his son

  aelfgifu and i was on the ground wepan and callan and the bodig of my grandfather on the ground also twisted his scirt half off his eages open locan at the ground his tunge cuman from his mouth. my father he wears down and he stops he breathes micel and fast and then at last he locs at me and i seen his hwit eages in the deorc of his eald hus

  out deoful he saes out out out

  i cnawan it then i cnawan it always why had i forgot. when my yfel father cum at me i cnawan it when ecceard cum for my boys i cnawan it when my wifman my own fuccan wifman gan agan me i cnawan it always i cnawan it well now i cnawan it triewe and deop lic it was carfan in my flaesc. weland spac it all of the wilde world spac it when i wolde lysten

  trust none

  it is hard to tell now of what my father done of what i done it macs me feel small to loc baec it macs me feel sceomu. i wolde not tell thu of this but i wolde haf folcs cnaw of the yfel what has been done to our land and of the yfel what cums on them who worcs to right it. all my lif i has worced to right yfel i has worced to waecen men to mac them see and all my lif i has been beat in the guttas for it. trust none but the treows the meres the ground trust none but the dead

  we sat the rest of the daeg in the holt we did not efen light a fyr we satt and loccd. i saed lytel all loccd at me to be ealdor to be ring gifer but they colde see i was thincan was thincan of what to do to sae. oft i gan in to the treows to thinc to sec my wyrd from the wihts and from weland and my men colde see this and loccd up at me for it

  tofe for a long time was wepan for this osbern who was gan under the frenc hors. he did not sae micel only wept and sum times stopped and loccd around lic he colde see through all things.

  tofe cilde saes grimcell do not weep do not weep

  frenc gold saes aelfgar who is locan blaec and aemty frenc gold who will it not buy

  i cnawan ulf for many years saes grimcell he was a good man but it bought him

  it will not buy me saes tofe nefer

  this gleoman saes siward he cum to our ham for years he always seemed good

  there is no good men now i saes none

  we is good men saes siward bound in blud

  well i saes naht to this i did not cnaw this man well why wolde i trust him. the frenc has toc our anglisc gold and uses it to buy anglisc folcs

  for sum time we satt there but as night cum i stood and i spoc to my men and i spoc strong

  men i saes we has been sold none can be trusted now none. we has gifen our selfs too free to others. there is no triewth beyond this holt no triewth in men. triewth is in the ground in the treows i has lystned too micel to men. well i is ealdor of this werod and i will lysten no mor we will gan baec to the hus we macd so long ago in this wud and we will mac this place a castel of our own. no frenc will be safe from us no mor no man will be safe from us. if thu is strong cum if thu is weac stay

  i teorned then and though the deorc was cuman i gan in to the holt and i cept walcan and after sum time i hierde behind me the steps of fife men

  so this is thy castel

  strong as the treows

  and thu will lif here lic wifmen

  we will mac war

  war

  thu will see

  i sees naht

  no mor specan now

  then what

  feohtan cwellan

  lic great hereweard

  lic the gods

  hereweard hereweard oh still we hierde of him all this year. hereweard has cwelled mor frenc hereweard has beorned a tun hereweard has tacan a castel. hereweard has one hundred men he has gan to an ealond in the fenns there he macs a great torr and not efen the bastard can tac him. the denes is cuman the denes cums in scips they will cum to the ealond and with hereweard will tac lundun and cwell the frenc and angland will be ours again

  this is what was saed at this time by esols all ofer the fenns and around. esols will belyf any thing what is telt them this hereweard none had efen seen him. none had fuccan seen him but he was a great cyng in their heafods. they wolde see me they wolde see us they wolde see

  there was six of us now six in our place in the holt. this place it was my castel for the hus we had macd we now macd strong. we dug dicces around this place and we macd waepns and cept them in treows and under the ground. with lines we macd ladders up the treows and we locd out on to the land and colde see and hiere any folcs cuman. if any frenc cum here we wolde haf many ways to tac them and if anglisc cum we wolde see them cwic

  i wolde let no man cum in to this place who we did not cnaw no mor gleomen wolde cum to us nor beorners nor no other men. i sent this siward out in to the holt to hiere what men saed of us and of the land and of angland. he wolde go out sum times for a daeg or mor and he wolde cum baec to tell us how things was and this way i wolde thinc of how we colde best do what now we moste do

  siward had tales for us soon enough. it was only one wice or a lytel mor after stan ford that we hierde we had a new cwen in angland. the bastards wifman who was named matilda had cum ofer from the frenc lands and in lundun had been macd cwen of angland. it was saed that the bastard now felt safe in angland now felt this land was his and colde bring her here to see her new gems. well we wolde do to her what weland did to the cwen of nithad and he was thincan the same then and i colde feel it

  it colde haf bene the cuman of the cwen that macd them rise but it was not long after this that siward cum to us with tales of men all ofer angland cuman together for war. in the northern parts of angland it was saed men was still free for the bastard had not gan so far and wolde not. in the south parts he had toc all things and macd his castels and sent out his cnihts to cwell and beorn but in the north the lands and the folcs was wilde still. nefer has i been to these north lands but then in the holt i w
olde oft thinc of them and thinc that maybe these was places lic my grandfather had spac of where anglisc men and anglisc ground is still wilde and free

  there was two eorls of the north lands they was called edwin and morcar they was the only anglisc eorls now all others had been cwelled and their lands toc by frenc hunds. many things was saed about these eorls it was saed that aetheling edgar who had been macd cyng after harold was cwelled though only a cilde it was saed he was in the north with these eorls and it was saed also that malcolm cyng of the scots was with them. efen the wealsc i hierde at this time efen the wilde wealsc whose cyngs was lic deofuls wilder than the fenns efen the wealsc now was specan to the northern eorls of standan agan the bastard for the scots and the wealsc colde see what this deoful was and that he wolde want them as he wanted us

  that fuccan gleoman that fuccan lyan gleoman micel scit had he spac to us but in this it seemed he had telt sum small triewth for edwin and morcar now they spac of bringan anglisc folcs together in a fyrd. they was specan saed siward to the cyng of the denes who is called sweyn ascan him to cum in scips and feoht with them. in the north of angland there has been denes for many years the folcs there is half ingenga it is saed and this is why i wolde not trust them. well there is many folcs who is dene and half dene in the north and they saed to this sweyn cum and feoht with us agan the bastard and the corona of angland will be thine. this is where angland had cum to this poor fuccd land to asc one ingenga to cwell another ingenga to cepe it safe fuccd we was fuccd and beorned

  well sum thing was cuman it colde be seen. by the sumor of that year siward cum to us with tidans efry daeg from the hams and the tuns and the straets around the brunnesweald. he wanted to bring folcs he had met on the paths who wolde spec to us and he saed wolde be part of my werod but i wolde not haf this no mor i saed we can not trust none no mor. but sum thing was cuman for sure for these eorls they had put out a call all ofer angland to grene men and triewe men be ready they had saed be ready to rise when thu hieres of what we will do

  and when will thu rise

  we has risen

  i sees nuthan

  when it is time

  thu is all words and lies

  it is cuman we is cuman

  we is waitan

  all things at this time seemed scearper deoper than before. weland he spac to me mor and he spac harder. the times they was cuman together the light in the wud was brighter the fyrs smelt scarper the mete we ate was stronger. sum thing was cuman now for sure it colde be felt in the heofon by all of my men

  when it cum it cum in a scape i wolde not see. it was a daeg in sumor and siward had been out for sum time efry daeg now he wolde cum baec with tales from angland and the tales wolde be good he saed. he wolde tell us of grene men cuman together all ofer in holts and in fenns and on hylls there was gangs lic ours risan up they was cwellan frenc in their lands and they was waitan for the call from the northern eorls when we wolde all go to one place and mac a fyrd and tac down the bastard and mac angland ours again. well my men they was in thryll to hiere of this they was wantan frenc blud now but i was wiser always i was wiser lic i had been when the fugol cum and the haeric star lic i had always been

  when it cum it cum in the scape of a preost. siward fuccan siward well he had seemed a triewe man but this daeg he cum in to the holt to our hus our castel in the holt and with him he brought another man though he cnawan i had saed no to this no others nefer. worse this man was a preost and this wolde be why siward cum in with his head low lic a hund for he cnawan my thoughts on these things. well he was seen cuman by grimcell who was locan out from the tall treow and so i called all my men to ready them selfs for war. who cnawan if this man was frenc or if siward lic the gleoman had sold us for gold

  when siward cum in to the lea then he seen no men. grimcell was in the treow he had a bow we had macd from welig and straels and was ready and i was in the hus waitan with my sweord. tofe he was in a hole dug in the ground behind a lyttel treow with scramasax and line and aelfgar and godric was behind the stoccs of great acs with scramasaxes also

  buccmaster calls siward as he cum in to the lea godric where is all of thu

  we saes naht for my men cnawan what they moste do. many times we had done this and none wolde mof nor sae naht until i telt them. from the hus i colde see siward he was locan small and with him was this fuccan preost. the deoful was weran a blaec scirt lic a fuccan wifman and around his necc a cross of wud on a line. he was a thynne man not old no ire in his eages but still a preost

  i cums out of the hus then and stands with my sweord in my hand and at this the preost his eages gan big and he locs afeart the wifman

  siward i saes thu brings other men here when i has telt thu nefer to do this

  buccmaster saes siward i cnawan thy orders but this is

  sceolde i not haf opened my mouth i saes sceolde i haf sat here lic a cilde for thu to piss on me siward in my own place. i was walcan to him now with my sweord and him and this preost was goan baec as i cum

  men i saes and at this my men cum out from their places and stood by me. well i gan to siward and i strics him hard with the flat of my sweord on his sculder and then his heafod and he gan to the ground

  buccmaster saes godric

  yes godric i saes yes wolde thu lic sum also. he saes naht then and siward stands slow from the ground

  buccmaster he saes i is sorry i cnawan what thu saed but this man is

  a preost a fuccan preost

  also a bringer of words for thu saes the preost

  do not spec preost i saes

  well saes the preost locan at siward and at me i wolde not be here but i has a burthen

  tac thy burthen to others i saes and thy fuccan crist god also

  thy man siward he saes not lystnan not hearan me cum to me on the straet for he had been sent by others to hiere what i has to sae and he ascd me to cum and tell his men for he feart they wolde not belyf the words if they cum from him alone

  what words is these saes grimcell who has cum down from the treow but holds the bow still in his hand

  words of callan saes the preost

  good words saes siward loccan at me lic a beat hund good words for all anglisc

  may i spec saes the preost locan at me and in his eages no sign of whether he is yfel or good or where he is from o i is ired

  spec then i saes spec

  i is cum from northanhymbre saes the preost. i and other men has been sent out by eorl morcar and his brothor edwin who is eorl of mierce what is not under cyngscip of the bastard. two years we has all had of great sorness and war and i need not tell thu men of what we has had at the hands of the frenc. well it will now end for a fyrd has been called by edwin and morcar and all men who feohts for angland is called on to go north to eorfic and there stand agan all frenc in this land

  oh a fyrd a fyrd saes tofe an anglisc fyrd. he is in thryll lic sum maeden

  eorfic i saes cold

  the preost locs at me

  eorfic he saes yes men is gathran there now in great numbers

  and what then i saes

  edwin and morcar will cum to eorfic he saes and so also will malcolm cyng of the scots. the wealsc will send their wilde men and aetheling edgar our triewe anglisc cyng will stand with them

  and then

  then the bastard will hiere of this and will go north

  and then

  then he will be strac down by anglisc style

  thu will stric down the bastard

  an anglisc fyrd will stric him down

  anglisc men has not a sweord among them thu has seen what this bastard will do when he is ired

  buccmaster saes siward what is this

  mens words i saes not cildes

  but a fyrd saes aelfgar a fyrd buccmaster

  a fyrd with no sweords no cyngs but edgar the cilde and sum scuccas from the scots and wealsc lands. where is our cyngs where is our great men

  we can tac the bastard saes tofe cwell him

  this is scit
i saes scit spoc by men who has naht else to sae. these northern eorls they is half dene they is ingenga who wolde trust them

  the preost then he locs at me stiff

  i can see thu and thy men is not what i was telt he saes

  we is we is saes siward

  we is anglisc men feohtan for angland i saes and this is our land here in this place. those who wolde go north may go north but if the bastard gan with thu thy men will die or flee for there is naht to be won that way

  well saes the preost i has spac my words

  and thu is right to saes siward right to buccmaster this is what we has cum for this is it now this is the time it is time to stand

  why not stand saes tofe why not buccmaster stand agan the bastard

  we will nefer stand saes grimcell we only runs

  well it has been a long time since grimcell spac to me in this way. for sum time he had seemed blithe with us and he spac naht and yet always i cnawan he was locan for other things. sum times around the fyr he wolde spec of hereweard and in his eages there wolde be sum thing what was not here sum thing what wanted to be with others. i has been locan at him long

  i tacs my sweord now and i gan to him with all men locan at us and he tacs his bow with its strael and he lifts it and he points it at me

  no man saes this to me i saes

  he saes naht

  put it down grimcell i saes do it now

  he saes naht

  then what wolde thu do man i cries cwell me. well try then grimcell try and cwell me for i has the gods with me i has great weland of the beorgs with me i has his sweord i can not be cwelled grimcell i can not

  grimcell then he smercs wid and this i did not thinc to see. he smercs wid and he puts down his bow

  thu can not be cwelled he saes loud and he is laughan. o men did thu hiere these great tidans o preost thu is well cum for thu has found here the first man since the crist who can not be cwelled