Metadata
Author: langbot
Data
English[en]
David and I were sitting towards the rear – we were not so studious. David abruptly turned and looked to the rear exits: both open and both so far unblocked by the things. “Get out the rear,” he yelled. “The back doors are open.” It was a good call, a very good call. And enough of the students heard it above the screaming and mayhem that, almost as one, they surged towards the rear of the auditorium. Hitherto unathletic students literally leapt over the seats and desks and fled, without a backward glance, while the beasts busied themselves, feasting on their victims in the front rows. But not Dave. One of the students, a mature-age student, had left a guitar behind in his haste to escape. David seized it and threw it to me. “Here! You know what to do.” I didn’t, of course – but I soon learned, once David himself seized a hockey stick, similarly left by one of the girls. (Yes, strange but true: a guitar and a hockey stick in a French lecture.) David raised the hockey stick and brought it down hard on the head of one of those creatures as it rushed at him. It didn’t get up again. I did likewise with the guitar as another one ran at me. This one also went down but the guitar shattered on impact with a sickening twang. I would not be taking any of the others out with this particular ‘axe’. David’s hockey stick was, however, not so fragile. He wielded it again and again. I’m not sure how many he felled but, by the time he struck his last beast with the now-bloodied hockey stick, there was only one other left in the lecture theatre. The problem was that this remaining creature was, at the time, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with me – and I was rapidly losing the contest. Dead people are so enormously strong, aren’t they? David did not have a clear shot at him because my body was between him and the beast. So, he tried to push me aside to create an opportunity to strike at it. As he pushed me, it lunged forward – and, momentarily, its teeth sank into his left forearm.
Cornish[kw]
Yth esen ni, Davydh ha my, owth esedha wor’tu ha delergh an arethva. A- dhistowgh, Davydh a omdreylyas rag mires orth an mallborthow a-dhelergh. Yth esa an dhew hwath apert – hag ytho anlettyes gans an draow. “Dienkewgh war-dhelergh!” a armas Davydh. “An mallborthow yw apert!” Galow da o henna, galow pur dha. Yth esa lowr yn mysk an studhyansow re’n klywsa, yn despit dhe’n skrijiansow ha’n deray, may kwaysons i avel tonn troha delergh an arethva. Studhyoryon re via kyns gwann aga horfow a lammas a-dhistowgh a-ugh an esedhow ha’n deskys – ha fias dhe’n fo. Nyns esa gowolok vyth war-dhelergh dhiworta ha’n vestes andhenel ow kul fest gans aga vyktyms a’n esedhow a-rag – gowolok vyth a-der dhiworth Davydh. Onan yntra’n studhyoryon, huni kottha, re assa gitar hag ev tienkys. Davydh a settyas dalghenn warnodho ha’y dewlel dhymmo vy. “Ottomma! Ty a woer pyth dhe wul.” Yn hwir, ny wodhyen pyth dhe wul – mes, yn skon, my a dhyskas kettell settyas Davydh dalghenn war welenn hokki, gesys yn kepar maner gans onan a’n mowesi. (Ya, koynt mes gwir: gitar ha gwelenn hokki yn areth yeth frynkek.) Davydh a dhrehevis an welenn ha’y iselhe yn krev war benn onan an groaduryon hag ev ow fyski trohag ev. An dra a goedhas dhe’n leur. Ev a drigas ena. My a wrug an dra gethsam gans an gitar dhe huni arall hag ev ow resek troha my. An huni ma a goedhas keffrys mes an gitar a veu brywys, euthyk y dros. Ytho, ny vien ow ladha kroaduryon erell gans an ‘voel’ na. Nyns esa mar vrottel gwelenn hokki Davydh. Ev a’n kledhyas arta hag arta. Nyns ov sur pes kroadur a via weskys ganso mes, pan frappyas y dhiwettha best gans an welen woesys, nyns esa saw onan arall a veu gesys y’n arethva. Byttegyns, yth esa kudynn: an huni a remaynya, y’n tor’na, a omworrsa yn omladh, dorn dhe dhorn, genev vy – ha’n omladh ma o ogas kellys genev. (An dus varow yw mar grev, a nyns yns i?) Nyns esa chons kler dhe Dhavydh y frappya drefenn bos ow horf yntredho ha’n best. Ytho, ev a assayas ow herdhya a-denewen rag gul chons dh’y weskel. Hag ev herdhyes, an best omherdhyas war-rag – ha, dres pols, y dhyns a sedhas yn ragvregh gledh Davydh. 9