Discworld 26 - The Thief of Time Read Online Free PDF

vertiginous temple criss-crossed with tightropes, the Balancing Monks test the
tension of the world and then set out on long, perilous journeys to restore its equilibrium.
     
 
  
Their work may be seen on high mountains and isolated islets. They use small brass weights,
none of them bigger than a fist. They work. Well, obviously they work. The world has not
tipped up yet.
And in the highest, greenest, airiest valley of all, where apricots are grown and the streams
have floating ice in them even on the hottest day, is the monastery of Oi Dong and the
fighting monks of the Order of Wen. The other sects call them the History Monks. Not much
is known about what they do, although some have remarked on the strange fact that it is
always a wonderful spring day in the little valley and that the cherry trees are always in
bloom.
The rumour is that the monks have some kind of duty to see that tomorrow happens
according to some mystic plan devised by some man who kept on being surprised.
In fact, for some time now, and it would be impossible and ridiculous to say how long, the
truth has been stranger and more dangerous.
The job of the History Monks is to see that tomorrow happens at all.
The Master of Novices met with Rinpo, chief acolyte to the abbot. At the moment, at least,
the position of chief acolyte was a very important post. In his current condition the abbot
needed many things done for him, and his attention span was low. In circumstances like this,
there is always someone willing to carry the load. There are Rinpos everywhere.
'It's Ludd again,' said the Master of Novices.
'Oh, dear. Surely one naughty child can't trouble you?'
'One ordinary naughty child, no. Where is this one from?'
'Master Soto sent him. You know? Of our Ankh-Morpork section? He found him in the city.
The boy has a natural talent, I understand,' said Rinpo.
The Master of Novices looked shocked. 'Talent! He is a wicked thief! He'd been apprenticed
to the Guild of Thieves!' he said.
'Well? Children sometimes steal. Beat them a little, and they stop stealing. Basic education,'
said Rinpo.
'Ah. There is a problem.'
'Yes?'
'He is very, very fast. Around him, things go missing. Little things. Unimportant things. But
even when he is watched closely, he is never seen to take them.'
'Then perhaps he does not?'
'He walks through a room and things vanish!' said the Master of Novices.
     
 
  
'He's that fast? It's just as well Soto did find him, then. But a thief is-'
'They turn up later, in odd places,' said the Master of Novices, apparently grudging the
admission. 'He does it out of mischief, I'm sure.'
The breeze blew the scent of cherry blossom across the terrace.
'Look, I am used to disobedience,' said the Master of Novices. 'That is part of a novice's life.
But he is also tardy.'
'Tardy?'
'He turns up late for his lessons.' 'How can a pupil be tardy here?'
'Mr Ludd doesn't seem to care. Mr Ludd seems to think he can do as he pleases. He is also...
smart.'
The acolyte nodded. Ah. Smart. The word had a very specific meaning here in the valley. A
smart boy thought he knew more than his tutors, and answered back, and interrupted. A smart
boy was worse than a stupid one.
'He does not accept discipline?' said the acolyte.
'Yesterday, when I was taking the class for Temporal Theory in the Stone Room, I caught
him just staring at the wall. Clearly not paying attention. But when I called out to him to
answer the problem I'd chalked on the blackboard, knowing full well that he could not, he did
so. Instantly. And correctly.'
'Well? You did say he was a smart boy.'
The Master of Novices looked embarrassed. 'Except... it was not the right problem. I had
been instructing the Fifth Djim field agents earlier and had left part of the test on the board.
An extremely complex phase-space problem involving residual harmonics in n histories.
None of them got it right. To be honest, even I had to look up the answer.'