Run Johnboy Run: The Glasgow Chronicles 2 Read Online Free PDF Page B

serious natter.
      “Why the fuck ur ye asking me?  Go and ask a priest.”
      “Naw, seriously, is there?”
      “Johnboy, ye know as much as Ah dae…which is sweet FA, by the way.”
      “So…whit is there then?”
      “Okay, bit promise me ye won’t laugh,” Skull whispered, efter taking his time tae answer, his face suddenly gaun aw serious.
      “Ah’m listening,” Johnboy breathed, his haun stalling in mid-air, his cheese piece two inches fae his gub.
      “There’s this big guy wae long white hair and an amazing glow roond his heid.”
       “Naw…really?”
      “Aye, he’s called Santa fucking Claus, ya daft tit, ye.  Ah telt ye, Ah don’t bloody know,” Skull shouted, laughing.
      “Ye hivnae changed a bit so ye hivnae.  Ye’re still an irritating wee baldy knob-end, so ye ur.”
      “Aye, bit you hiv.”
      “Whit?”
      “Changed.”
      “How dae ye mean?”
      “Well, ye’re a lot taller noo.”
      “Am Ah?”
      “Oh, aye.”
      “And?”
      “And that’s it.”
      “Whit dae ye mean, that’s it?”
      “That’s it.”
      “Okay then, tell me this wan, Casper.  Kin ye walk through walls?”
      “Kin ye sing aw the words ae the first verse and chorus tae ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ while wiping yer arse at the same time, withoot hivving tae stoap and start again?”
      “Ah’ve never tried.”
      “And Ah hivnae either,” Skull said, thumping the tiled wall wae the heel ae his haun, as the baith ae them listened tae the sound ae the dull echoing thud escape under the cell door.
      “Aye, by the sounds ae it, it widnae be wise tae take a run at it, eh?”  Johnboy said, smiling and nodding at the wall as he took another bite oot ae his piece.
      “So, tell me whit’s happened then?”
      “Tae whit?”
      “Tae you.”
      “Ye’re starting tae sound like some auld owl, sitting there,” Johnboy said, no being able tae contain himsel as they baith burst oot cackling again.
      “Naw, ye know whit Ah mean.  Tell me whit’s happened tae yersel, Tony, Joe and Paul?”
      “Everywan’s in the jail.  They’re aw oot in Thistle Park apart fae Paul who’s in St Ninians.”
      “Naw, Ah don’t mean jist noo.  Tell me whit happened efter that pair ae wankers, Horsey John and Tiny burnt doon the cabin wae me, oor doos and poor auld Elvis in it.”
      “Aye, well, it became really complicated, so it did.”
      “Whit dis complicated mean?”
      “Difficult tae fathom oot whit the fuck wis gaun oan maist ae the time. We never knew who wis daeing whit tae who and fur whit reason, other than whit we managed tae pick up while we wur oot and aboot oan oor travels.  The Big Man wis using everywan and his dug tae get wan o’er oan the bizzies fur putting him oot ae the doo business and the bizzies wur retaliating by silencing anywan they thought he wis using tae get tae them.”  
      “So, where wur The Mankys in aw this?”
      “Good question.  We always wondered when the attention wid turn back tae us, so we did. Ah never really knew whit wis gaun oan at the time.  When Ah arrived back at school that first morning efter the summer holidays and ye wurnae there, Ah jist assumed that ye’d either slept in or ye wurnae coming back.  Ah remember clocking yer sister, Betty, at play-time in the morning, bit by the time Ah goat o’er tae speak tae her, the bell hid rang and she’d disappeared in through the lassies’ door.  When Ah went tae find her doon at the dining hut later oan, wan ae the lassies in her class telt me that she’d goat called oot and hid been taken hame.”
      “Aye, she wid’ve been sick at no being able tae scoff aw they lefto’er puddings that wid’ve been gaun-a-begging wance aw the paid pink-ticketed wans hid hid enough.  Ah remember she telt me that that wis the only reason she goat oot ae her flea-pit in the morning tae go tae school.  Prunes and semolina wis her favourite.  She always