Chapter 3 : Trick of the Light

Tom hammered at the glowing iron, shaping it into a rough sword. He had had to work much harder today, as Sir had thought that he came up with a pathetic excuse, and still wouldn't forgive him for coming to the smithy in pink pyjamas.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he had seen a little blue man with flaming red hair on the anvil, sticking his middle finger up in a simple gesture known throughout the disc.

He rubbed his eyes.

He looked back.

There was nothing.

'Just a trick of the light, Tom, just a trick of the light.' he muttered silently to himself.

He continued hammering at the red hot blade. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.

'Crivens, d'ye think he saw me lads?' whispered Wullie, quite a bit too loudly.

'Did you hear that? Sir?' asked Tom.

'I don't know what you're talking about. Get back to work, young man.' snapped Sir sternly.

Tom turned back sullenly, and started hammering the glowing blade of iron into a sword. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.

'Wullie ye scuggan, did ye hef tae whisper sae loud?' muttered Rob Anybody. Unfortunately, even for their height, they did not have the talent to speak and not be heard.

'Sir, I could swear I heard something just now!' said Tom emphatically.

'Don't try to wriggle your way out of working, young man. I didn't hear anything.' scolded the blacksmith.

'He must be bloody deaf...', thought Tom to himself.

CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. The sound echoed through the hut. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK. CLINK.

'We must be offski!' shouted Rob, and the whole clan of pictsies vanished into the distance in a blue and red blur.

'Now, Billy, ye ken where oor coozin Wee Mad Arthur be livin', sae tek us there now.' said Rob, while travelling faster than the human eye can follow.

'Yes, Rob, I ken, now will ye follow me?' said Awf'lly Titchy Billy.

'Nac Mac Feegle, we must offski! Follae yer gonnagle!' shouted Rob.

The pictsies zoomed along the dirty cobbles of Ankh Morpork, and into a sewer. Once inside the sewer, all the Feegles skidded to a standstill. Daft Wullie crashed into a door. They proceeded to have a free-for-all. Once the punching, kicking and headbutting subsided, they all looked up at a faded old sign:

"WEE MAD" ARTHUR

For those little thinges that get you down

Rats : FREE

Mise : 1p per 10 tails

Moleses : 1-5p deppending on size

Warsps : 10-20p a nest Hornets : Similer by arranjement

SMALL FEES ● BIG JOBS

'Well Wullie? Are ye gonna knock?' said Rob.

'Yes Rob.' replied Wullie, and obediently rapped on the cardboard door.

The door opened a fraction, and a blue head with red hair stuck out. The head proceded to yell at top volume.

'I TOLD YEZ THAT I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT YER BLOODY GUILD SEZ ABOUT ME CATCHIN' RA - Oh, it's you. Do come in.'

The feegles walked through the door into the darkness.

 At the time, it was used for the dismissal of demons. It is still, broadly speaking, used for the same thing.