Page 76 - Folio Only

to the ground. Damiano slid his fingernails into the crack at Kinderslüka's
jawline. Blood started running out along the seam, in front of Kinderslüka's
ears, below his cheeks, under his jaw. Damiano jammed his fingertips up to
the knucklebones into the bloody gap, and he pulled.

Kinderslüka's face came off, still shrieking, and Damiano fell off
backwards to the ground. Where Kinderslüka's face once was now as a bloody
skull with empty eye sockets and a clacking jaw. Damiano looked at the face
in his hands. He saw in the right socket the ruby red jewel and in the left
socket the ruby red chalk rock. They both rolled out of the face and landed on
the ground in front of him.

The ruby stone grew and grew into a goat. The chalk rock exploded into
a cloud of powder which plumed out of the grotto into the Swiss mountainside.
At the same time, to Damiano's astonishment. Damiano felt that he could see
with both his own eyes and the eyes of the goats. Not only that, he could also
see as though his eyes were in the face of Kinderslüka the Monster which he
held in his hands. Damiano was aware that he was holding the face in front of
him and a little to the left, and the goats were looking left far, far to the horizon
as well as directly in front of him. A single one-person chariot had appeared
behind the goats, who were suddenly and magically harnessed to it.

Damiano knew that this was his opportunity. He strode over to the two
lads, unbound them from their stakes, and ungagged them.

“You saved us, Damiano!”

Kinderslüka heard the voices of the lads and leapt towards them,
clutching wildly, blindly, with his hands outstretched like claws.

“No time for thanks. Let's go!”

The lads shouted, “The path's too narrow, dark and dangerous. We'll
fall!”

76