Chapter 10
“That’s it?” Burly says, when Pop finishes.
“That’s it,” Pop says.
Burly is so indignant, he stands up. “Well, that means nothing! He took one of our folk stories and told it to you like it was historical fact. In the worst possible taste, I might add.”
“I know what he did, Burly,” Pop says, “and I’m telling you, that’s how they hold their history. Through stories and myth. It’s not literally true–”
“Obviously,” Margery Wingard says, her voice full of scorn.
“The gods are true,” Max says. Everyone looks at him. “They are. I know you don’t believe us, but they are.”
Burly waves his hand, literally waving away everything Max just said. “The Sky is just trying to scare you, Todd. You’re too close to him, and he knows you’ll buy whatever story he tells–”
“I don’t give one tiny little shit about your opinion, Burly,” Pop says. “The Sky asked me to tell it to you, and so I did.”
“Tell me a pack of nonsense,” Burly says.
“It’s a warning,” Mom says. “That’s clear enough.”
“A warning of what? That some magic piper from our own myths is going to come here and eat our children because he’s a secret giant? You’re telling me that means something to you, does it?”
“The new star in the sky,” Mom says. “It’s clearly about that. This is the story they have in their history for it. And yeah, obviously the details aren’t exact–”
“But the truth is here,” Pop says. “This is what you all lost when you cured your Noise. Stories are more than words. They’re what’s behind the words. He told the story in this way because he thought it would mean something to us, but that story is only a carrier for what’s beneath.”
“Sure,” Margery Wingard says, also standing, “around here, we call that lying.”
“He’s warning us,” Pop says again.
“Warning us of what?” Burly snaps.
“You yourself said there was an invasion coming.”
“Yeah, from possible hostile aliens or the Spackle themselves, not some mythical piping monster!”
“Look, Burly,” Pop says, “believe what you want to believe, but the Sky isn’t lying. He’s warning us that something is coming. And it’s coming for our kids.”
“I’m not going to tell the town that,” Burly says. “They’d panic.”
Pop just grins. “Too late.”
Burly turns to the door, which has slowly come back open after Pop stopped me from latching it. All the townspeople gathered there have seen Pop’s story, too.