THE rain which drove into the faces of the seven good blokes was both a curse and a blessing . It was a curse as it slowed their progress down poorly sealed roads across landscapes new to them . It was a blessing in that the sound of the droplets rattling across their visors drowned out the sound of the seven misfiring engines which bore them forth . Gandar , despite his skills as an engineer , had spread his preparation work too thin in his haste to get the seven old bikes mechanically equipped for the journey they had embarked on . Flames emerging from beneath the sidecover of Nobby ' s shuddering old single , and the fact the spokes on Baz ' s disintegrating twin were unlacing like a cheap corset , were taken by the rest of the lads as a pretty clear signal that perhaps they should pull over for a spell and do some fettling . A stand of trees at the foot of a |
mist-shrouded peak drew Gandar ' s attention , so he signalled a right turn and led the following flock off the road , across an old planking bridge and to shelter . Their arrival caused a red eye to open . Followed by another , then another and another . On a plateau , some 30 metres above where the lads gathered to shelter and try to make some sense of their misfiring steeds , were two members of the Dark Riders . They were an ‘ outrider ’ pair ... one of a great many dangerous duos who had been sent forth to search the open lands for any sign of the very un-magnificent seven and the third piston ring they bore . “ I smell mechanic ,” one of the grimy riders scowled . “ I smell old burger ” his foul companion replied , waving his hand to disperse the gas , which emanated from his blood and |
grease-smeared leather trousers . The evil pair crept to the edge of the plateau and looked down upon the gathering below . They were scarcely able to believe their luck . A few days into the mission and here they were , hungover , flatulent , and with their targets in sight . “ Oh most faithful and devoted rock ,” the outrider sergeant-atarms sneered as he rolled a bucket-sized slab of granite toward the edge . “ Go and introduce yourself to a soft head or two ... and we will finish the rest off .”
ROCK & ROLL ? Fred , from the corner of his eye , saw a flash of movement and yelled ‘ rock !’ “ And roll !” Nobby replied in an apparent belief someone was about to break into an old Elvis number . It would be untrue to say Nobby never saw it coming . He did .
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And it would be a lie to say he never felt the impact . He did . “ Ouch ” was his reaction ... which is what Gandar accordingly inscribed onto the makeshift cross he later placed over the shallow grave his grieving companions had dug in the deep and unfriendly soil of that foul landscape . Seconds after the rock laid poor Nobby out the two Dark Riders sprang into their midst , flailing chains and wielding long knives . However , the evil ones had not figured on the ferocity of the fight which Arasole and Crozman took to them . Put simply , they got the crap kicked out of them while the lads , shielded by Gandar ' s old but reassuring arms and finishing the last of the egg sandwiches , looked on . The silence of the scrap was broken by Fred who declared “ Righto , let ' s get going .” ” Fair enough ,” Gandar added as they strode to their bikes . |
26 Kiwi Rider – July 2003 |
KIWI RIDER 55 |