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"Well then," said Falco, pushing out his chest like a robin to make room for all he had eaten. "While Eodwine was busy getting stripped of his job by the King-"
"Leave me out of your tale, if you don't mind, Mr. Boffin," said Eodwine, noticing Bethberry's surprised look.
"Anyways, to pass the afternoon I took a walk down south and east a ways till I found myself outside the town. The weather was fine as it hadn't snapped a chill yet, and the clouds rode high up in the sky.
"I comes to this big old sycamore and what do I see but an toothless old man kicking at the trunk with his boots, and scolding and yammering at it like it had done wrong by him.
"Well, I stopped and watched this go on for a few moments, and lo and behold, it turns out this man's telling the tree it has no business following him about, and would it leave him in peace. I figured he had to be daft, and continued on my way.
"I walked for a while longer and came as far as a stream from the mountains that went under a small bridge, and had a drink and took a wee bit of a snooze. When I woke up it looked like the sun had moved not more than an hour, and I turned around and headed back to town.
"Well, sooner than I expected, here's this old man even angrier than before, still kicking at the tree, yelling at it not to follow him. Well, I couldn't stand it any longer, so I asked him why he was yelling at the tree.
"He gave me a queer look and said, 'If'n anybody could tell why I'm mad it should be you! Don't you think I remember you comin' by and stoppin' to watch me yell at this here tree?'
"'I hadn't thought you'd noticed,' I said.
"'I did,' he announced, 'only that was back there under that lee of the mountain, and you're watchin' me here instead.'
"Sure enough, I looked at where he was pointing, and I'd give away my best Old Toby if I couldn't see that he was right. I said, 'So this here tree's a-followin' you?'
"'That it is,' he said, and resumed kicking and yelling. That's my tale. There's a sycamore what follows this old man around, and I saw him and it just east of town."
Falco took a long pull at his ale mug.
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