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This was the last mistake it ever made

"You know that box of yours?" said the parrot

"What about it?" said Rincewind

"It's heading this way"

The priests peered down at the running figure far below The Luggage had a straightforay of dealing with things between it and its intended destination: it ignored theainst all his instincts, in great trepidation and, norance of as happening, that Quezovercoatl himself chose to materialise on top of the pyramid

Several of the priests noticed hiers

"Er," squeaked the deht Noant you all to pay attention," squeaked Quezovercoatl, cupping his tiny hands around his main mouth in an effort to be heard

This was very eod, he'd been really ile-ratified by the incredible lifelike statue in the pyramid, and it really hurt to have to reveal that, in one important particular, it was incorrect

He was six inches high

"Now then," he began, "this is very important -"

Unfortunately, no-one ever found out why At that s whirring like propellers, and landed squarely on the slabs

There was a brief, flat squeak

It was a funny old world, said da Quiro mad, wouldn't you? One o exquisite torture, the next being given breakfast, a change of clothes, a hot tub and a free lift out of the kingdood Of course the Tezuod, and that he was currently a sreasy patch on top of the pyramid Which left thee squatted in the city'saround it and watching it carefully, in case it did anything a to leave it behind?" said Eric

"It's not as sienerally catches up Let's just go away quickly"

"But we'll take the tribute, won't we?"

"I think that could be an ao, while they're in a good teot to get on with my search for the Fountain of Youth," said da Quirm "Oh yes," said Rincewind "I've devoted my whole life to it, you know," said the old man proudly Rincewind looked him up and down "Really?" he said "Oh, yes Exclusively Ever since I was a boy"

Rincewind's expression was one of acute puzzle to a child, "wouldn't it have been better you know, ot on with"

"What?" said da Quirh," he added, "I think, in order to prevent you getting, you know, bored, we should present you with this

wonderful talking parrot" Hehis thule fowl," he said "Cruel to subject it to city life, isn't it?" "I was born in a cage, you raving wossname!" screamed the parrot Rincewind faced it,

nose to beak

"It's that or fricassee time," he said The parrot opened its beak to bite his nose, saw his expression, and thought better of it "Polly want a biscuit," it , sotto voce, "wossnamewossnamewossname" "A dear little bird of my very own," said da Quirm "I shall look after it" "wossnale A few e trotted after thedom of Tezuma

Froe statue being dishtfully Occasionally one of them stood up and made a short speech

It was clear that points were being dom depended on a buoyant obsidian knife industry, how the enslaved neighbouring kingdoovern of firovernment as well, and on the terrible fate that awaited any people who didn't have gods Godless people ainst the fine old traditions of thrift and non-self-sacrifice that hadwhy, if they didn't have a god, they needed all these priests, anything

The point ell put by Mazuurewith-broken-nose, jaguar claw, three feathers, stylised spiny anteater]"

After a while a vote was taken

By nightfall, the kingdo stonemasons were at work on a new statue

It was basically oblong, with lots of legs

The Deers on his desk It wasn't that he was unhappy about the fate of Quezovercoatl, ould now have to spend several centuries in one of the nether hells while he grew a new corporeal body Serve hihastly little imp Nor was it the broad trend of events on the pyramid After all, the whole point of the wish business was to see to it that what the client got was exactly what he asked for and exactly what he didn't really want

It was just that he didn't feel in control of things