Chapter 28 28

Baby, are you all right? It's okay, but... kind of scary, isn't it? Now she knew something was happening without looking into the viewing box.The sky was beginning to darken, as it does when a cloud of birds hides the sun.But this is not a dark cloud, the darkness cannot be clarified, and if there is any dark cloud, it is far away in the east. yes, he said.She glanced at him and was greatly relieved to see that he meant it. Wanna sit on my lap, Jesse? OK? Of course. So she sat on his lap.It was nice to be close to him, to feel his warmth, to smell his scent - Dad's scent - while the sky continued to darken.She was happiest because it was a little scary indeed, scarier than she had imagined.What frightened her most was the way their shadows on the platform faded.She had never seen a shadow fade like this before.And it's almost certain she'll never see it again.It's perfectly normal for me, she thought.She moved closer, happy to be Daddy's baby again (at least between this slightly scary interlude) and not the usual Jessie she used to be - too tall, too clumsy, too squeaky .

Can I see through smoked glass, Dad? Not yet.His hand was on her leg, heavy and warm.She put her hand on his, then turned to him and grinned. Exciting, isn't it? Yes.It's exciting, baby.It was even more exciting than I imagined. She squirmed again, trying to find a way to make peace with the hard object on him on which her ass was now resting.His lower lip took a quick hiss of air. dad?Am I too heavy?I hurt you? No.you are fine. Can I see through the glass? Not yet, baby.But soon enough. The world isn't what it used to be when the sun dives into the clouds.It now looks as if twilight is falling in the middle of the day.She heard the old owl hooting in the woods.The cry made her shiver. On WNCH, Debbie Reynolds' voice faded away, soon to be replaced by Marvin Gaye's singing.

Look towards the lake!Dad told her.Looking across the lake, she saw a strange twilight creeping over a dull world from which every strong color had faded except the dull woad.It was creepy, she told him, trembling.He told her not to be too scared to appreciate it.Years from now she would savor the phrase -- very carefully, perhaps, looking for a double meaning in it.And now... dad?It's gone.I can-- Yes.OK now.But when I say you have to stop looking, you have to stop.Can't argue, understand? He gave her three sheets of smoked glass stacked on top of each other.But first he gave her an anti-scalding cloth pad.He gave her this because the glass sheet for the sight glass had been cut from an old shed window glass.He wasn't too confident in his ability to cut glass.As she looked down at the heat-resistant cloth pad, her mind suddenly fell back, deftly doing somersaults like an acrobat.She heard him say: The last thing I want to happen—