Chapter 53 fifty three

Louis found another roll of tape in the kitchen drawer, and another roll of rope in the corner of the garage next to the winter tires.He wrapped the pick and shovel together with tape, made a harness out of rope, and carried the tools in the harness, holding Gage's body.Louis looped the straps on his back, then opened the Honda door, took out the bag, and put it in the back of the car.Gage is much heavier than the kitten Church. When he walks to the Mi'kmac cemetery, he may need to climb the hill on his stomach, and he has to dig a grave. Those hard stones are not easy to deal with. Oh, he can handle it, anyway, he can.

Louis paused at the door as he walked out of the garage, elbowed the light switch, and stood for a moment at the asphalt intersection leading to the grass. The grass is shining. The wind blew through his hair, and for a moment Louis felt a childlike dread of being small and weak and terribly frightened.Was he really going to carry the corpse through the windswept woods to that place?And this time going alone? Don't think too much, just do it.A voice seemed to be speaking. Louis started walking up the hill. Twenty minutes later, Louis walked to the pet cemetery.He felt his limbs tremble with exhaustion, and he put the body wrap in front of his knees, and sat on the ground panting heavily.He rested there for 20 minutes, nearly falling asleep, but no longer feeling frightened.It was as if exhaustion had driven the fear away.At last he stood up again, not quite sure he could get over the pile of dead wood, but feeling numbly that he must try.The body of the son in his hand seems to be 200 pounds instead of 40 pounds.

However, what happened before happened again, as if I suddenly remembered the original dream.No, not remembering, but revived the dream.As Louis hit the first dead log, that strange feeling started to push him again, he felt almost elated, the exhaustion didn't go away, but it became bearable... really, exhaustion It's not important anymore. Chad's voice echoed in his ears again: Just follow me, Louis, follow me, don't look down.Don't hesitate, don't look down.I know the way to go, but it has to be done quickly and decisively. Yes, quickly and decisively; like Chad pulling out a bee's sting for his son Gage.

I know the way to go. But there's only one way over the deadwood, Louis thought, and either it will let you or it won't.Once before, he had tried unsuccessfully to climb over the deadwood pile himself.This time he climbed quickly and decisively, just as Chad had told him to climb that night. Up, up, don't look down, he climbed up with his son's body in his arms until the wind started to blow his hair again.He stood for a moment on top of the pile of dead wood, and then began to walk rapidly down again, as if descending a flight of stairs, pick and shovel bumping against his back.Only a minute or so later, he was standing on the soft path covered with pine needles again, and the pile of dead wood behind him seemed huge, much higher than the iron fence in the cemetery.

Louis held his son and walked up the mountain along the path, when he heard the wind howling in the woods.The sound no longer frightened him, and the evening's work was nearly done.