Chapter 28 Chapter 18 Slingshot

1 "Okay, Haystack," Richie said, "this is your turn, it's getting late." Ben glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight.One more story to tell, he thought.Tell another story before 12 o'clock to keep everyone "warm and warm".What are you talking about? He remembered only one story about the silver bullet—how it was at Zack on the night of July 23rd.Those projectiles were manufactured in Dunban's workshop; how they were put to use at the 25th. "Do you remember the scars on my body?" Ben asked. Beverly and Eddie shook their heads; Bill and Richie nodded.Mike sat there silently, eyes full of guard on his tired face.

Ben stood up and unbuttoned his shirt, and opened his skirt, revealing an old "H"-shaped scar. Beverly cried out, "Werewolf! In that crappy house! Oh, God!" She turned her head and looked out the window, as if the monster was lurking in the darkness. "Yes, it was a werewolf," Mike said, "That time we saw a ruthless man." "Because R, R, Ricky saw it once, and it turned into a werewolf." Bill whispered. "Yes." Mike said. "Our hearts are connected, aren't we?" Beverly's voice was unusually gentle. "So close, we can understand each other's mind."

The time has not been measured at all.Bill was astonished, almost dumbfounded. Bane was so absorbed in his work that he spoke to Beverly like a surgeon directing the work of a nurse. "Beverly, your hand will hold it steady. Insert the funnel into this little hole. Wear gloves and don't burn it." Bill handed her one of his dad's work gloves.Beverly inserted the funnel into the mold, and no one said a word.The hissing sound of the blowtorch flame was exceptionally clear.They looked at the blowtorch, their eyes almost narrowed. "Wait, wait a minute." Bill rushed into the room suddenly, bringing a pair of sunglasses. "Ben, Ben, you'd, best, wear this."

Ben smiled and took the sunglasses and put them on.The flame flickered, and he concentrated on working again.After a while, Ben handed the blowtorch to Eddie and said to Bill, "Everything is ready...give me the other glove. Quick! Quick!" Bill handed him the glove.He put on his gloves, picked up the cartridge case, and twisted the handle of the vise with his other hand. "Hold on tight, Beverly," he said, carefully pouring the solution from the cartridge case into the funnel.Everyone stared wide-eyed, watching the molten silver coins slowly flow into the mold like a stream.Ben poured carefully, not a drop spilled. "Okay, the first one is finished," Bens said emphatically, clamping the cartridge cases in the vise again, and taking the blowtorch from Eddie.

"Okay, now for the second one." 10 minutes later, the second one was also done. "What are you doing now?" Mike asked. "You can play Monopoly for an hour now," Ben said. "Wait until the silver is completely solidified, and then use a chisel to cut the mold along the dividing line." Ricky looked a little uneasy. "What time will your family get back, Bill?" "Ten, ten o'clock or ten, ten-thirty." "Then we still have a lot of time," Ben said happily. "Ben, that hairy guy almost took your gut out." Richie didn't laugh when he said it.He pushed his glasses, his pale face was full of shock, and some descriptions were terrifying.

"Bill saved you," Eddie broke in suddenly. "I mean, Beverly saved us all. But if it wasn't for you, Bill—" "You're right," Ben echoed. "It was you, Boss. I was in a maze then." Bill pointed to the vacant chair and said, "Stanley helped me. He paid a lot for it. Probably died for it." Ben shook his head. "Don't say that, Bill." "But it's true, true. If it's you, your fault, fault, it's my fault. We're all alive except him. Even after seeing Patrick's body, even after seeing We didn't give up until the words written on the refrigerator. It's mainly my fault because I let, let, let us all go on. Because of Joe, George, and even because I feel that if I kill kill, kill George, my father, my parents would—"

"Will love you again?" Beverly asked softly. "Yes. Of course. But I don't, don't, don't think it's Ren, Ren, anyone's fault, Ben. Stanley is that, that, that." "He couldn't face it," Eddie said. "He was brilliant that day," Ben said, "Stanley and his bird." They all smiled easily, and they looked at the vacant chair.Stanley should have sat there, accomplished as well as any good man.I miss him, Ben thought. "Do you remember that day, Rich? You told him you heard he killed Christ, and Stanley said flatly, 'I think that's my dad'."

"I remember." Richie's voice was barely audible.He took his handkerchief out of his pocket, took off his glasses, wiped his eyes, and put them on again.His eyes were always on his hands. "Ben, why aren't you telling your story?" "It makes everybody sad, doesn't it?" "Yeah," said Richie in a low voice, "yes, it makes me sad." Ben looked around, then nodded. "Okay, one more story by twelve o'clock. Bill and Richie come up with the bullet idea—" "No," Rich retorted, "Bill came up with the idea first, and he got nervous first."

"I, I'm just a little worried, worried, worried—" "The three of us were studying hard in the library in July of that year, trying to find a way to make silver bullets." Benn said. "I have silver, four silver coins that my father left me. At first Bill was worried that if we missed the monster when it came to our throats, we would be torn to pieces. But when we saw Bell When Foley was able to shoot with Bill's slingshot without fail, we decided to use a silver coin to make a projectile. We prepared all kinds of things and gathered at Bill's house."

Bill laughed. "We stand in a circle and watch Bane make ammonia. I think Bane can really, really make silver, silver bullets." "Oh, I'm not sure," Ben said modestly.Although he has a plan in mind.He distinctly remembered that it was dusk (Mr. Dunbarn had promised to drive them home).Bill had carefully laid out the board, and it looked as though the game had been going on for over an hour. He remembered Bill saying, "We should be small, small—" 2 "Be careful. I don't want to make a mess, mess, mess. My dad won't, no, be upset." Ben watched Bill lay out the tools one by one under the lamp, and thought that one day I would have such a beautiful workbench.He concentrates and prepares to get to work.It's not as difficult as making silver bullets, but still be careful.You can't do things carelessly.Although no one told him, he still understood this truth.

Bill insisted that Bane build the silver bullets, and Beverly would shoot them from the slingshot.These things should be discussed by everyone.But 27 years later, when he brought up that incident again, Bane realized that no one at that time thought that a silver bullet couldn't defeat a monster. "Okay," Ben said.He looked at Bill and asked, "Did you get the mould?" Of course! "Bill jumped up." This, this, here. "He reached into his trouser pocket, took out a handkerchief, placed it on the workbench, and opened it carefully. It contained two rough steel balls, each with a small hole in it. Since they decided to abandon the idea of ​​making bullets and modify projectiles, Bill and Rich went to the library to study how to make bearings.They found that it was easy to make bearings if they had a mould.The problem was where to get the molds, which of course could only be bought at Kechen Turner Precision Instruments.So the two of them went to the store with the little money the club could raise—10 dollars and 59 cents.When Bill asked how much a pair of molds for two-inch bearings cost, he aroused the suspicion of the store owner, asking what they were buying them for.Richie asked Bill to speak.He knew it might make things easier.Children often made fun of Bill for his stuttering, and adults were often embarrassed by his stuttering.Sometimes Ziba came in unexpectedly useful. Bill stuttered halfway through the reason they had made up on the road—making a model windmill for nature next term—and the shopkeeper waved him off.And the molds sold to them only charged 50 cents each. They couldn't believe their luck.Bill excitedly hands over a one-dollar bill. "Don't expect me to give you a bag." The shopkeeper gave them a contemptuous look with bloodshot eyes.He believed he had seen the world through. "If you want a bag, give me $5." "No, no, it's all right, sir," Bill said. "Don't hang around outside. It's time for you both to get your hair done." Walking out of the store, Bill said mysteriously: "You, you, did you find out? Li, Rich. In addition to, besides sugar, candy, and small children's books, there are also electricity and movie tickets. How about adults? , If not. I don’t ask you clearly. What you buy is, is it for, and for what purpose, he, they will never, never sell it to you.” "Yes." Richie agreed. "W-why? Why is it—is that so?" "Because they think we are dangerous." "Yes, is it? You. Recognize, recognize, think so" Richie laughed. "Let's just hang around, how about? Put up your collars and sneer at those people. Keep your hair long." "You, you bastard." Bill cursed with a smile. 3 Ben looked at the mold carefully, then set it down again. "Okay, now to—" They made room for Bens again and watched him confidently.Ben ignored them and concentrated on what he was doing. "Give me the shell casings and the blowtorch," he ordered. Bill handed him a cut shell casing.It was a war memento, and when Bill was little his dad used that as an ashtray.Later, my father quit smoking, and this piece of shrapnel was no longer needed.Bill dug it out again a week ago in the back of the garage. Ben secured the cartridge case to Zach's vise and took the blowtorch from Beverly.He took a coin out of his trouser pocket and put it in the cartridge case.Ben felt that Beverly was nervous and wanted to comfort her, but he was afraid that his voice would shake. "Hand me the match, Richie," Ben whispered. Richie handed him a box of matches.Ben unscrewed the gas tank valve, lit a match and held it under the nozzle of the blowtorch.With a chirping sound, bright blue flames sprang up.Ben turned down the heat and began to heat the bottom of the cartridge case. Bill nodded. "Then let's go back to the house," Beverly said, "I want to call home. I said I would call back.None of you make a sound.My dad thought I was at the community house.I'll get a ride back from there. " I'll protect you, Beverly, thought Ben.His heart has flown away with the fantasy. He imagined Beverly's father berating her again, yelling and cursing, and he rushed to block her. If you want trouble, fat boy, then just go ahead and protect my daughter. Ben is usually quiet and bookish.But if you piss him off, he'll be like a tiger.If you want to hit her, you have to pass me first. Old Marsh came forward step by step...but the hard look in Ben's eyes held him back. You'll regret it, grumbled Beverly's father.But it was clear that her father had backed down.He's just a paper tiger. I do not believe.Benth had a cool grin on his face when he said this.Beverly's father slips away. What's the matter with you, Ben?Beverly screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.You seem to be killing him! kill him?Ben sneered.no baby.He's a mean guy, but he's still your father. She hugged him passionately and kissed him.I love you Ben!She swallowed and said.Ben felt her soft body press against his chest. He could not help but tremble all over.He shook his head, trying to forget about this clear and terrible picture.Rich stood in the aisle and asked him if he could go, and Ben realized that he was the only one left in the workshop. "Of course," he was a little surprised, "Of course I went." 4 Beverly's dad wouldn't bother her.Her mother said on the phone that he got off work late tonight and fell asleep while watching TV. She went back to the boys and played Monopoly for an hour.Stanley wins big. "Jews are the best at making money," Stanley said while building a hotel on Atlantic Avenue and buying two properties on Ventner Avenue. "Everyone knows that." "God, let me be a Jew," Ben said quickly.Everyone burst into laughter.Ben was almost broke. Beverly watched Bill play the game enthusiastically across the table, studying his clean hands, deep blue eyes, and fine red hair.If he held my hand, I would die of happiness.A warm current surged in her chest, she put her chin in her hands and smiled slightly. 5 The last job of the night was the most exciting.Ben took Zach's chisel and hammer from the stand and tapped lightly along the dividing line.The mold was easily chiselled.Two small silver balls fell out.They looked at the two small balls quietly.Then Stanley pulled one up. "So small," he said. "But it looks powerful," Mike said. Ben nodded, and everyone nodded yes. "It's all done," said Ben, "and then." He tossed another ball to Bill.Bill was taken aback and almost missed. Everyone looked at the two small balls and marveled at how smooth and weighty they are.When the ball was passed back to Ben, he carefully held the two silver balls and watched Bill. "Now what are we going to do with these two balls?" "Here, for Beverly, Beverly." "No!" Bill looked at him.His face was so gentle and yet so serious. "Be, be, Beverly, we've, we've, we've decided, we've decided—" "Then I'll do it," she said, "and I'll see the right moment and shoot the damned monster, if it does come. I might kill everybody, but I'll do my best. But I don't want to take these two silver bullets home, my parents may find out, and I will be miserable." "Don't you have somewhere to hide your stuff?" Richie asked curiously. "There is one," she said, "but I don't dare keep something so important. You keep it, Bill. Until that moment, it was yours." "Okay," Bill said softly.Then the lights shone on the driveway. "He, they're back, back. Let's get, get out of here." They had just settled down in front of the game board when Bill's mother opened the kitchen door.Richie rolled his eyes and gestured to wipe the sweat from his brow, and everyone laughed happily. After a while, Bill's mother walked in. "Bill, your dad is waiting in the car to see off your friends." "Yes, yes, yes, mother, mother," Bill replied, "I, we'll be playing, playing, playing right away." "Who won?" asked Mrs. Dunborne. "Stanley," Bill said, "Jews are good at making, making money." "Bill," cried Mrs. Dunbar, flushing.Then look at them again, and everyone laughs, including Stanley.She was first surprised, then frightened.There seemed to be something more powerful and terrifying in the air than static electricity.If she touched any of them, she would receive a severe electric shock.What happened to them?She thought blankly, opening her mouth as if to say something.Bill hurriedly apologized to Stanley, and Stanley didn't mind.This is their constant joke.Mrs Dunbar was still more bewildered, and did not know what to say. She was relieved when the kids were out and her own stuttering son went back to his room to sleep. 6 The day The Losers Club finally came face to face with the monster, the day Bane's stomach was nearly torn out was July 25, 1958.It was a sweltering day, and everything in the air was listless.Ben remembered well that it was a very sunny day, the last day of a long period of hot weather.After that day, the weather cooled down.They arrived at 29 Nabert Street around ten o'clock that morning. "How, how, what's your arm, arm, how, ed, ed, eddie?" "Oh, it's okay. It's just that when you turn over in sleep, it hurts a little. Did you bring that thing?" Bill took a canvas bag from the bike basket, opened it, and handed Beverly the slingshot.Beverly smiled wryly and took it without saying anything.There is also a box in the package.Bill opened the box and showed them the two silver bullets.They all watched in silence, standing on the barren grass at 29 Nebert Street, their hearts pressed together.Bill, Richie, and Eddie had seen the house before.No one else had seen it before, and looked at it curiously. Those windows are like human eyes, Stanley thought.He couldn't help reaching for the paperback book in his trouser pocket.He pinched the book, wishing for luck.Wherever he went, he always carried this "Guide to the Study of Birds of North America."Those windows looked like dirty blind eyes. How disgusting, Beverly thought.I can smell the stench, but not with my nose. Mike thought, this is really like the old ironworks factory.The same feeling... as if leading us through. This must be one of the monster's lairs, Ben thought.Like that sewer mouth, this is his haunt.It knows we are outside and is waiting for us to walk in. "You, you, do you still want to go in?" Bill asked. They turned to look at him, all pale and serious.No one said no.Eddie took his asthma spray out of his pocket and took a deep breath. "Me too," Richie said. "I'll have some, too," said Stanley, "will you?" So they took a few mouthfuls of the mist one by one, and turned to look at the dilapidated house. "Is anyone living on this street?" Beverly asked in a low voice. "No one lives here," Mike said, "just some bums who live here for a while and then get on a van and go away." "They can't see anything," Stanley said. "They're safe here." He looked at Bill. "Bill, do you think adults can see it?" "I don't know, I know," Bill replied, "There must be, there is, someone saw it." "I wish I could meet a grown-up," Richie said gloomily. "It's really not a kid's thing. You know what I mean?" "There should be an adult following." Richie looked at the dilapidated house, with closed doors, mottled paint, dirty windows, and gloomy corridors.He sighed wearily.After a while he felt their resolve waver. "C-Come here. Look at this," Bill said.They went around to the left of the doorway, where the dado was broken and the barbed wild roses were still there.The patch of flowers where Eddie's leper had touched was still black and lifeless. "Is it just a touch, and the rose bush is like that?" Beverly was full of fear. Bill nodded. "You, have you decided to go in, go in?" After a while, no one answered.They haven't decided yet.They could see from Bill's face that he was going alone, even without them.But they still couldn't make up their minds. Think about the other kids, Ben thought.so many children.It killed those kids, damn it, it killed those kids! "I'll go, Bill," said Ben firmly. "I'll go too." Beverly also became brave. "Of course I'm going," Richie said. "You think we'll let you enjoy it all by yourself, little stutterer?" Bill looked at them, choked up, nodded, and handed the tin box to Beverly. "Have you decided, Bill?" "Decision, decision, decision." Beverly nodded.For a moment, she felt a little afraid of the burden on her shoulders, and at the same time happy for Bill's trust.She opened the box and took out the two silver bullets, one in the pocket of her jeans, the other in the rubber cup of the slingshot, clutching it tightly in her hand. "Let's go," her voice trembled, "before I'm scared, let's go." Bill nodded, looking at Eddie seriously. "Can you, can you, can you, ed, ed, eddie?" Eddie nodded. "No problem. Last time it was just me, this time I'm with my friends. Is it?" He looked at them with a small smile.She looked a little shy and thin that way, but charming. Richie patted him on the shoulder and said in a special voice, "That's right, sir. If anyone dares to steal your asthma spray, we'll kill him. Kill him bit by bit." "It's horrible, Richie." Beverly laughed nervously. "To, to, to the door. Down the porch," Bill said, "to-too-too-too-too-too-too-to-the-door, and crawled into the cellar." "What should I do if you walk ahead and the monster jumps at you?" Beverly asked. "Shoot from behind you?" "If it has to be like this," Bill said, "but I suggest, suggest, suggest you. You, you go around first." Richie couldn't help but burst out laughing. "If we have to, we'll search, search, search the whole ground, ground, cellar." He shrugged. "Maybe we can't find what, what, nothing." "You think so?" Mike asked. "No," Bill said emphatically. "It must be, here." Ben took his word for it.29 Nabert Street was sealed in a poisoned envelope.You can't see it...but you can feel it. "Are you ready, ready, ready?" Bill asked. They all looked at him. "Ready." Richie replied. "Well, let's go, let's go," Bill said. "Be, Beverly, come right behind me." Bill got on his stomach and crawled over the dead rose bushes to the porch. 7 The dead branches and leaves under the porch squeaked softly, exuding a sour, rotten smell.Ben wrinkled his nose. Had he ever smelled a leaf like this?No.Suddenly an unpleasant thought flashed through his mind: it smells like a mummified corpse. Bill had climbed to the broken cellar window, and Beverly followed. "See anything?" Bill shook his head. "But it wasn't, it wasn't say, say, say, nothing, nothing. Look, that coal, coal pile. That's where Richie and I escaped last time." Ben was between them and saw it too, terrified and excited at the same time.He loves the thrill of it because he instinctively recognizes that excitement as a tool.Seeing this coal pile is like seeing a great historical miracle that has only been told about by others or seen in books. Bill turned and slipped nimbly through the window.Beverly handed the slingshot to Ben, carefully placing his hand on the projectile. "Hand me the slingshot as soon as I go," she said, "be quick." "understood." She slipped in lightly.It's a heart-pounding moment -- at least for Bane.When he handed Beverly the slingshot, Ben felt a shudder pass from her hand to him. "Okay, I caught it. Come down." Ben turned around and scrambled down.He had expected this to happen. He is stuck.Butt stuck in the rectangular window can not get out.He started to pull it out, but immediately realized with horror that if he pulled it out, his pants, even his underwear, would come down to his knees.Then his big ass is really exposed. "Come on," Eddie urged. Ben grabbed the window frame and managed to squeeze his ass through, but his stomach was stuck there again. "Breathe in, haystack." Richie chuckled. "You better take a breath, or we're going to have Mike drag him out with his daddy's chains." "Wow, Richie." Ben said through gritted teeth.He inhaled hard, went down a little, and got stuck again.He turned his head, trying to control his fear.His face was dripping with sweat and flushed with suffocation.The sour smell of rotting leaves hits the nostrils, suffocating. "Bill, can you give me a tug?" He felt Bill grab one of his ankles, Beverly the other.He took another breath.After a while, he fell down.Bill hugged him, and both of them almost fell to the ground.Banth can't face Beverly.He had never been so humiliated in his life. "You, you, are you okay, buddy?" "fine." Bill and Beverly couldn't stand upright laughing, and Ben smiled awkwardly too. "Hi!" Eddie called down, "Eddie needs help." "Okay!" Bill and Ben stood under the window.Eddie slid down on his back and Bill hugged his knees. "Look what you did," Eddie grumbled, "I'm ticklish." Ben hugged him around the waist and together with Bill pulled him down forcefully.Eddie yelped. "Ai, Eddie?" "Well," Eddie replied, "well, it's all right." But there were big drops of sweat on his forehead, he was panting heavily, and his eyes were watching everything in the cellar warily.The rest climbed in one by one. The light in the room is dim, but you can still see clearly.Dim light filtered through the windows onto the dusty floor.Ben felt that the cellar was so big and so big that he almost hallucinated.The fireplace chimney was rusty, and a dirty white cloth had been drawn from the chimney.It smells like that here, too, Ben thought.it's here.That's right, it's here. Everyone followed Bill toward the stairs.He stopped abruptly, glanced down at the ground, and kicked out a white glove like the kind worn by clowns.Now it's full of dust and dirt. "Here, go upstairs," he said. They came to a filthy kitchen with a straight chair and empty wine bottles stacked in one corner.Ben noticed that there were still some piled up in the pantry.He smelled alcohol, wine probably, mixed with old, stale cigars.But there was another smell, stronger and stronger. Beverly walked to a row of cupboards, pulled one open, and let out a piercing scream.A dark brown mouse almost jumped on her face.Rats slammed on the counter, staring at them with dark eyes.Beverly screamed, raising her slingshot. "No." Bill yelled. She turned her pale face and looked at Bill in horror.Then nodded and lowered his arms.The silver bullet was almost shot by her.She backed away slowly, bumped into Ben, and jumped up screaming.Ben put an arm around her tightly. The rat scuttled along the counter, jumped to the floor, and disappeared into the pantry. "It wanted me to shoot that mouse." Beverly was still panting. "To use up half of our ammunition." "That's right," Bill said. "Oh, Bill, I can't do it. I'll screw it up and give it back to you." She handed over the slingshot.Bill shook his head. "You have to, Beverly." There was also a sound in another cabinet.Richie walked over. "Don't get too close!" Tim Tanley yelled. "Maybe—" Richie looked in, and with a look of disgust on his face, he slammed the cabinet shut, echoing through the empty house. "It's a nest of mice." Richie felt disgusted. "The biggest litter I've ever seen." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "There are hundreds of them." He looked at them and grinned. "Tails...the tails are all tangled together, like a snake." They looked at the root cabinet.There was the faint sound of rats creaking.Rats, Ben thought, looking at a pale Bill.Behind him, Mike also looked ashen.They are all afraid of mice.It also knows their weakness. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhs) ")" They came to the vestibule.It smelled badly of lime and urine.Through the stained glass, the main street and their bicycles can be seen. Bill opened a door on the left, and they followed him into a vaulted room.It could be a living room, with a pair of wrinkled trousers hanging from the ceiling. Benth thought the room was too big, the size of a shipping yard.It doesn't look that big from the outside.Oh, that's just looking from the outside, a strange voice sounded in his mind.Bane suddenly realized he heard the Joker's voice.From the outside, many things are smaller than they should be.Don't you, Ben?said the voice. "Go away," he growled under his breath. Richie turned to look at him, his face still pale. "What did you say?" Ben shook his head, and the voice died away.This is very important to Ben.But it suddenly dawned on him that this house was a very special place.This foul-smelling house, where everything seems to have changed, is its staging post to another world.Not only does it look huge here, but everything is quirky.Ben stood there, looking at his friends who were walking ahead—but instead of getting smaller as they walked away, they got bigger.The floor seemed to be tilting too—and then Mike called back to him, "Ban!" Ben saw the horror on his face. "Come on! Don't get lost! "Ben didn't catch the last words, and it seemed as if they were on a speeding train, the sound lost to the wind with the wheels. He was suddenly terrified and ran. The door slammed shut behind him. He screamed... felt something tugging at his shirt behind him. He turned his head, there was nothing. But he was convinced there must be something. He caught up with them, out of breath, and thought he had run half a mile.Mike gripped his shoulders tightly. "You scared the hell out of me, man." Richie, Stanley, and Eddie looked at him questioningly. "Ban looked small," Mike explained, "like a mile away." "Bill!" Bill turned around.Bane said breathlessly, "We should all walk together. This place...is like a carnival maze. We're going to get lost. I think it's trying to tear us apart." Bill bit his lip and looked at him. "Yes," he said, "we're all, all closer, closer, closer. Don't fall, fall, fall behind." Everyone nodded and crowded outside the door of the hall full of fear.Bill opened the door, and here was another narrow hall.The wallpaper was peeling, the ceiling above us was stained with yellow water, and an erratic light was reflected from the dirty windows at the end of the hall. Suddenly the corridor seemed to lengthen.The ceiling above him rose higher and higher like a monstrous rocket.The door of the room swelled up like fudge.Stanley screamed and covered his eyes. "This, this, this is not true, true, true, true!" cried Bill. "It's true!" Stanley screamed, trying to cover his eyes. "It's true. God, I'm going crazy. It's terrible, it's terrible—" "Look, look, look!" Bill shouted at Stanley, and at the others. Bill kicked his ass, jumped up, and punched him hard.Nothing was touched, but a loud crash could be heard.Lime fell down with a splash...the ceiling was still there, and the passage was the same low, narrow, dirty passage again. Looking at the terrified Stanley, Ben, who had just been ecstatic about Bill's victory, suddenly felt a kind of fear that penetrated his bones.Stanley was about to break down.Go crazy soon, maybe scream, and then something terrible happens? "That's true for you," Stanley said, "but if I do that, it won't work. Because... because you have a brother and I don't." He looked back down the hall uneasily.There was a gloomy atmosphere.So thick, so blurred, that the door through which they had come could hardly be seen.Ben knew that if they kept going, they might still see dead flies... more broken glass.What else?The floor would crack and they'd fall into the darkness, where something was waiting to grab them.God, why did they come to its lair with just two stupid little projectiles and a slingshot? "You're for your brother. But what am I for?" Stanley sobbed.He seemed so small that he could slip into a crack in the ground. "You, you should come," Bill yelled, grabbing Stanley.Ben thinks Bill is going to beat Stanley.He begged silently in his heart, don't do this, Bill.Only Henry would do that.Then it kills us instantly. Bill didn't hit him, but turned Stanley roughly, and pulled the paperback from Stanley's trouser pocket. "You have, have, have your bird, bird, bird, bird—" He raised his head, and his Adam's apple moved.比尔把书扔给斯坦利。斯坦利紧紧地抓住他的书，手都变白了。 “我、我们走吧！”比尔说道。 他们走过大厅。那里有三扇门，两扇门上有肮脏的门把手，另一个的门柄处有一个洞。比尔抓住一个把手，拉开门。贝弗莉紧跟在他身后，举起弹弓。班恩清楚，此时他们都已经是惊弓之鸟了。 这里是一个卧室。除了一个满是污迹的垫子，什么都没有。从这里可以看到屋子外面的向日葵在摇摇晃晃。 “什么都没、没有——”比尔的话音未落，垫子就一上一下动了起来。突然从中间折起来，一股粘稠的黑水喷出来，流出地板上，流向门道。 “快关门，比尔。”理奇喊道。 比尔用力地关上门，看看他们，点点头。“继续走。”他没有碰第二扇门的把手，屋里传出嗡嗡的叫声。 8 就连比尔也忍受不了门后传来的越来越响亮、残忍的叫声。班恩觉得那种声音快让他发疯了。他想象着门后有一只硕大的蟋蟀，那叫声快把门框撞裂了，毛茸茸的腿脚抚摩着他。那种声音越来越刺耳。比尔面无血色，嘴唇紫青，倒退了一步。 “射击，贝弗莉！”班恩高声叫道。“射击。快射击。”班恩恍恍惚惚地看到贝弗莉举起弹弓。那声音越来越响，越来越响——就在贝弗莉拉紧弓的那一刹那，麦克大叫道：“不，不！贝弗莉，我知道了。”说完他竟令人难以置信地大笑起来。麦克冲到门前，抓住把手，用力拉开门。“只不过是用来吓唬乌鸦的鼓风器。” 麦克走上前去，狠狠地踢了一脚，那东西滚到了墙角。“只是个鼓风器，”麦克说，“没什么。只不过是骗人的把戏。”他的脸上还挂着笑容。“我一直都很害怕它，我想我们大家都怕，可是它也怕我们。说实话，我想它非常害怕我们。” Bill nodded. “我、我也这、这么想。” 他们来到大厅尽头的那扇门前。比尔把手伸进那个小洞，打开门。班思意识到这里一切都会结束，门后不会再有什么把戏。这里的气味更难闻了，而且一种巨大的力量包裹着他们。 比尔拉开门。门上的铁链发出一声闷响，之后一切都平静下来。这里是洗手间……但是好像有些不对劲。班恩的第一个感觉就是什么人把这里的东西都砸碎了。没有酒瓶…。 .what is that?到处都是白色的碎片，闪着邪恶的光。他突然间明白了，这是彻底的疯狂。他放声大笑起来，理奇也跟着笑起来，艾迪、麦克、斯坦利也都笑起来，只有比尔和贝弗莉绷着脸。 地上是一些碎瓷片，马桶炸开了，水箱歪歪扭扭地躺在一滩水里。他们挤在比尔和贝弗莉的身后，脚下的碎瓷片发出咯吱咯吱的响声。不管是什么，班思想，它把这可怜的马桶送上了西天。这里面还有一个浴缸，头顶上还有一个生锈的淋浴喷头定定地看着他们。 “我不想再往前走了，比尔！”理奇失声喊道。班恩向四周看了看。比尔走到原来是马桶所在的那个地漏，微微探着身……回过身来。 “我能听、听、听到水、水泵、泵的声音。” 班恩走过去。是的，他也能听见一种单调的噪声。不过，从管道里传出的声音听起来一点也不像机器声，好像有什么活的东西在里面。 “这、这、这就是它出、出、出来的地、地、地方。”比尔的脸还像先前那样惨白，但因为兴奋而闪着光彩。“那天它就、就是从这儿出。出来的。它总、总是从下水道里出、出来。”理奇点点头。 “我们在地窖里，但是它没有藏在那里——它从楼梯上走下来。因为它只能从这儿出来。” “这就是它干的了？”贝弗莉问。 “我想、想它、它太着、着、着急了。”比尔严肃地说。 班恩朝下水道里看了看。管道直径大概有3英尺，像矿井一样黑，里面塞着什么东西。那单调、令人昏昏欲睡的噪音从里面浮上来。突然他看到了什么东西——不是用他的肉眼，而是从内心深处感觉到。 它像飞驰的列车，朝他们冲过来。现在还是它的原形。等它一出来，就会变成他们脑子里想象的那些可怕的形象。它要冲出来了，眼里闪着黄绿色、邪恶的光芒。一股恶臭从破烂的管道口喷射出来。班思不禁倒退两步，不停地咳嗽、干呕。 “它要出来了！”班恩尖叫道。“比尔，我看见它了，它就要出来了！” 贝弗莉举起弹弓，说道：“来得好！” 什么东西猛地冲出了下水道。理奇跌跌撞撞地向后退，满脸恐慌。“狼人！比尔，它是狠人！”突然间那个怪物真的变成了狼人。 狼人站在管道边上，绿眼睛怒视着他们，鼻子抽搐着，黄色的泡沫顺着牙缝流下来。它怒吼一声，毛茸茸的巨爪向贝弗莉挥过去，带过一阵炎热、血腥的气味。 贝弗莉发出一声尖叫。班恩抓住她的罩衫后襟，猛地一拉。她刚刚躲过去，那只巨爪又扫了过来。贝弗莉向后退着，撞在墙上。 银弹丸从弹弓的杯罩里掉出来。就在这时，麦克迅速地捡起弹丸，递给贝弗莉。 “射击，宝贝儿！”麦克的声音出奇地镇静。“快射击！” 狼人仰天爆叫，叫声变成了狞笑。狼人纵身扑向比尔，比尔绝望地看着贝弗莉，班恩猛地把比尔掀到一边，比尔趴在那里。 狼人又向前扑来。班恩意识到，狼人知道谁是他们的主心骨。 比尔是它捕猎的对象。贝弗莉拉满弓，银色的弹丸飞出来，但是偏离了目标，在浴缸上的墙壁上打穿了一个洞。比尔的手臂沾满了瓷器碎片，胳膊上鲜血淋漓。他高声咒骂着。 狼人回过头，绿色的眼睛打量着贝弗莉。班恩来不及多想，挡在她的面前。趁着这个机会贝弗莉从兜里取出另外一颗弹丸。狼人向保护着她的班恩冲了过去。狼人仰起头，贪婪地看着它的猎物，牙齿磨得咯咯作响。班恩脑子里一片空白，朝狼人走过去。他已经顾不上害怕。他只感到一阵愤怒，还有几分困惑和时间停止的感觉。他抓住那粗糙的皮毛，感觉得出它坚硬的头骨。他用力推那颗头。虽然他很胖，但是也无济于事。要不是他踉跄着退到墙根，它会用锋利的牙齿撕烂他的喉咙。 怪物紧追不舍。黄绿色的眼睛里闪着怒火，不停地爆叫着，喷出下水道的恶臭。它举起一只利爪，班恩奋力闪到一边，墙壁上留下深深的爪痕。班恩隐约听到理奇和艾迪大声叫着，要贝弗莉射击。但是贝弗莉没有射击。她只有一次机会了。It doesn't matter.她觉得自己只需要一次机会就够了。她从来不知道自己会如此清醒镇定，紧握弹弓、剧烈地颤抖着的手不再紧张，反而变得有力、自如了。她深深地吸了一口气，耳边隐隐约约传来砰砰的响声。不管什么声音都没关系。她溜到左边，等待时机。 狼人的爪子又落下来了。班恩尽力俯下身，但是却被它抓住了。班恩像个市娃娃似的，被拉过去。怪物张开了大嘴。 “杂种——” 班恩用一根手指用力插进它的一只眼睛。怪物疼得大叫一声，一只利爪顺着他的上衣划下去。班恩用力憋住气，但是那只爪子在他的身体上划出一道血痕。鲜血喷涌而出，溅在他的裤子上、鞋上、地板上。狼人一把将他扔进浴缸。他的头重重地碰了一下，眼前直冒金星。他挣扎着坐起来，看到大腿上都是血。 狼人转过身。班恩清楚地看到它穿着褪色的牛仔裤，裤线已经绷开了。那件黑色、橘黄色相间的中学校服的后襟上写着“德里中学杀戮队”。下面还写着小丑潘尼瓦文的名字，正中间还印着数字——13.怪物前比尔扑过去。比尔背靠着墙，平静地看着它。 “射击，贝弗莉。”理奇又喊道。 “好的，理奇。”贝弗莉觉得自己的声音也是从千里之外传过来的。她拉紧弹弓上的绳索，瞄准怪物的一只绿眼睛，发射了。她的手丝毫没有颤抖。像先前他们练习射击罐子时一样，她是最好的射手。她的射击自然、熟练。 射中了！在它的鼻子正上方，一个漆黑的圆洞。她本来瞄准了右眼，刚好偏离了不到半英寸。怪物发出一声震耳欲聋的尖叫，充满了惊讶、痛苦、恐惧和狂怒。声音凄厉，震得班恩的耳朵嗡嗡作响。那个圆洞被喷涌而出的鲜血弄得模糊不清。血不是流出来，而是在高压下喷了出来，浸透了比尔的头发。没关系，班恩疯狂地想。别担心，比尔。当我们离开这里的时候，没有人会再看到那个怪物了。 比尔和贝弗莉同时向狼人走过去。理奇在后面声嘶力竭地喊着：“再射一次，贝弗莉。杀了它！” “杀了它！”麦克高声叫喊。 “对，杀了它！”艾迪也叫起来。 “杀了它！”比尔高声叫道。“杀了它，贝弗莉，别让它跑了！” 没子弹了，班恩迷迷糊糊地想。我们的弹丸用光了。你们都在嚷嚷什么，杀了它？但是他看了贝弗莉一眼，立刻明白了。贝弗莉拉开绳索，手指紧紧地盖着杯罩，不让它看出那是空的。“杀了它！”班恩大叫一声，笨拙地从浴缸里跳出来。牛仔裤和衬衫浸透了鲜血，贴在身上。狼人的绿眼睛里闪着痛苦和迟疑。血涌了出来，沾满了衣襟。比尔微笑了。“你不该拿我的兄弟开刀，”他说，“把这个混蛋送进地狱，贝弗莉。” 它不再犹疑了，转身潜入下水道。“我会杀死你们的！”一阵怒吼在下水道里回荡。“杀了你们……杀了你们……杀了你们……” 声音渐渐消失，越传越远……最后和水泵转动的声音融合在一起。 随着一声听见的巨响，房子也安稳不动了。但是班恩意识到房子并没有安定下来，而在一点一点缩小到原来的规模。不管那个怪物是怎样把这座房子变大的，那种魔力正在消失。现在，这里只不过是一幢阴暗、潮湿、空空荡荡的普通房子。 9 “我、我们应、应该离开这里。”比尔说。他走到班恩跟前，握住他的手。“理、理、理奇，帮帮忙，班恩他、他——” 理奇、斯坦利、麦克都赶过来，他们把班恩扶起来，艾迪走到贝弗莉的身边，搂住她。“干得好！”贝弗莉的泪水刷地一下流了出来。 班恩跌跌撞撞地走到墙边，靠在那里。他感觉脑袋轻飘飘的，直想呕吐。 “你怎、怎么样，干、干草堆？”比尔搂着他，手臂那么有力。 comfortable.班恩强迫自己正视自己的腹部。他发现就这么简单的两个动作——弯下腰，顺着裂口把衣服撕开——要比先前决定走进这幢房子需要更大的勇气。他原以为会看到自己的肠子吊在外面。但是出乎意料之外的是，他看到血已经流得不那么凶猛了。狼人在他身上开了一道又长又深的口子，不过还没要他的命。 他和理奇对现良久，突然两个人发疯地笑起来，互相吐着唾沫。理奇拥抱着班恩，拍着他的后背。“我们打败它了，干草堆！ 我们打败它了！ " “我、我、我们没、没有打败它，”比尔严肃地说，“我、我们很幸、幸运。趁它、它赶回、回来之前，我们快点离、离开。” “去哪儿？”麦克问。 “去班伦。”比尔说。 贝弗莉朝他们走过去，还紧紧地抱着她的罩衫。她脸颊排红，泛着光彩。“去俱乐部？”比尔点点头。 “谁能借我一件衬衫？”贝弗莉问道，脸颊更红了。比尔瞥了她一眼，脸也刷地红了。他匆忙挪开视线，其他人也都看了一眼，尴尬地向别处看去。贝弗莉甩甩凌乱的头发，她的脸是那么可爱。 “没人借给我一件上衣吗？” “穿、穿我的吧。”比尔说着脱下他的白T恤，露出瘦削的肩膀。“给、给、给你。” “谢谢，比尔。”她说。在那个令人心动的时刻，他们的目光交织在一起。比尔不再左顾右盼，他的目光坚定、成熟。 比尔真幸运，班恩想着。他避开他们的目光，那目光伤害了他，比一个吸血鬼或者狼人给他带来的伤害还深。比尔，你不会像我爱她爱得那么深。Won't. “我、我们走、走吧，”比尔重复着，“我以前、前不、不了解你、你们。但、但是今、今天我已、已经很、很、很了解你们了。” 他们每个人都表现得那么勇敢。 10 一小时后他们来到俱乐部。大家都坐在那儿，一言就发，想着自己的心事。班恩极力想把那座破屋里发生的一切当做一场梦，希望那一切会像所有的噩梦一样，慢慢地就被忘记了。但是事与愿违。刚才所发生的一切，从他吃力地爬进地窖到比尔用椅子砸碎后房的玻璃，他们一个一个钻出来，一幕一幕都清晰地呈现在眼前。 那不是一场梦。 最后贝弗莉站了起来。“我得回家了，”她说，“我想在妈妈回家之前换件衣服。她要是看见我穿件男式上衣，会杀了我的。” 比尔神情严肃地看着她。 “比尔，我回头把衣服还给你。”比尔点点头，摆摆手表示无所谓。 “接下来还会发生什么事情，比尔？” “我、我不知、知道。” “这一切还没有结束，是吗？”比尔摇摇头。 班恩说道：“怪物比以前更想杀掉我们了。” “再造一些银弹丸吗？”她问道。班恩觉得自己难以面对她的目光。 “不知道，”班恩说，“我们可以，但是……”他把后半句话咽了回去，耸耸肩膀。他无法表达自己的感觉。这一次银弹丸发挥了作用，是因为他们7个信念一致。但是他们没能杀了它。下一次怪物会利用新的形象接近他们，一个银弹丸也无法克服的形象。 力量，力量，班恩看着贝弗莉这么想着。 甚至弱小的婴儿也有力量。 “班恩？”贝弗莉看着他，轻声问道：“怎么不说话？” “嗯？不是。我正在想'力量。'银弹的力量。” 比尔盯着他。 “我在想哪里来的那种力量。”班恩说。 “来、来、来自——。”比尔刚开口，又止住了。脸上显出沉思的表情。 “我真的要走了！回头见！”贝弗莉说着。蹦蹦跳跳地走远了。 班恩还沉浸在思考中。银的力量。弹丸的力量。这些力量都从哪里来的？所有的力量都从哪里来的？你怎样能得到它？你怎样利用？ 班恩认为他们的生命可能就依附着这些问题。晚上当他躺下睡觉时，脑海中又出现了另一个问题，可能是惟一的一个。怪物有某种原形，他几乎看到了。看到了它的原形就等于知道了它的秘密。寂静的午夜传来婴儿的啼哭，像一枚原子弹，像一颗银弹丸，像贝弗莉和比尔深情疑望的目光。 力量到底是什么东西？ 12 此后的两个星期，再也没有发生什么事情。 1985年4月6日 告诉你们，朋友们、邻居们——今晚我喝醉了。烂醉如泥。喝了好多黑麦威士忌。我知道自己的下场。今天放纵狂饮，明天就要付出昂贵的代价。这不，这个醉醺醺的黑鬼，一个人坐在空荡荡的德里公共图书馆里，面前摆着一本书，手边还放着一瓶烈酒。过去我妈妈常说：“说出真情，羞煞死鬼。”但是她忘了告诉我有时候这对那些道貌岸然的先生们根本没有丝毫作用。 想写写酒和鬼。好吧，那就开始吧。 有时候想起这些事情我就觉得好笑。如果我真的把我在深夜里写的这些东西发表出去，如果我真的讲出这些德里的死鬼的故事，我还能在这里维持多久？图书馆有一个董事会。一共有11个董事，这其中绝大多数都是木材巨商的后代。他们出资捐助图书馆是为他们的上辈人赎罪。他们掠夺了这里的森林，现在又像回头浪子那样来照管这里的图书馆。是他们的祖父、曾祖父践踏了这片森林，用他们的斧子和钩棍毁掉了这片树木参天的处女地。他们义无反顾地砍啊、伐啊，把这里变成了一片荒山秃岭。他们靠木材生意赚了大钱，然后当经济萧条的时候，他们便把钱存入银行，将他们的子女送到纽约等地的私立大学，靠利息和各种政治关系过着优裕的生活。 70年过去了，他们留下的只是被砍伐一光的原始林地、百老汇西区的维多利亚式的住宅……当然，还有我的图书馆。如果我发表了关于“荣耀军团”、黑点酒吧的大火、布雷德利匪帮……或者克劳德。赫鱼克斯杀人案以及银元的故事，那些住在百老汇西区的好人们会立刻从我的手里夺走图书馆。 银元是一个酒吧的名字。1905年9月这里发生了美国历史上最疯狂的一次大屠杀。德里镇的一些老人还记得这件事。但我只相信索罗古德的故事。那时他才18岁。 据京罗古德说克劳德。赫鲁克斯狡猾得像偷鸡的黄鼠狼……这使他在银元酒吧大开杀戒的事更加令人震惊。简直不可思议。德里的伐木工人一直都认为赫鲁克斯如此圆滑，根本不可能在树林里放火。 那年夏天漫长、炎热、森林里时常发生火灾。最严重的一次，后来据赫鲁克斯说，是他放的。那一把火烧掉了大概两万公顷的阔叶林，远在35英里之外就能闻到浓烟的味道。 那年春天人们不时地谈起建立工会的事。有4个伐木工人参与组织了这次运动，其中一个就是克劳德。赫鲁克斯。他们自称是“组织者”，但是那些木材大亨却称他们是“小头目”。但是缅因州的工人们反对成立工会的想法。为此，那年的5月他们举行了一次小规模的罢工。后来被所谓的工贼和警察瓦解了。但是，克劳德他们认为他们的事业取得了空前的胜利。因此，他们就到德里镇来痛饮一顿，商量进一步斗争的计划。他们一定是喝了不少。4个人喝遍了大街小巷的酒吧，然后又勾着肩膀，摇摇晃晃地来到银元酒吧。 据索罗古德讲，赫鲁克斯参加这个运动完全是因为戴维·哈特威尔。哈特威尔是那次运动的主要领导，赫鲁克斯爱上了他。事实上，参加那场运动的人都狂热地爱着哈特威尔。赫鲁克斯跟着他干这忙那，不亦乐乎，就像一条忠心耿耿的狗对待主人那样。 不管怎么说吧，他们4个那天晚上在镇上的一家旅馆住下。他们住进去了，就再也没出来。其中一个失踪了，哈特威尔与另外一个被扔在肯塔斯基河里。他们被谋杀了，每个人的后衣襟上都贴着一张纸，上面写着“工会”二字。 克劳德没有因为9月9目的惨案而受到审讯。因此，他到底是如何逃过那次劫难也就无从得知了。从此他来去无踪，扬言要找到杀害他朋友的凶手报仇。他经常提到汉密尔顿。图雷克、威廉·穆勒和理查德。鲍威。可能有人想把赫鲁克斯于掉，特别是在那年6月的森林大火之后。但是他溜得太快，而且它方也不愿插手。 不管是什么原因吧，整个夏天德里附近的森林都被淹没在熊熊火焰之中。孩子们失踪了，暴力、谋杀事件比往常更多了，整个德里笼罩在一片恐怖之中。 11 9月1号，天终于下雨了，下了整整一个星期。德里镇中心地区被洪水淹没，这可不多见。不过百老汇西区的那些豪宅大院比镇中心高出好多，所以住在那里的木材大亨们当然松了口气。到了9月9号傍晚，不知为什么，银元酒吧里突然挤满了伐木工人。威廉·穆勒手下的人正在酒吧后面的一间屋子里玩牌。 酒吧里拥挤不堪。好多人喝得酷叮大醉，有的醉鬼还躺在地板上打滚。这时门开了，赫鲁克斯走了进来，手里拿着伐木工人常用的那种斧头。他找了个地方坐下（刚好坐在索罗古德的右边），吃了点东西。有人跟他打招呼，他只点点头，挥军手，但脸上没有丝毫的笑意。穆勒手下的人正玩得起劲，没有人去通知他们赫鲁克斯在酒吧里。 等他喝完了第二杯酒，赫鲁克斯拎着斧头，走进后面的房间。 酒吧里有的人在买酒，有的人在互相开着玩笑取乐，后面传来一阵惨叫。有几个人斜着身子，装作不经意地往后看一眼。只见赫鲁克斯挥起斧子，疯狂地砍杀。酒吧里人们还是谈笑风生，讨论着冬天的天气会怎样。他们各抒己见，争论着，而他们的身后正传来一阵一阵的尖叫声。Blood flowed like a river. 就在这个关头，我关掉录音机，问索罗古德：“怎么会这样呢？ 难道你的意思是说在场的人不知道里面发生的一切，或者知道了，但不想管，还是别的什么原因？ “索罗古德沉默了好一会儿才接着命道：“我们都知道。但是好像那些事都无关紧要。在某种程度上就像搞政治，像镇子里的一些事情，最好让懂行的人去处理那些事情。有时没有工人掺和，那些事情会处理得更好。 " 当酒吧里的人还在继续他们的讨论的时候，赫鲁克斯正杀得酣畅淋漓。最后，那一伙人中，只有一个从厕所里逃了出去。 everything is over.赫鲁克斯走到那些被他杀死的人曾经坐过的桌边，双手抱头，坐在那里。 5分钟后，治安长官的部下来到酒吧。 他没有做任何反抗，乖乖地跟他们走了，看上去像是睡着的样子。 那天晚上所有的酒吧里都在谈论着那场屠杀，一种义愤填膺的情绪在不断高涨。酒吧打烊后，有70多人打着手电、灯笼，带着枪、斧子、钩棍朝监狱走去。他们冲进监狱，把赫鲁克斯拖出去。 他一点也不反抗，看上去神情十分木然。 他们架着他来到运河街，在运河边的一棵老橡树上把他吊死了。这是缅因州地方志上记载的惟—一起死刑案。当然，《德里新闻》上没有任何报道。 我又问索罗古德最后一个问题：在那惨痛的一天，他是否看见什么陌生人？让他感到很陌生、很奇怪、甚至很滑稽的人？那个人可能那天下午一直坐在那里喝酒，煽动人们闹事？ “可能有吧。”索罗古德答道。说到这里他已经累极了，垂着头，快要睡着了。“那是很久以前的事情了，先生。很久很久以前。” “但是你还记得那些事情。”我还是穷追不舍。 “我记得那时班戈正有一个集市，”索罗古德说，“我正在离银元酒吧不远的一家酒吧里喝啤酒。那里有个小伙子……一个很滑稽的小伙子……在表演各种杂耍……变各种戏法……非常有趣……” 他那瘦削的下颏又垂在胸前，马上就要睡着了。口水顺着嘴角流下来。 “从此以后总能见到他，”索罗古德强打精神说道，“我想也许是那天晚上他赚了不少钱……于是决定留下来。” “对。他在这里住了很长一段时间。”我说。 惟一的答复就是他低低的鼾声，索罗古德已经坐在椅子里睡着了。我关掉当音机，坐在那里看着他。这个奇怪的时间旅行者从1890年走到今天。他记得那个还没有汽车、没有电灯、没有飞机。 没有亚利桑那州的年代的事情。但是那时播尼瓦文就已经在这里，引导人们踏上一条悲壮的祭祖之路——那只不过是德里历史上众多“声势浩大”的祭把仪式中的一个。1905年的那一次的祭把仪式揭开了一段极度恐怖的日子的序幕。第二年复活节的时候便发生了凯辰特纳铁制品厂爆炸的悲剧。 这又引起了其他一些有趣的（我知道那也是至关重要的）问题。譬如，它到底吃些什么？我知道一些孩子的身体被吃掉了一部分——至少他们身上留下了撕咬的痕迹——但是也许是我们促使它这样做的。当然很小的时候大人就告诉我们如果我们在林子里被怪物捉到就会被吃掉。这可能是我们所能想象到的最糟糕的结局。但是这正是怪物得以生存的信念，是吗？因此我毫不怀疑地得出这样一个结论：食物维持着生命，但是信念是力量的源泉。谁又能比孩子的信念更加坚定不移呢？ 但是问题是：孩子会长大。在教堂里，人们通过定期举行特殊的宗教仪式使力量得以延续。在德里，似乎也有固定的仪式使那种力量得以延续、永存。难道它就是用这样一个简单的事实来保护自己吗？当孩子长大以后，他们便失去了坚定的信念，他们的精神和想象都被削弱了，变得麻木了。 是的，我想这就是秘密所在。如果我打电话给他们，他们还能想起多少过去的事情？他们又会相信多少？那些回忆能使他们有足够的决心来永远结束这