Chapter 54 Chapter 53

Excerpt from minutes of special committee meeting August 17, 1990 Meeting location: Larry Underwood's home on South 42nd Street in Taber Mesa.All members of the committee are present. The first issue concerned the election of this special committee to Boulder's standing committee. Frannie Goldsmith was granted the floor to speak. Frannie: "Stu and I both think the best and easiest way for us all to get selected is for the whole list to be approved by Mama Abagil. It would save us a lot of trouble like maybe 20 people were nominated by their friends and it was such a mess that the apple cart would be overturned. But now we have to use another method. I don't want to make undemocratic suggestions, and you all know the plan anyway, but I just want to stress again that each of us has to find someone to nominate and support us. Obviously we can't do this to each other - because that would look too much like a mafia. So if you can't find someone to nominate you , If another person comes to support you, you'd better give up."

Susan: "Oh! That's a little cowardly, Franny." Franny: "Yeah... yeah, a little bit." Glenn: "We're slowly coming back to the topic of ethics on committees, and while I'm sure we all think it's an ever-fascinating topic, I'm willing to come back to it in a few months. Serving the best interests of the free state, I think everyone agrees with that, so let's stop here." Ralph: "You sound a little angry, Gran." Glenn: "I'm a little bit annoyed. I admit it. The fact that we've been wrestling with this issue should say a lot about where our hearts are."

Susan: "Only good intentions..." Grant: "It doesn't help. Yeah, since we seem to care so much about wishes, we must be on our way to heaven." Gran then said he was going to speak to the committee on the subject of our scouts or intrigues or whatever you want to call them, but he asked them to meet on the 19th to discuss it.Stu asked him why. Grant: "Because we might not all be here by the 19th. Someone might get voted out. It's a slim chance, but no one really knows when a bunch of people get together in one place. place. We should be as cautious as possible.”

After a long silence, the committee voted 7-0 to meet on the 19th - as a standing committee - to discuss scouting... collusion... or whatever. Stu was allowed to raise a third issue at the committee, concerning Abagil's mother. Stu: "As you all know, she left for personal reasons. She left a note saying she was going to be 'away for a while' which was too vague, and 'if God willing' she would be back. Now, the situation is not so optimistic. We have organized a search party to go out for three days and find nothing. We don't want to just drag her back if she doesn't want to come, but if she is lying somewhere with a broken leg Or if she's unconscious, that's a little bit different. Part of the problem now is that we don't have enough men to search all the wilderness around us. The other part of the problem is the same reason our power station slows down, there is no organization. So I'm asking for permission to put the search party issue on the agenda for tomorrow's convention along with the power station and funeral team issues. In the meantime I want Harold Lord to run the search because it was his idea in the first place .

Gran said he doesn't think any search party will return good news for a week or so.After all, the lady who went wrong is already 108 years old.But the committee as a whole agreed with the proposal, and then voted to agree with Stu 7-0.To make this record as true to the facts as possible, I must add that several people expressed skepticism about having Harold in charge... but as Stu pointed out, since it was his If you don't give him the command of the search team, it's tantamount to slapping him directly in the face. Nick: "I withdraw my disapproval of Harold, but reserve my basic opinion. I just don't like him much."

Ralph Brentner asked if it was Stu or Gran who would like to write Stu's proposal about the search party so he could add it to the agenda, and he was going to put it in middle school tonight The agenda is printed.Stu said he would love to write it. Then Larry Underwood proposed adjournment, which Ralph supported, and the proposal passed 7-0. Recorded by: Frannie Goldsmith, Secretary The next day's meeting was almost complete, and Larry Underwood, who had only been in Liberty State for a week, had his first glimpse of the scale of the community's development. It's one thing to see people walking up and down the street, singly or in pairs, but quite another to see them all in one place - now they're in the Bridge Hall .The place was packed, every seat was occupied, and many more sat in the aisles or stood at the back of the auditorium.They were amazingly restrained, and although there were whispers, there was no chatter.

It was the first full day of rain since he arrived in Boulder.It was drizzle, and it seemed to hang in the air, covering you like a fog rather than getting you wet.Although there were nearly 600 people gathered, the sound of rain could still be heard on the roof.The loudest sound in the room was the incessant clatter of people flipping through mimeographed meeting agendas stacked on the card table just inside the double doors of the auditorium. The agenda reads as follows: free state boulder town public meeting agenda 1990 1.Discuss the issue of the free state's assent to and ratification of the Constitution of the United States of America.

2.Discuss the issue of the Free State's assent to and ratification of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America. 3.Discuss the issue of Free State regarding the nomination and election of 7 Free State representatives to form a management committee. 4.Discuss the Free State's issue of giving Abagil Freemantle veto power over any and all matters agreed to by the Free State delegation. 5.Discussion of the State of the Free regarding the approval of a Funeral Committee of initially no fewer than 20 persons to properly bury the dead of the Boulder City super flu epidemic.

6.Discuss the Free State's approval of a power committee of initially no fewer than 60 members to restore power ahead of the cold weather. 7.Discussion of the Liberal State's approval of a search committee of no fewer than 15 members to locate, if possible, the whereabouts of Abagil Freemantle. Larry found his hands nervously busy folding the agenda into a paper airplane, a document he knew almost word for word.Being on a special committee was fun, a little like a game—like children's meetings.Gathering in someone's living room, sitting together drinking Coke, eating a piece of Franny's cake, discussing something.Even sending spies into the mountains or directly to the inside of the man in black's circle seemed like a game, partly because it was something he couldn't imagine himself doing.To face such a living nightmare you have to lose most of your game marbles.But at their last meeting, in a room comfortably lit by gas lights, it seemed nothing.If the Judge or Dana Jürgens or Tom Curran were caught, it would seem - at least in that final meeting - that it would be no worse than losing a rook in a game of chess. Or the Queen is more important.

But now, sitting in the auditorium between Lucy and Leo (he hasn't seen Nadina all day, and Leo doesn't seem to know where she's gone; "out" is his indifferent Answer), he realized the essence of the matter all at once, as if a ram was beating in his heart.This is not a game.There were 580 people here, most of whom had no idea that Larry Underwood was a decent guy, or that the first person Larry Underwood tried to care for after the epidemic died of an overdose. His palms were cold and damp.Both hands were about to take the agenda to fold the plane again, but stopped again.Lucy took his hand, squeezed it, and smiled at him.But the smile he tried to return felt like a grimace, and then he heard his mother's voice in his mind: "There are things you can't do, Larry."

Thinking of this, he felt a panic.Is there any way out of it, or have things gotten out of hand?He doesn't want this burden.At that last meeting he had already filed a motion which might send Judge Charles to his death.If he was elected, and someone else was elected in his place, they'd have to vote again on the judge, wouldn't they?Of course it will.Then they'll decide to send another guy.When Laurie Constable nominated me, I stood up and said I was quitting.Of course, no one can force me, can they?If I decide to quit, no one can force me.Who the hell would argue about that? Stu said long ago on that beach, "There's something inside of you that's like chewing tinfoil." Lucy said calmly, "You'll be fine." He jumped in surprise, "Huh?" "I said you'd be fine. Didn't you, Leo?" "Oh, yes," said Leo, with a few sharp nods.His eyes never left the crowd, as if he hadn't registered the number in his head. "all the best." You don't know anything, you stupid woman, Larry thought.You took my hand and didn't know that I might launch a violent attack and kill you both.I'm already sending Judge Charles to his death, and he's still backing my damned nomination.Isn't this just like the fire drill in Poland?Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a little sound in his throat. "Did you say something?" Lucy asked. "No." Stu was walking across the podium to the podium, his red sweatshirt and blue jeans looking bright and clear in the harsh glare of emergency lights powered by the engine of a Honda motorcycle. Driven, the equipment was installed by Brad Kitchener and part of his crew at the power station.Somewhere in the middle of the auditorium there was applause, Larry never knew where, his cynical nature always thought it was a plot arranged by Glenn Bateman, who was mobilizing the art of the masses or Talking skills are the experts here.In any case, it really doesn't matter anymore.A few isolated applause at the beginning has merged into a thunderous applause.On stage, Stu pauses in front of the podium, looking ridiculously surprised.The applause was also mixed with cheers and sharp whistles. Then the whole audience stood up, the applause grew louder, it sounded like the sound of heavy rain, and people chanted "Yes! Yes!"Stu threw up his hands, but the people kept shouting; if anything, it was twice as loud.Larry glanced sideways at Lucy to see that she was clapping vigorously, her eyes fixed on Stu, and the corners of her mouth curled into a trembling smile of joy.She is crying.On the other side of him Leo was clapping too, clapping his hands up and down so hard that Larry felt like if Leo kept clapping like that for a while longer they'd come off.In the height of his excitement, the vocabulary he had carefully amassed deserted him, just as English sometimes deserts those who learn it as a second language.All he could do was shout loudly and frantically. Brad and Ralph had also installed an amplifier through the motor, and now Stu blew into the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen..." But the applause still rang out. "Ladies and gentlemen, if only we could sit down..." But they don't want to sit down.The applause continued like thunder, and Larry looked down at his hands, because his own hands were hurting, so he knew that he could applaud as crazy as everyone else. "ladies and gentlemen……" Thunderous applause echoed.Overhead, a family of barn swallows that had chosen to live in this wonderful, quiet place after the catastrophe was flying around like crazy, diving back and forth, desperately trying to get away to a deserted place. We're applauding ourselves, Larry thought.We applaud the fact that we are here, alive and together.Maybe we're saying hello to ourselves again, I don't know.OK, Boulder.finally come.Nice to be here.It is wonderful to be alive. "Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down, thank you, I hope everyone will sit down." The applause began to weaken little by little.Now the ladies - and some of the men - can be heard sniffling.Someone is blowing their nose.People were talking softly.There was the usual rustling of people taking their seats in the auditorium. "I'm so glad you're all here," Stu said. "I'm glad I'm here, too." The loudspeaker made a whining noise, and Stu muttered, "Damn it." This sound was clearly played out by the loudspeaker.This caused a burst of laughter, causing Stu to blush and say, "I guess we'll all have to get used to this thing." His words drew another round of applause. When the applause died down on its own, Stu said, "For those of you who don't know me, let me introduce myself. I'm Stuart Redman, originally from Arnett, Texas, although it's far from me. It's too far away from where I am now." He cleared his throat, the noise rang again briefly, and he stepped back carefully from the microphone, saying, "I'm also very nervous standing here, so please be careful with me. Be tolerant..." "We will, Stu!" Harry Dumbarton exclaimed enthusiastically, and there was echoing laughter.Like a campfire, Larry thought.Then it was time for them to sing hymns.If Mama Abagil was here, I bet we'd be singing. "The last time I had this many people looking at me was at our little combined high school event for the football tournament, but that time they had 21 other kids to watch, not to mention those in short miniskirts. Girls." A hearty laugh broke out. Lucy tugged at Larry's neck and whispered to him, "What's he worried about? He's a genius!" Larry nodded. "But if you can be more tolerant to me, I can find a way to persevere to the end." Stu said. There was another round of applause.These were the people who would applaud Nixon's resignation speech and beg him to do it again with piano accompaniment, Larry thought. "First, let me introduce our special committee and explain why I'm here," Stu said. way to organize. Because we still have a lot of work to do, I would like to introduce each member of our committee to you now, and I hope you can leave some applause to them, because it is their joint efforts to formulate the current This agenda is in your hands. First, I would like to introduce Miss Franny Goldsmith. Stand up, Franny, and let everyone see how you look." Franny stood up.She wore a light green dress and a stately pearl necklace that would have been worth $2,000 in the past.She received applause from all directions, which was mixed with well-intentioned oohs. Franny sat down, blushing badly.Before the applause completely subsided, Stu continued to introduce: "The next one is Mr. Grant Bateman, from Woodville, New Hampshire." Gran stood up, and the crowd applauded him.He clenched his fists and stretched out his fingers to make a pair of V letters, which drew applause from the crowd. Stu, who introduced Larry second to last, stood up, aware that Lucy was smiling up at him, but the smile was quickly drowned out by the heat of the applause.In the past, he thought to himself, in another world, it would have to be during a concert or the grand finale, when a looming voice sang "Baby, are you satisfied with your man?", only Only then will there be such applause.This moment is much better.He only stood there for a second, but it felt much longer.He knew he wasn't withdrawing from the nomination. Stu finally introduced Nick, who got the longest and loudest applause. When the applause died down, Stu said, "That's not on the agenda, but I wonder if we can start the convention with a chorus of the national anthem. I think you all remember the words and the tune." Then there was the turmoil of people rising to their feet.There was a pause as everyone waited for someone else to start.Then a woman's sweet voice sounded, and only sang the first three words "Oh, you can...", and someone joined in.It was Franny's voice, but for a moment Larry felt vaguely that it was complemented by another voice, his own, not in Boulder but in remote Vermont, time It was the Fourth of July, the Republic's 214th birthday, and Rita lay dead in the tent behind him, her mouth full of green vomit, her stiff hand clutching a bottle of pills. A chill ran through his body, and goosebumps arose, and suddenly he felt that they were being watched, and the thing watching them, as in an old song by Anonymous, came from far, far, far away. It can also be seen in other places.It was a horrible, evil, alien thing.For a moment he felt an urge to run away from this place, just to run and run, never to stop.What they are playing here is not a game.It's a serious business; it's a murderous business.It could be worse. Then other voices joined the chorus. "...can you see, by the ray of dawn," sang Lucy, holding his hand, and crying again, and so were others, most of them Weeping, weeping for the bitterness of everything that was lost, weeping for the American dream that sailed across the line and galloped away on the big multi-colored ship with full power, suddenly his thoughts left the dead in the tent again Rita, and flew to when he and his mother were at Yankee Stadium—September 29, the Americans were only a game and a half behind the Russians, and everything was possible.There were 55,000 people in that stadium that day, all standing, players in the field with their hats on their hearts, Guidry on the dirt, Ricky Henderson on the far left of the field , ("——by the last gleam of the morning light——"), all the lampposts were lit in the lavender halo of the setting sun, and the moths and night flies swarmed on them and made a slight knocking sound. Inside and outside is New York, the colorful city that never sleeps. Larry joined in and sang, and he shed a few tears himself when the song was over and there was another prolonged applause.Rita has gone.Alice Underwood wasn't there either.Even New York is a thing of the past. "America" ​​is gone, too.Even if they could beat Randall Flagg, no matter what they did, the world of dark streets and bright dreams would never be the same. With the bright emergency lights already making him sweat, Stu announced the first item on the convention's agenda: the reading and ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.He was also deeply moved by the singing of the national anthem, and he was not alone.Half the audience, probably more, were in tears. No one asked to read every single one of them—it was their right according to parliamentary procedure—and Stu was grateful for that.He is not very good at reading.Every article "read" was passed by the citizens of the Land of the Free.Glenn Bateman rose to call for acceptance of both documents as official laws of the free land. A voice behind said, "Yes!" "Suggestions are supported," Stu said. "Please say yes." "Agree!" The voice almost reached the ceiling.Kojak, who had been sleeping next to Gran's chair, looked up, blinked, and put his mouth on his paws again.A moment later, when the crowd gave themselves a thunderous applause, he looked up again.They like voting, Stu thought.It makes them feel like they finally have some control over things again.Lord knows, they need that feeling.We all need it. The first step was over, and Stu felt a sense of tension seeping into his muscles.Now, let's see if there is any nasty surprise waiting for us, he said to himself. "Third item on your agenda," he began, but had to clear his throat again.The loudspeaker blared again, making him sweat even more.Frannie was looking up at him calmly, nodding her head to encourage him to continue, "It reads: 'Discuss the issue of nominating and electing seven representatives of the Free State to form a management committee.' This that is……" "Mr. Chairman? Mr. Chairman!" Stu looked up from his syllabus, feeling a real sense of panic, and something like a premonition at the same time. It was Harold Lauder.Harold, in a suit and tie, with his hair combed to the last detail, was standing near the center of the central aisle.Grant had said that he expected the opposition to be formed around Harold.But is it going to be difficult so soon?He hoped not.For a moment he couldn't even get Harold to speak, but both Nick and Gran had warned him that it was very dangerous not to make it seem in any way prearranged.He wondered if he was wrong to think that Harold was reforming.Right or wrong seems to be immediately clear. "Give the floor to Harold Lauder." People turned their heads and craned their necks to get a better view of Harold. "I would like to propose that we admit all the members of the Special Committee to the Standing Committee. If they will take up the responsibility, that is." Harold sat down. There was a silence in the audience.Stu's mind was a little uncontrollable, thinking "all"?all?Isn't that the name of the dog in Sorcerer's Spells? " Then another burst of applause filled the room, with dozens of voices chanting "I agree." Harold sat back calmly in his seat, smiling, talking to the man who was patting his back. Stu tapped the table five or six times with his gavel to silence everyone. "This is what he planned long ago," Stu thought. "These guys will vote for us, but they'll remember Harold. Once again, he hits the nail on the head in a way that none of us, not even Glenn, could have imagined. That's a goddamn genius to play this move." So why is he so upset?Maybe it's jealousy?Was it because he had only made a well-intentioned analysis of Harold the day before yesterday, and it had now proven to be a failure? "Now a proposal has been made," he yelled into the microphone, ignoring the noise this time. "Attention everyone, a proposal has been made!" He gave his gavel a sharp blow, and finally the crowd fell silent. Loud chatter turned to whispers. "It has been proposed and supported that we admit the full membership of the special committee to the standing committee of the Free State. Before we discuss this proposal or vote on it, I would like to ask whether any members of the committee object or wish to withdraw .” There was silence below. "Very well," said Stu, "now let's discuss the proposal?" "I don't think we need to discuss it at all, Stu," said Dick Ellis. "That's a great idea. Let's vote!" The people applauded for the vote, and Stu didn't need to say anything more. Charlie Impenning was beckoning to speak, but Stu ignored him—Gran Bateman would call this a good example of selective insight—and went straight to the vote. "Those who support Harold Lauder's suggestion please say yes." "Agree!" The crowd yelled, causing the nest of warehouse swallows to fly around again. "Anyone object?" No one objected, not even Charlie Impenning—at least not verbally. Since there was no objection from anyone in the venue, Stu moved on to the next item on the agenda.He felt a little dizzy, like someone—that is, Harold Lauder—sneaked up behind him and hit him on the head with a big stick. "Let's get out of the car and push it for a while, shall we?" Frannie asked.She sounds tired. "Okay." He got off the bike and walked forward with her. "Are you all right, Franny? Is the baby bothering you?" "No. I'm just a little tired. It's a quarter past one in the morning, don't you know?" "Yes, it's too late." Stu agreed, and they pushed the cart and walked side by side in silence. The meeting lasted until an hour ago, and most of the discussion revolved around the search party looking for Abagal's mother.Everything else passed with little discussion, although Judge Charles also provided an interesting piece of information as to why there were so few bodies in Boulder relatively speaking.According to the last four issues of the Boulder Journal, a wild rumor has been circulating in the community that the superflu was caused by equipment at the Boulder Atmospheric Testing Center on Broadway.Spokespersons for the center - the few that can still stand - protest that this is all nonsense and that anyone skeptical is free to visit the facility and find nothing but air pollution indicators and wind turbines. There is nothing dangerous about equipment such as guides.Still, rumors circulated, possibly related to the frenzied mood of those dreadful days at the end of June.The atmospheric monitoring center was either bombed or burned, and more than half of Boulder's people escaped. Both the Funeral Committee and the Power Committee also passed, but both also passed an amendment proposed by Harold Lauder - who seemed well prepared for the convention with almost frightening deliberation - —The general content of the amendment is that for every 100 people in the total population of the Free State, the number of members of each committee will increase by 2 people. The search committee also voted without opposition, but discussions of the disappearance of Abagil's mother have dragged on.Grant had advised Stu before the convention not to limit the discussion to this subject unless absolutely necessary; for it was a subject of anxiety for all of them, especially considering that their spiritual leader believed he had committed a crime. some kind of sin.It's best to get them to stop thinking about it. On the back of her note, the old woman had scribbled two chapter indexes from the Bible: Chapter 11, verses 1-3, and Chapter 21, verses 28-31.Judge Charles looked up both passages with the earnestness of a lawyer preparing a lawsuit, and at the beginning of the discussion he stood up and, in his hoarse, apocalyptic old man's voice, read the two passages. Read it.The verse in chapter 11 reads: "Deceitful scales are an abomination to the LORD; just weights are his delight. When pride comes, shame also comes; but with the humble comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides him; A man's eccentricity will destroy him." The quote from chapter 21 says something similar: "False witnesses perish, but those who hear the truth shall endure. The wicked have no shame, but the upright walk firm. No one Wisdom, understanding, and counsel against the LORD. Horses are prepared for the day of battle, and the victory is with the LORD." After the Judge had finished speaking (his words were, so to speak, nothing but quotations), the comments made about these two little passages were wide-ranging and often ridiculous.One man stood up and said pessimistically that if you add up the chapter numbers of these two passages, you get 31, which is exactly the number of chapters in the Book of Revelation.Judge Charles stood up again and said that the Book of Revelation had only 22 chapters, at least "his Bible," and that, anyway, adding 21 to 11 made 32, not 31.The active mathematician's lips moved in a murmur, but he said nothing more. Another guy stood up and said that the night before Abagal's mother disappeared, he saw a light in the sky, and the existence of flying saucers was already confirmed in the "Book of Isaiah"...so they still talked about it together Think about it, don't you?Judge Charles stood up again, this time pointing out that the previous gentleman had made Isaiah Ezekiel, and that what was actually mentioned was not a flying saucer, but a "wheel within a wheel", and the judge himself believed that However, the only flying saucers that have really been confirmed to exist are the ones that sometimes fly when a couple quarrels. Many of the other discussions were about dreams. Although everyone knew that these dreams had already woken up, they were all obsessed with it now.One after another stood up and protested against the accusation that Mama Abgail had imposed on herself, namely pride.They spoke of her gentle manners and her ability to calm people down with just a word or a word.Ralph Brentner, looking horrified by the spectacle of so many people, was almost tongue-tied—but also determined to speak his mind—and stood up and spoke almost 5 minutes, adding at the end that he hadn't seen such a nice lady since his mother died.When he sat down, he looked like he was about to cry. When it comes down to it, this discussion brings Stu uncomfortable flashbacks to what it was like to wake.This told him that in their hearts, they had already given up half of her.Stu thought that if she did come back now, Abby Freemantle would find herself still popular, still followed, still obeyed...but she would also find that her position had changed Some subtle changes.If there had to be a contest between her and the Free State committee, it was no longer certain that she would win, with or without her veto.She's gone, but the community lives on.Men do not forget this, and they have mostly forgotten the power that dreams had for a brief moment in their lives. After the meeting, twenty or thirty people sat for a while on the grass behind the Qiaotang Auditorium; the rain had stopped, the clouds had parted, and the night air was cool and pleasant.Stu and Franny sat with Larry, Lucy, Leo and Harold. "You damn thing nearly knocked us out tonight," Larry said to Harold.He nudged Franny. "I told you he was a master, didn't I?" Harold just smiled modestly and shrugged. "It was just a few ideas. It was the seven of you who got it going again. You should at least have the privilege of seeing it through." Now, 15 minutes after the two of them left that impromptu little meeting, and 10 minutes before they got home, Stu asked again, "Are you really okay?" "Yes. My legs feel a little tired, nothing more." "You put it lightly, Franny." "Don't call me that, you know I hate it." "Sorry, I won't say that again, Franny." "All men are badass." "I'll try to improve my behavior, Franny—I mean it." She stuck her tongue out at him, playfully, but he could tell she wasn't thinking about the joke, and he didn't think much of it.She looked pale and listless, a far cry from the Franny who had sung the national anthem so intently a few hours earlier. "What's making you unhappy, baby?" She shook her head and said no, but he thought he saw tears in her eyes. "What's going on? Tell me." "There's nothing. That's the problem. What bothers me is that there's nothing. I finally realized that it's over and that's it. Nearly 600 people sang 'Star-Spangled Banner'. Just像突然给了我一击似的。没有一个热狗摊。今天晚上在康尼岛上的观览车不会转个不停。在西雅图的斯佩斯尼德尔今天也不会有人晚上偷东西。人们终于想出了办法来扫清波士顿康巴特地区的毒品以及时代广场上的野鸡交易。那些都是可怕的事情，但我却觉得这治疗比疾病本身还要糟。你懂我的意思吗？” "Yes, I know that." “我日记里有一小部分内容叫做'值得记住的事情'。为了将来能让孩子知道……噢，所有这些都是他永远也不会了解的。就是这个让我不开心，我想我本应把这部分叫做'消逝的事情'的。”她真的轻轻地哭了起来，所以停下了脚步把手背掩在嘴上，想把哭泣止住。 “每个人都会这样的。”斯图说道，一边伸出一只胳膊搂住了她。“今天晚上有很多人会哭着睡觉的，相信我。” “我不知道你怎么能做到为整个国家伤心，”她说，哭得更厉害了些。“但我想你能这么做。那些小事总是闯到我脑子里来。卖汽车的那些人。弗兰克·艾玛特拉。7月老果园海滩，总是挤满了人，而且他们大部分是从魁北克来的。ＭＴＶ里的那个傻家伙——我想他是叫兰迪。那些日子……噢上帝，我听起来像是在念一首啰里啰嗦的诗！” 他搂着她，轻拍着她的背，想起有一次他的贝蒂姑妈因为一些面包没发起来就哭了一场——她那时身材臃肿，因为正怀着他的表妹拉迪差不多有7个月了——斯图还记得她一边用洗碗布的一角擦着眼睛一边告诉他别在意，任何一个怀了孕的女人都和得了精神病差不多，因为她们身上腺器官分泌的体液常常会混在一起乱了套。 过了一会儿法兰妮说：“好了，好了，我觉得好多了。咱们走吧。” “法兰妮，我爱你。”他说。他们继续推着车往前走。 她问他道：“你记得最清楚的是什么？记得最清楚的一件事？” “嗯，你知道的……”他说，然后停了下来而且笑了笑。 “不，我不知道，斯图尔特。” “这有点儿蠢。” “告诉我！”她见过斯图许多样子，但这种古怪的带点羞窘的局促神情她还没见过。 “我以前从来没告诉过别人。”他说，“但前几个星期我一直在想着这事。那还是1982年的事。那时候我在哈泼的加油站当加油工。我被镇上的计算器厂解雇以后，他只要可能就一直雇我。他让我做兼职，从晚上11点一直到关门，那时候都是凌晨3点才关门的。在迪克西纸厂上3点到11点班的工人们换完班不再加油以后，就没有什么生意了……有很多晚上在12点到3点之间没有一辆车来。我只能坐着看看书或者报纸，很多时候我就那么睡过去了。你能想象吗？” “能。”她的确能。在想象中她能看到他，看到那个将要在以后成为她的男人的人，在全部时间和一系列特殊事件中和她在一起。她能看到那个宽肩膀的男人坐在一把塑料椅子里睡觉，头垂在膝盖上，面前放着一本打开的书。她看见他宛如睡在一个充满白光的小岛上，岛的周围环绕的就是德克萨斯的黑夜这片广阔的内陆之海。她爱这幅图景中的他，就像她爱想象中任何图景中的他一样。 “嗯，那一天晚上大约是2点一刻的时候，我正坐在哈泼的桌子后面，脚抬得高高的，读着一些西部书——有一个就像路易斯·拉穆尔或者埃尔莫尔·利昂纳德的人，开着一辆大型的旧庞蒂亚克车，所有的车窗户都关着，音响开得发疯一样地响，正放着汉克·威廉姆斯的歌。我甚至还记得那首歌——叫《走啊走》。这个人，既不年轻也不老，是一个人来的。他模样长得不错，但总觉得有些怕人——我是说，他看上去像是不用细想就能做出可怕的事来。他有一头浓密的暗色的卷发。有一瓶酒藏在他两腿下面，后视镜上挂着一对泡沫做的骰子。他说：'高质油。'我答应了一声，但有一会儿我只是站在那儿看着他。因为他看起来眼熟。我正试着把这张脸对上号。” 他们已经走到街角了；住的那座楼就在街对面。他们在那儿停了下来。法兰妮目不转睛地望着他。 “于是我问道：'我不认识您吧？您不会是从科比特或马克西附近来的吧？'但实际上我不大像是在那两个地方认识他的。他答道：'不是，但我很小的时候和家人曾经有一次路过科比特。好像我小的时候差不多美国的所有地方都去过。我爸爸原来在空军里的。'” “于是我走过去给他的车加满了油，心里一直在想着他，给那张脸对着号，然后突然一下子就想起来了。一下子我知道了他是谁。我几乎想要给自己几拳，因为这个坐在那辆庞蒂亚克的方向盘后面的人应该已经死了。” “他是谁，斯图尔特？他是谁？” “不，你让我讲下去，法兰妮。不管你怎么说，这可不是一个荒唐的故事。我又走到窗口前，对他说：'一共6美元30美分。'他给了我两张5块的纸票跟我说不用找了。接着我说：'我觉得我想起你是谁了。'他答道：'嗯，可能是吧。'然后冲着我古怪而冷淡地笑了笑，此时汉克·威廉姆斯一直在唱着进城什么的。我又问：'你喜欢汉克·威廉姆斯是吧？'我就能想起这么一句话说了。因为我看到，法兰妮，要是我不说点什么的话他马上就要摇起玻璃把车开走了……而那时我既想让他走，又不愿让他走。至少暂时，在我肯定之前不愿他走。那时候我还不懂，一个人永远不可能对很多事情都能肯定，不管他心里多么希望如此。” “他说：'汉克·威廉姆斯唱得最棒。我喜欢旅店音乐。'接着他说：'我要去新奥尔良，要开一晚上的车，明天睡上一天，然后在小酒店里呆上整个晚上。这一样吗？我是说新奥尔良？'我问：'和什么一样？'他说道：'嗯，你知道。'于是我说：'都是在南方，你知道，尽管路边有更多的树。'这话让他笑了。他说：'可能我还会再见到你的。'但我不想再见到他了，法兰妮。因为他有一双那样的眼睛，就像一个人一直向黑暗里看着，可能已经开始能看到那里有什么了。我想，要是我曾见过那个叫弗拉格的人的话，他的眼睛可能会看起来像那样的。” 当他们推着车过了马路把车停好的时候，斯图一直摇着头。 “我一直想着这事。那之后我还想过买几盘他的磁带，可那些对我来说没用。他的声音……那声音很好听，但却给我一种毛骨悚然的感觉。” “斯图尔特，你说的到底是谁啊？” “你还记得一个叫'门'的摇滚乐队吗？那天晚上在阿内特停下来加油的人就是吉姆·莫里森。我敢肯定。” 她惊得张开了嘴巴：“但他死了啊！他是在法国死的！他……”但她住嘴不说了，因为想起莫里森的死一直有些可笑的地方，是不是这样呢？这里面有些秘密。 “他真死了吗？”斯图问，“我可有点怀疑。也许他是死了，我看到的那个家伙只不过是一个看是去像他的人，但……” “你真的认为是他吗？”她问道。 他们现在坐在了楼前面的台阶上，肩并着肩，就像小孩子在等着妈妈叫他们进去吃晚饭一样。 “是啊，”他说，“我真这么想的。一直到今年夏天，我始终认为这是我遇见过的最奇怪的一件事了。好家伙，怎么会错呢。” “而你从来没告诉过任何人，”她惊叹道，“你在吉姆·莫里森被认为已经死了好几年以后看到了他，而你居然从来没告诉过任何人。斯图尔特·雷德曼，上帝把你送到这个世界上来的时候，他不应该给你一张嘴，而应该在那个地方给你安上一把密码锁才对。” Stu smiled. “就像他们在书上常说的那样，几年的时间转瞬即逝了，每当我想起那个晚上——我时不时地就会想起来——我就越来越肯定那毕竟不是他。你知道，只不过是一个长得有点像他的人而已。于是终于让自己不再想这个问题了。但是前几个星期，我发现自己对这一点又疑惑起来了。我又越来越觉得就是他。该死的，他可能到现在还活着呢。那可真是个笑话了，是不是？” “就算他还活着吧，”她说道，“也不会是在这儿。” “是不会，”斯图赞同地说，“我也不希望他是在这儿。你知道的，我看过他的眼睛。” 她把手插在他的臂弯里说：“这听起来像个故事。” “是的，但这个国家的两千万人中可能也就有一个像这样的……只有关于埃尔维斯·普雷斯利或者霍华德·休斯的能比得上。” “别再讲了。” “好吧……不讲了。哈罗德今天晚上可出风头了，是不是？” “我想这就叫改变话题吧。” "I think so." “没错，”她说，“他确实挺出风头。” 他听到她的语气有点焦燥，看到她轻皱着眉头连眉毛都皱了起来，不禁笑了。“让你有点心烦了，是不是？” “是的，但我不说了。你现在和哈罗德站在一边了。” “这不公平，法兰妮。这也让我心烦了。我们开了两次准备会……仔细讨论了每件事做到滴水不漏……至少我们是这么想的……但却冒出来一个哈罗德。他就那么东边敲敲锣西边碰碰鼓地说：'难道你们不是这个意思吗？'我们就说：'是啊，谢谢，哈罗德。就是这意思。'”斯图摇了摇头，又说：“每个人都推出来统一选，为什么我们从来就没想到这个呢，法兰妮？这一招可真绝。我们甚至从没谈到过这个。” “是这样，我们中没人能确知他们的情绪会是什么样。我想——特别是在阿巴盖尔妈妈走了以后——他们会很消沉，甚至是暴躁的。再加上那个英彭宁说话像只报丧的乌鸦似的……” “我在想是不是该想个法子让他闭上嘴。”斯图若有所思地说。 “但情况并不是这样。他们是那么……兴奋，只因为能聚在一起。你感觉到了吗？” “是的，我感觉到了。” “简直像再生了一样。我不认为这是哈罗德计划到的事情。他只是抓住了时机而已。” “我只是不知道该怎么想他。”斯图说，“我们去搜索阿巴盖尔妈妈的那天晚上，我真替他感到难过。当拉尔夫和格兰到来的时候，他看起来真是可怕，就像要晕了一样。但刚才咱们在外面草坪上聊天的时候，每个人都向他表示祝贺，他看起来就像个充了气的癞蛤蟆一样。就像是他表面上微笑着，心里却在说：'现在你们看到这个委员会的价值了吧，你们这帮笨蛋。'他就像是一个小时候永远解不开的拼字游戏一样。就像是中国的九连环或者是那种只要拉得对头就能解开的三个铁环一样。” 法兰妮伸出脚来看着他说：“说起哈罗德，你看我的脚有什么可笑的地方吗，斯图尔特？” 斯图审慎地看了看她的脚说：“没有。只不过你是穿着那种从街上买来的难看的'地鞋'。当然也太大了。” 她打了他一下：“穿'地鞋'对脚有好处，所有最好的杂志都是这么说的。而且告诉你，我的脚是7号的，实在是够小的了。” “那么和你的脚有什么关系呢？天可够晚的了，亲爱的。”他又开始推起车来，她于是也推车走在他的身边。 “我想也没什么。只是哈罗德一直看着我的脚。是在开完会以后咱们坐在草地上谈论的时候。”她摇了摇头，皱了皱眉头。“为什么哈罗德·劳德要对我的脚感兴趣呢？”她问道。 当拉里和露西到家的时候，就只剩他们两个人了，手拉手地走着。在这之前，利奥已经进了他和“纳迪娜妈妈”同住的那所房子。 现在，他们朝门走过来的时候，露西说道：“这可真是一次盛会。我从没想到……”她下面的话突然堵在嗓子眼儿里说不出来了，因为一个黑色的人影从他们门廊的阴影下冒了出来。 拉里感到一种热辣辣的恐惧的感觉冒到了他的喉咙口。“是他，”他脑子里疯狂地转着念头。“他来找我了……我就要看到他的脸了。” 但接着他就奇怪自己怎么会那么想了，因为那黑影原来是纳迪娜·克罗斯，没什么别的了。她穿着一件蓝灰色的质地柔软的裙子，头发松散着，飘飞在肩头，垂落在后背，她的头发是深色的，中间夹杂着银白的颜色。 她的样子不知怎么让露西觉得像是停在投机商院子里的一辆旧车，她是不由自主这么想的，但随即深恨自己这么想。那是老拉里的说法……老拉里？倒不如说老亚当吧。 “纳迪娜，”露西用一支手捂着胸口颤声说道，“你简直吓死我了。我还以为……哦，我不知道刚才怎么想的了。” 她没理会露西，只问拉里道：“我能和你谈谈吗？” “什么？现在？”他转头看了看露西，或者只是以为自己看了……后来他怎么也想不起来那个时候露西是什么样了。就好像她的光芒是被一颗星星挡下去了，但那却是一颗暗星，而不是明亮的星。 “就现在。非得是现在不可。” “明天早晨不是……” “非现在不可，拉里。要不就再别谈了。” 他又看了露西一眼，这一次确实是看到她了，看到她的目光从他转向纳迪娜，然后又转向他，脸上是失意无奈的表情。他知道她受到了伤害。 “我马上就回来，露西。” “不，你不会的，”她木然地说。眼睛里已经闪出了泪光。“噢，不，我不相信。” “就10分钟。” “10分钟，或是10年，”露西说，“她是来带你走的。你有没有带拴狗的皮带和笼头，纳迪娜？” 对纳迪娜来说，露西·斯旺这个人根本就不存在。她的眼睛只是望定在拉里身上，那双深色的大大的眼睛。对拉里来说，这永远是他见到过的最奇怪也是最美丽的一双眼睛，当你受到伤害，陷入麻烦，或是就要痛苦得发疯的时候，这双眼睛就会来望着你，镇静而深切。 “我会回来的，露西。”他机械地说。 "she……" "Go in." “是的，我想我也该走了。她来了，我就可以走了。” 她跑上台阶，在顶上绊了一下，又站稳了身子，推开门，在身后砰地一声关上，将自己刚发出的啜泣声关住了。 纳迪娜和拉里对望了很久，就像着了迷一样。事情就是这样，他想。当你的目光和屋子对面的一双眼睛对视了一下就再也忘不掉的时候，或者当你看到拥挤的地铁站台对面的一个人，而那可能曾是你的伴侣的时候，或者在街上听到一声笑声，而那可能就是那个你第一次与之作爱的女孩的笑声…… 但是他嘴里却有一种如此苦涩的感觉。 “咱们走到街角再回来吧。”纳迪娜低声说，“你能做到吗？” “我最好进去找她。你挑了一个最糟的时候到这儿来。” “好不好？就走到街角再回来？要是你愿意的话，我可以跪下来求你。要是你希望那样的话，就在这儿。像这样？” 令他吃惊的是她真的跪了下来，把裙子向上拉了一点儿以便能跪得下，也向他显示自己赤裸的双腿，让他好奇地发现其他的一切也是赤裸裸的。为什么他会这么想呢？he does not know.她的眼睛看着他，使他的头有点晕晕的，他有些厌恶的感觉到这里的什么地方有一种力，是这种力使她在他面前跪了下来，使她的嘴正对着…… “起来！”他粗暴地说。拉住她的手把她猛地拉了起来，想尽量不去看她的裙子在落下来之前飘起来的样子；她的大腿是奶油色的，是那样一种白，不是苍白死暗的，而是充满活力的、健康而又诱人的。 “来吧。”他差不多是焦躁地说。 他们向西走去，那是群山所在的方向，那些山阴森森地横亘在远方，一块块三角形的阴影挡住了雨后出现的星星。在夜里走向那些山，总让他感觉到一种奇特的不安和一种冒险的激动。而现在，有纳迪娜走在他身边，她的手轻轻地搭在他的肘弯处，那种感觉似乎更强烈了。他总是能做很生动的梦，三四个晚上之前他就做了有关那些山的梦；他梦见山里有巨人，模样非常可怕，他们长着亮亮的绿眼睛，像得了脑积水病的白痴那样特大号的头，有力的大手上长着短粗的手指头。那是能扼死人的手。这些白痴般的巨人把守着山里的各处通道。他们在等着“他的”时代的来到——就是那黑衣人的时代。 一阵轻柔的风顺着街道吹着，赶着纸片在前面飘飞。他们经过了金·索普尔家，经过几辆售货车，它们像死去的卫兵似的停在大停车场里。这使他想到了林肯隧道。林肯隧道里也有过巨人。他们已经死了，但那并不意味着在他们新世界里的所有巨人都死了。 “这很难，”纳迪娜说，她的声音仍然很低。“她使这很难是因为她是对的。我现在就要你。我怕我是太迟了。我要留在这儿。” “纳迪娜……” “不！”她厉声说：“让我说完。我要留在这儿，难道你不明白吗？要是我们彼此在一起，我就能做到了。你是我最后的机会了，”她说道，声音嘶哑了下来。“乔已经不在了。” “不，他没有。”拉里说，他觉得自己既迟钝又傻又有些不知所措。“我们回家的路上在你那儿和他分手的。他不在那儿吗？” “不在。只有一个叫利奥·罗克威的男孩在他床上睡觉。” “你什么……” “听着，”她说，“听我说，你就不能听我说么？只要我有乔，我就一切都好。我能……像原来那样坚强。但他不再需要我了。我需要被人需要。” “他确实需要你！” “当然啦，”纳迪娜说，使得拉里又一次感到了害怕。她不再是说利奥了；他不知道她说的是谁。“他需要我。这正是我害怕的。这就是为什么我来找你。”她踏前一步站在他的面前，抬起头来，下巴向上倾着。他能闻到她那神秘的清新的味道，知道自己想要她。但是有一部分的他想到了露西。要是他想要在博尔德这儿成功的话就需要这一部分。要是他放弃了这一部分而跟纳迪娜走的话，他们可能就只有在今晚偷偷溜出博尔德了。那他就完了。那老拉里就赢了。 “我得回家去了，”他说，“我很抱歉，你得自己解决这个问题了，纳迪娜。” “你自己解决这个问题吧”——这难道不是他在一生中一直对一个又一个人说过的话吗？为什么在他明知自己是对的的时候，这些话还这样子地冒出来，揪住了他的心，使他柔肠百转，而对自己产生了怀疑呢？ “和我作爱吧，”她说，伸出手臂揽住了他的脖子。她把自己的身体紧紧地压在他身上，他通过她身体的宽松、柔软和富于弹性知道自己先前想对了，她身上穿着的只有这一件裙子。里面完全是一丝不挂，他心里想，而这个想法极度地亢奋起来。 “好极了，我能感觉到你了。”她说着，身子开始挨着他扭动起来，两边动着，上下动着，制造出一种诱人的磨擦感。“和我作爱吧，这事就了结了。我就安全了，安全了。我就会安全了。” 他抬起手来，后来他怎么也不明白他当时是怎么做到这一点的，那时他只需用三个很快的动作和一次插入就能进入她的温柔乡了，而那正是她想要的。但他不知怎么抬起手来扳开她的双手，用力把她推开了，劲力用得那么大，以致于她绊了一下差点摔倒在地。她不禁低低地呻吟了一声。 “拉里，要是你知道……” “是，我不知道。那你为什么不试着告诉我，而不是……要强奸我呢？” “强奸！”她重复道，尖声笑了起来，“噢，真可笑！噢，看你说了什么！我！强奸你！噢，拉里！” “不管你要从我这里得到什么，你本该已经得到了。在上个星期，或前一个星期，你就应该得到了。在前一个星期我要你拿走它。我曾想要你得到它。” “那太快了。”她低声说。 “但现在就太迟了。”他说，深恨自己声音里的那种残忍的腔调，但是没法控制它。他仍然因为想要她而全身发着抖，他听起来会是什么样呢？“你到底想干什么，啊？” “好吧。再见了，拉里。” 她转过身走了。在那一瞬间她已经超越了纳迪娜了，要转身而去永远不再理他。她是那个口腔卫生学家。她是伊冯娜，就是在洛杉矶和他合住一套公寓的那个人。——她已使他筋疲力尽，所以他已经缩进了她的布吉舞鞋中，而把租约交到了她的手中。她是丽塔·布莱克莫尔。 最糟糕的是，她是他的妈妈。 “纳迪娜？” 她没转回身来。她变成了一个暗暗的影子，只在穿过街道的时候才能从其他暗影中辨别出来。然后她就在群山的黑暗的背景下消失不见了。他又叫了一声她的名字，但她没回答。在她离开他的样子中有种可怕的东西，就在她融入黑暗背景的那种样子中。 他站在金·索普尔家门前，双手紧握着，尽管晚上很凉爽，额上却爬满了一颗颗的汗珠。他现在是有了灵魂了，终于知道作为不那么正派的人要付出什么代价了：永远也搞不清自己的动机，除非只是粗粗估计一下否则永远也分不出伤害与帮助孰轻孰重，永远也不可能清除掉对自己怀疑的那种酸涩的感觉而且…… 他的头猛地抬了起来。眼睛睁得大大的像要从脸上胀了出来。风又吹起来了，吹过某个空洞洞的大门口时发出了一种奇怪的叫声。 露西听到他进了门，她的心剧烈地跳动起来。她想让它别跳了，因为他可能只是回来拿东西的，但心还是跳个不停。“他选了我”，这个想法被敲进了她的脑子里，是被她心里巨锤般的敲击赶到脑子里去的。“他选了我……” 尽管她心里不由自主地兴奋异常并且充满了希望，但还是一动不动地仰躺在床上等待着，眼前除了房顶以外什么也看不见。她那么说的时候只不过是告诉了他事实，对她和像她的朋友约琳那样的姑娘们来说，唯一的错处就是太需要爱了。但她始终是忠实的。她从不骗人。她没骗过丈夫，也从没骗过拉里，要是在她遇到他们之前的那些年里她不是一个修女的话……时间过去了就是过去了。你就是不可能把做过的事情再抓在手里，把它们改正过来。这种能力可能被授予了神，但是不论男人还是女人都是没有的，而且这可能也是件好事。要不的话，可能当人们在很老的时候死掉时还一直在试着改写他们十几岁时候的历史呢。 要是你知道过去是不可改变的，可能你也就能够宽容些了。 泪水从她的腮边悄悄地流了下来 门拍答一声开了，她看见他走了进来，只能看到一个剪影般的轮廓。 “露西？你醒着吗？” "yes." “我能把灯打开吗？” “想开就开吧。” 她听到了煤气发出的轻微的嘶嘶声，接着灯亮了，火焰被调得很低，只剩下一线光，在灯光中能看到他了。他面色苍白，浑身发抖。 “我得解释解释。” “不，不必了。上床来吧。” “我必须说。我……”他把手压在了额头上又掠了一下头发。 “拉里？”她坐了起来，“你没事吧？” 他像没听见她的话一样开口了，说话的时候眼睛并不看她：“我爱你。要是你想要我的话，就得到我了。但我不知道你是不是能得到很多。我永远不会是你最好的选择的，露西。” “我愿意碰碰运气。上床来吧。” 他上来了。然后他们做了爱。完事以后她告诉他她爱他，这是真的。上帝可以作证。好像这正是他想要也需要听到的，但她认为他没能睡多长时间。夜里有一次她醒了（或者是梦见她醒了），她觉得拉里是在窗户那儿，向外望着，他的头耸着像在听着什么，光和影的线条使他的脸看起来像是一个凶暴的面具。但在日光里她越加肯定那一定是个梦了；在日光里他又像是原来的自己了。 仅仅三天以后他们就从拉尔夫·布伦特纳那儿听说，纳迪娜已搬去与哈罗德·劳德同住了。 听到这个，拉里的脸像是绷紧了，但只是一会儿的时间。 尽管露西不喜欢自己这样，但拉尔夫的消息让她呼吸也觉得轻松多了。看起来这事一定是结束了。 见到拉里之后只一会儿她就回了家。她进了门，走到起居室，点亮了灯。手里高高地举着灯，她来到了房子的后部，只停了一下让灯光照进那男孩的房间。她要看看自己告诉拉里的是不是实话。是实话。 利奥四肢张开着躺在一堆被单里，只穿着贴身的内衣……但身上的伤口和抓痕已经看不清了，大多数已经全然不见了，靠几乎脱得精光晒的那一身棕黑色也退了下去。但还不止这些，她想。他脸上的什么东西也变了——尽管他睡着觉她也能看到这变化。那沉默的表情，必要的残酷都已经不复存在了。他不再是乔了。这只是一个在忙了一天以后睡着了的男孩。 她想起了那个晚上，她几乎就要睡着了但是醒了过来，发现他已经不在她身边了。那是在缅因州的北贝里克的事——离这里有大半个大陆的距离。她尾随着他到了那所房子，拉里正在那儿的门厅里睡着觉。拉里在里面睡着，乔在外面站着，带着那种沉默的残酷挥舞着手里的刀。那时在他们之间除了那扇薄得能切开的纱门以外一无所有。是她让他离开的。 仇恨像浪潮一样向纳迪娜扑来，如同燧石与钢铁相撞击一般迸发出明亮的火花。那盏灯在她手中颤抖着，使得杂乱的暗影在屋中不住地跳跃舞动。她真应该让他干的！她真应该亲自为乔拉着门，让他进去以便他能够狠刺、猛劈、狂砍，刺透了他挖出他的心肝来整个儿毁了他。她真应该…… 但现在那男孩翻了个身在嗓子眼儿里呻吟了一声，好像是醒了。他的手臂抬起在空中击打着，就像在梦中要赶开一个黑影似的。纳迪娜退了出来，她的两个太阳穴里血脉沉重地跳动着。在这男孩身上仍然有些奇怪的东西，她不喜欢他刚才动的方式，就好像他知道了她的想法似的。 她现在必须走在前头。她必须要赶快。 她进了自己的房间。地板上有一块地毯。房间里有一张窄床——一个老女仆的床。除此之外就一无所有了。甚至连一幅画也没有。这是一个全无特点的房间。她打开壁橱的门，在挂着的衣服后面翻找着。她双膝着地跪在地上，流着汗。她搬出一个色彩明艳的盒子，前面有一张照片，上面是一些欢笑着的成人，他们正一起玩着一个游戏。这游戏已经至少有3000年的历史了。 她是在城里的一家新奇品商店里发现这块装在盒子里的乩板的，但她不敢在这房子里用它，不在这儿和这男孩一起用它。事实上，她根本一次都没敢用它……直到现在。是什么东西驱使她走进那家商店的，当她看到这个画