Chapter 57 Chapter 56

Stu spent the next day at the power station wrapping up the engine, cycling home after get off work.When he reached the small park across from the First National Bank, Ralph beckoned him over.He parked the car and walked over to the bandstand where Ralph was sitting. "I was looking for you, Stu. Do you have time?" "A little. I'm late for dinner. Franny will be worried." "Okay. Just look at your hands. You're winding copper wire at the power station again." Ralph looked absent-minded and anxious. "Yeah, even work gloves are useless. My hands are ruined."

Ralph nodded.There were maybe five or six people in the park, and a few of them were looking at the narrow-gauge train that used to run between Boulder and Denver.Three young women set out a picnic.Stu felt happy just sitting here with his injured hands in his lap.Maybe marshalling the trains wouldn't be so bad, he thought.At least I don't have to be on that damn line in East Boulder. Ralph asked, "How's it going there?" "Me, I don't know - I'm just a hired help, like everybody else. Brad. Kitchener said it might be like the house was on fire. He said the lights would come on the first weekend in September , may be earlier. We will have heating in mid-September. Of course, he seems a little young for making predictions..."

"I'll bet on Brad," Ralph said. "I trust him. He's got a lot of on-the-job training." Ralph tried to laugh, but it turned into a deep sigh. "Why don't you talk at all, Ralph?" "I've heard some news on the radio," said Ralph, "some good news, some . Citizens band radio, I think when I talk to the new guys that come in, someone hears me." "How many people are here?" "More than forty. One of them was a doctor named George Richardson. He was a nice fellow to hear. Cool headed." "Oh, this is great news."

"He's from Derby County, Tennessee. Most of the crowd is south-central. It appears that one of them was pregnant and went into labor 10 days ago, on the 13th. This doctor delivered her—she had twins— They're all right. All right to begin with." Ralph was silent again. Stu grabbed him. "Both children died," Ralph whispered. "One died within twelve hours. It seemed to have been smothered. The other died two days later. Dr. Richardson did everything he could to But it's no use. That woman is crazy. Keeps talking about death and destruction and no more children. Stu, you gotta make sure Franny isn't there when they come in. That's what I'm going to tell you. And you should tell now Her. Because if you don't say it, someone else will."

Stu let go of Ralph's shirt slowly. "This Richardson, he wanted to know how many pregnant women we have, I said we only know one now. He asked how long she was pregnant, I said four months. Is it?" "Five months now. But Ralph, is he sure those two kids died from the superflu? Is he sure?" "No, he's not sure, and you should tell Franny that too so she can understand. He said there could be several reasons... Mom's diet... some genetic factors... a respiratory infection... maybe their own It's the faulty kid. He says there's probably a genetic component, whatever it is. He can't tell, the kids were born in the wilderness of Interstate 70. He says he and the other three responsible are up all night The issue was discussed. Richardson told them what it would mean if it was the "Captain's Journey" that killed the two kids and how important it was for them to figure out what was going on .”

"Gran and I talked about this," Stu said bleakly, "the day I met him, it was the Fourth of July. That seemed like a long time ago... Anyway, if the superflu killed That means, boy, in 40 or 50 years, we'll be handing over all our possessions to mice, flies and sparrows." "I guess that's what Richardson said to them. Anyway, they were 40 miles west of Chicago and he talked them into agreeing to go back the next day and take the kid's body back to the main hospital so he could do an autopsy. He said he could find out if the real cause of death was the superflu. He had seen enough of that at the end of July. I had seen enough of all the doctors."

"yes." "But in the morning, the bodies of the children were gone. The woman buried them, she wouldn't say where. They thought she had just given birth and had gone through something like this and it couldn't have been buried too deep or It was too far from the bivouac so spent two days digging around. But no matter how they found it, she would not say where, no matter how they explained the importance of the matter. The poor woman was completely lost reason." "I understand," Stu said.He remembered how much Franny wanted children. "The doctor said that even with the super flu, maybe two immune people could have an immune child," said Ralph hopefully.

"I don't think there's any chance that Franny's baby's biological father is immune," Stu said. "He's definitely dead." "Yeah, I don't think there's much hope. Stu, I'm sorry you got into this. But I think you'd better know. Then you can tell her." "I really don't want to do it." But when he got home, he found that someone else had already said it. "Frannie?" no answer.Supper was on the oven—almost burnt—but the apartment was dark and silent. Stu walked into the living room and looked around.There was an ashtray on the coffee table with two cigarette butts in it. Franny didn't smoke, and the butts weren't his brand.

"baby?" He went into the bedroom and there she was, lying on the bed in the dim light, looking at the ceiling.Her face was swollen and stained with tears. "Hey, Stu," she said quietly. "Who told you?" he asked angrily. "Who couldn't wait to spread the good news? Whoever it is, I'm going to break his arm." "It's Susan Stern. She heard it from Jack Jackson. He had the radio, and he heard what the doctor and Ralph were saying. She thinks she'll have to tell me before someone else messes things up. Poor Little Franny. Be careful. No surgery until Christmas." She gave a short laugh.There was a desolation in her laughter that Stu sounded like weeping.

He walked across the room and lay down next to her, brushing her hair from her forehead. "It doesn't have to be like that, my dear. It's not sure yet." "I know. Maybe even then, we'll still have kids of our own." She turned to look at him, eyes red and sad, "but I want this one. Isn't it right?" "Yes, of course." "I've been lying here waiting for him to move. I haven't felt him move since the night Larry came here looking for Harold. Remember?" "Remember." "I think the baby moved, but I didn't wake you. Now I wish I had woken you. I wish I had." She cried again, covering her face with her arm so that Stu couldn't see she cries.

Stu took her arms away, stretched out beside her, and kissed her.She hugged him hard, then lay down obediently next to him.When she spoke, she couldn't hear her words clearly because her mouth was pressed against his neck. "Not knowing makes it harder. Now I just have to wait and see. Seems like it's going to be that long to find out if your baby will die before it's born." "You won't be alone," he said. For his words, she hugged him tightly again.They lay together for a long time without moving. Nadina Cross had been packing up in the living room of her old house for nearly five minutes before she saw him sitting in a chair in the corner.He was wearing nothing but his underwear, his thumbs in his mouth, and his strange Chinese gray-blue eyes fixed on her.She was terrified—both at finding him sitting there the whole time, and at his sudden appearance—her heart rose in fear in her chest, and she let out a scream.The paperback book that was about to be stuffed into the bag fell and scattered on the floor. "Joe...I mean Leo..." She covered her chest with one hand, as if trying to suppress the beating of her heart.But no matter whether she presses it with her hand or not, her heartbeat is not going to slow down yet.It was bad to see him suddenly; it was worse to see him dressed in the same way as when she first met him in New Hampshire.It was too much like a replay of the past, it was like God who had lost her mind put her in a time warp and punished her to live the previous 6 weeks all over again. "You scared the hell out of me," she finished weakly. Joe said nothing. She walked towards him slowly, expecting to see him holding a long kitchen knife in one hand as before, but this time the hand that was not next to his mouth rested quietly on his lap.She saw that the tan on his body had faded.The scars of the past are gone.But those eyes remained the same... they were unforgettable eyes.The things that had been growing in his eyes since he went to the fire to hear Larry play the guitar were gone.His eyes were just like when she first met him, which made her creepy. "What are you doing here?" Joe said nothing. "Why aren't you with Larry and Mama Lucy?" no answer. "Don't stay here." She wanted to reason with him, but before she could speak, she couldn't help but wonder how long he had been here. It is the morning of August 24th.She had spent the previous two nights at Harold's.It occurred to her that he might have sat like this in a chair with his thumb in his mouth for 40 hours.It was ridiculous to think that he had to eat and drink (didn't he?), but once she got the idea, she couldn't shake it off.She was horrified again when she realized desperately how much she had changed: she had slept fearlessly next to this little savage when he was armed and dangerous.Now he is unarmed, but he is afraid of him.She had thought he (Joe? Leo?) had completely and simply abandoned his former self.Now he's back.right here. "You can't stay here," she said. "I came back to pick up things. I'm moving out. I'm moving in with... a man." Oh, is this Harold?A voice deep inside her mocked.I think he is just a tool, a means to an end. "Leo, listen to me..." He shook his head, slightly but clearly.His eyes were shining, gazing sternly into her face. "Aren't you Leo?" He shook his head slightly again. "Are you Joe?" He nodded, also slightly. "Okay. But you have to understand that it doesn't matter who you are," she tried to be patient.She still has that crazy feeling of being in a time warp.It made her feel unreal and terrified. "That part of our lives — our days together, just us — that part is over. You've changed, I've changed, and we can't go back." But his strange eyes still stared at her, as if denying her words. "Stop staring at me," she snapped. "It's rude to stare." Then his eyes seemed to reproach her.They seem to say that it's bad manners to dump someone, and it's even less polite to take back when someone still needs and depends on your love. "You're not the only one left." She turned around and began to pick up the books that had just been dropped on the ground as she said.Regardless of her image, she knelt awkwardly on the ground, her knees trembling.She started stuffing books in her bag at random, on top of her pads, aspirin, and underwear—just plain cotton underwear, nothing like the ones she wore to please Harold. "You've got Larry and Lucy. You need them, and they need you. Well, Larry needs you, and that's the point, and she'll say yes to anything you want. She's like a piece of carbon paper. Joe, yes Things are different for me. It's not my fault. It's not my fault at all. So you better stop trying to make me feel guilty." She started to fasten the straps, but her fingers were shaking uncontrollably, barely in control.The silence around them grew heavier. She stood up at last, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Leo," she said, trying to speak calmly and rationally, the way she used to speak to the disobedient kids in her class who were throwing tantrums.It's simply impossible.Her voice trembled, and when she called Leo he shook his head slightly, making her voice even more out of control. "Not for Larry and Lucy," said Nadine savagely, "if that's what I'd understand. But you left me for the old thing, didn't you? That stupid old woman in the easy chair here, grinning at the world with her false teeth. Now she's gone, so you come running back to me. But it's no use, you hear? It's no use!" Joe remained silent. "And when I begged Larry...to get on his knees and beg him...he didn't care about me. He was too busy playing big shots. So, you see, it's not my fault. Not at all!" The boy just stared at her blankly. Her fear returned, her disorganized anger disappeared.She walked backwards to the door, putting her hand behind her back to fumble for the handle.At last she found the handle, twisted it, and pulled the door open.The cool breeze outside the door was blowing on her shoulders, which was very comfortable. "Go to Larry," she murmured, "bye, boy." She walked awkwardly backwards, and stood for a moment on the top of the steps, trying to regain her composure.It occurred to her that maybe all this was just an illusion brought on by her own guilt... She felt guilty for abandoning the boy, for keeping Larry waiting too long, for what she and Harold had done, and for Worse things are about to happen.Maybe there were no boys in that house at all.As non-existent as Poe's phantasms—the beating of the old man's heart sounded like a watch wrapped in cotton, or a raven roosting on a statue of Pallas. "Knocking, always knocking at the door of my room," she said aloud, which made her give a short, rattling laugh that probably sounded like a raven's. However, she must know whether this is true or not. She went to the window by the front door and looked into the living room of the house that had been hers.It had never actually been her house.If you've ever lived in a place that you can fit in a bag when you leave, it's not your place at all.She saw the dead housewife's rugs and drapes and wallpaper, the dead husband's pipe rack and several copies of Sports Illustrated strewn about the coffee table.There are pictures of dead children on the fireplace.The little boy of the dead woman was sitting on a chair in the corner, wearing only his underpants, and there he sat, still sat there, sat there the way he used to... Nadina staggered away, nearly tripping over the low door that protected the flower beds to the left of the window.She got on the Harley and started the car.She drove recklessly through the first few blocks at high speed, swerving and dodging the broken cars that still piled on the side of the road.But she gradually calmed down. By the time she got to Harold's she was in control of herself.But she knew that she had to end her life in the Land of the Free as soon as possible.If she wanted to stay sane, she had to get out of here quickly. The meeting at Musinger Auditorium went well.Once again they began with the national anthem, but this time most of them were not in tears; it would soon become routine.A routine vote elected the Census Committee, chaired by Sandy Ducien.She and four assistants immediately began counting the audience, counting people and recording names.At the close of the meeting, to rapturous applause, she announced that there were now 814 living people in the Free State and pledged (a promise that turned out to be too hasty) that there would be a full population by the next State of the Free. The "roster"—which she hopes will be updated weekly going forward—will include an alphabetical list of people's names, ages, Boulder addresses, previous addresses, and previous occupations.It turned out that she was always two or three weeks behind the curve with the constant influx of people into Liberty Land without any pattern. There was talk of elective terms for the State of the Liberty Commission, and after people made some overblown proposals (some suggested 10 years, others suggested life tenure), Larry said that sounded more like a prison sentence than a term, which elicited roars of laughter), people voted for a one-year term.Harry Dumbarton waved from the back of the hall, and Stu recognized him. To make himself heard, Harry yelled: "Even 1 year is probably too long. I have no complaints about the ladies and gentlemen on the committee, I think you are doing a great job" - Cheers Sounds and whistles—"But if we keep getting more and more people here, it's going to get out of control very quickly." Gran held up his hand, and Stu let him speak. "Mr. Chairman, this issue is not on the agenda, but I think Mr. Dumbarton has a good point." I knew you thought he had a point, Stu thought, because you brought up the issue yourself a week ago. "I would like to make a proposal to have a committee representing the government so that we can actually get the constitution started. I think Mr Dumbarton should chair the committee and I myself will serve on the committee unless someone thinks I'm incompetent." There was another round of cheers. In the last row, Harold turned and whispered to Nadina, "Ladies and gentlemen, the public party is now open." She gave him a slow, sullen smile, and he felt dizzy. Amidst thunderous cheers, Stu was elected law enforcement officer of the Free State. "I'm going to do my best," he said, "and if I catch some of you who are cheering for me now doing something you shouldn't be doing, you might change your tune later. Rich Moffat, you hear Have I spoken yet?" There was a burst of laughter.Drunk Rich laughed along. "But I don't see why we'd have real trouble. I see the main job of law enforcement is to stop people from hurting each other. None of us wants to do that. Enough people get hurt. That's all I'll say. " There was a long standing ovation for him. "Now for the next one," Stu said, "which is to help me do my job as a law enforcement officer. We need five people to work on the law committee, or I won't feel right if we need to lock people up. Anyone have a nomination? ?” "How's the judge?" someone yelled. "Yes, Judge, that's right!" cried another. People craned their necks in anticipation of the Judge's acceptance of the responsibility in his usual rococo fashion; the hall was buzzing with tales of him sticking a pin into the balloon on the head of the flying saucer again.People put the agenda down, ready to applaud.Stu and Gran exchanged an annoyed look: someone on the committee must have expected this to happen. "He's not here," someone said. "Who saw him?" asked Lucy Swan anxiously.Larry glanced at her fidgeting, but she was still looking around the hall, looking for the judge. "I saw him." There was an interested chatter in the hall when Teddy Weichak rose from about the back three-quarters of the way, looking tense, wiping his steel glasses convulsively with his bandanna. "Where?" "Where is he, Teddy?" "In town?" "What is he doing?" Teddy Weichak visibly flinched under the siege of questions. Stu smacked his gavel. "Please be quiet, everyone. Keep order." "I saw him two days ago," Teddy said. "He was driving a Lowell. He said he was going to Denver that day, didn't say why. We had a few jokes. He seemed to be in a high spirits. I That's all." He sat down, still cleaning his glasses, flushed. Stu knocked on the table again, asking everyone to observe order. "I'm sorry the judge isn't here. I think he's the right guy for the job, but since he's gone, can we mention someone else..." "No, we can't just let it go!" Lucy stood up and protested loudly.She was wearing a denim bodysuit that drew interested looks from most of the men present. "Judge Charles is getting old. What if he gets sick in Denver and never comes back?" "Lucy," Stu said, "Denver's a big place." As people pondered this question, the hall fell silent.Lucy sat down pale and Larry put his arms around her.His eyes met Stu's, and Stu looked away. Someone proposed to suspend the legal committee first and wait for the judge to come back. After 20 minutes of discussion, the proposal was rejected.They picked another lawyer, a young man of about twenty-six named Al Bundle, who had come with Richardson and the others that afternoon.He accepted the chairmanship without question, saying only that he hopes no one goes too far in the next month because it will take at least a month to get a decent circular court system in place.Judge Charles got an absentee election. Brad, pale, fidgety, and looking a little ridiculous in a suit and tie, approached the podium, forgot what he was about to say, began to speak incoherently, and finally said with satisfaction that they were expected to meet on September 2. 1 or 3 days can re-use electricity. This sentence won a stormy welcome from everyone, and he immediately became more confident, and ended his speech in a graceful manner, with a somewhat swaggering appearance when he left the podium. Chad Norris was next to speak, and Stu later told Frannie that he had said it in the most fitting way possible: the way they bury the dead is not decent, after this is over and life can go on Before, none of them could really feel good.They'll feel better if it's all over before the fall rains.He wanted two volunteers, and people signed up eagerly, wanting thirty or forty.He finished by asking every member of the current Shovel Team (as he called them) to stand and bow. Harold Lauder barely stood up, then sat down again.When leaving the meeting, someone said what a capable and humble man he was.In fact, Nadina was whispering to him at the time, and he was afraid that he wanted to do more than stand up and nod. After Norris left the podium, Ralph Brentner took the stage to speak.He told everyone that they had at least one doctor.George Richardson rose to applause, which turned into cheers as he made a peace sign with both hands.He told them that, as far as he knew, another 60 people would join their ranks within the next two days. "That's our schedule," Stu said. He looked at the crowd and said, "I hope Sandy Ducien comes on stage again and tells us how many people there are, but before that, is there anything else we need to discuss tonight?" He waits.He saw Gran's face in the crowd, and Susan Stern's, Larry's; Nick's, of course, and Franny's.They all looked a little nervous.If anyone is going to come forward and raise the Flagg matter and ask what the committee did to him, it is now.But the hall was silent.After waiting for 15 seconds, Stu handed over the venue to Sandy, who ended the meeting successfully.As people started to leave, Stu thought: We've done it again. After the meeting, several people came up to congratulate him, one of whom was the new doctor. "You've done a good job, Marshal," Richardson said, and Stu looked over his shoulder for a moment to see who Richardson was talking to.Then he thought about it, and was suddenly terrified.Legal workers?He is a liar. 1 year, he said to himself.Only work for one year, and stop doing it after more.But he was still terrified. Stu, Franny, Susan Stern, and Nick walked back into the city center, their steps echoing hollowly on the concrete road as they passed the encampment facing Broadway.Around them, others were talking softly and walking towards home, and gradually dispersed.It was nearly 11:30. "It's getting colder," Franny said. "I really regret wearing this sweater instead of the jacket." Nick nodded.He also feels cold.Boulder's evenings are always cool, but tonight it won't be over 50 degrees.It's a reminder that this strange and scary summer is coming to an end.More than once he wished Mama Abagil's god or muse or whatever preferred Miami or New Orleans.But then he stopped and thought, that might not be good either.Humidity...a lot of rain...and lots of dead bodies.At least Boulder is still dry. "It scared the hell out of me that they wanted judges on the law committee," Stu said. "We should have thought of that." Franny nodded, and Nick wrote quickly on the legal pad, "Of course. Tom and Dana, two lives, will be missed." "Do you think people will be suspicious, Nick?" Stu asked. Nick nodded. "They'll wonder if they've gone west. Really." They all began to think about it when Nick got out a match and burned the note. "It's tricky," Stu said finally, "you really think so?" "Of course he's right," said Susan wistfully. "What else could they think? Where's the judge?" "We're lucky that no one is talking about what's going on west tonight," Frannie said. Nick wrote: "Not really. I think next time we're going to have to confront this head-on. So I'd like to put off the next meeting as long as possible. Maybe another three weeks. September 15th?" Susan said: "If Brad can fix the power supply, we can last until then." "I think he can do it," Stu said. "I'm going home," Susan told them. "I have something to do tomorrow. Dana is leaving. I'll take her to Colorado Falls." "Do you think that's safe?" Franny asked. Susan shrugged. "It's safer for her than it is for me." "What does she think of it?" Franny asked her. "She was a weird girl. You know, she was an athlete in school. Tennis and swimming were her strengths, though she could do them all. She went to a small community college in Georgia, but spent her first two years with high school boys. Friends. He's a big guy who wears a leather jacket. I'm Tarzan and you're Jane, so you go to the kitchen with pots and pans. Then she gets dragged to a couple of women's awakening sessions by her roommate. Her roommate is a woman Liberationists." "It turned out she was more aggressive than her roommate," Frannie said. "First a women's liberationist, then a gay," Susan said. Stu stopped as if struck by lightning.Frannie looked at him with an amused expression, and said, "Can you still keep your mouth shut?" Stu snapped his mouth shut. Susan went on: "She told her savage boyfriend both at the same time. He flew into a rage and came after her with a gun. She disarmed him. She said it was the first time in her life. Big turning point. She told me she always knew she was stronger and more courageous than him — she knew it. But actually doing it gave her courage.” "You mean she hates men?" Stu asked.He looked at Susan nervously. Susan shook her head. "She's bisexual now." "how is it now?" "Stewart, she likes both sexes. I hope you don't start asking the committee for another blue code besides 'Thou shalt not kill'." "I have too many things to worry about, and I don't care who sleeps with whom." He cooed, and they all laughed. "I ask this because I don't want anyone involved with jihadi. We need eyes and ears, not guerrilla fighters. Weasels are needed for this job, not lions." "She knows," said Susan, "how Franny asked me just now, when I asked her if she would let us go over there. She was very nice. And she reminded me that if we Together... Stu, do you remember when you found us?" He nodded. "If we stayed with them, we'd either die or go west, because they were going west...at least when they were calm enough to read the signs. She Said she had been wondering where her place was in Liberty, she felt her place in Liberty was to get out of it. She also said..." "What?" Franny asked. "She said she would try to come back," Susan said abruptly, and then fell silent.The rest of what Dana Jurgens said was whispered between the two of them, and not even the rest of the committee could tell.Dana strapped a 10-inch switchblade to his arm as he set out west.When she suddenly flexed her wrist, the spring was released and she suddenly grew a sixth finger, a 10-inch double-edged finger.She felt that most of them—men—wouldn't understand. If he's a big enough dictator, then maybe only he can pinch them.If he's gone, maybe they'll start killing each other.If he died, maybe they were finished.Susan, if I can get close to him, he'd better have a guardian devil around him. They'll kill you, Dana. Maybe will.Maybe not.Maybe it's worth dying for just the fun of watching him smack in the face. Maybe Susan could stop her, but she didn't try to.She made Dana promise that unless there was a near-perfect chance, she would stick to her original plan.Dana agrees to the request, while Susan doesn't think her friend will stand a chance.Flagg must be on the alert.However, she hasn't slept in the past three days since she brought up the idea of ​​letting her friend go west as a spy. "I'm going home to bed," she said to the others. "Good night, guys." She put her hands in the baggy jacket pockets and walked away. "She looks older," Stu said. Nick wrote a few words and handed the open legal pad to both of them. It read: We all look old. On his way to the power station the next morning, Stu saw Susan and Dana riding two bicycles along Canyon Avenue.He waved and they rode over.He thought he'd never seen Dana look more beautiful.Her hair was tied back with a bright green silk handkerchief, and she wore an open rawhide coat over jeans and a chambray shirt.A roll of luggage is strapped behind her. "Stuart!" she called, smiling and waving at him. gay?he thought in disbelief. "I know you're going on a little trip," he said. "Of course. And you've never met me." "No," said Stu, "never. Smokes?" Dana took a Marlboro and wrapped his arms around his matches. "Be careful, girl." "I will." "Go back." "I wish." On sunny mornings in late summer, they watch each other. "You take care of Franny, big man." "I will." "Being a law enforcement officer, take it easy." "I know I can do this." She threw the cigarette away: "Susan, what are you talking about?" Susan nodded, put the bike away, and gave a worried smile. "Dana?" She looked at Stu, who kissed her softly on the lips. "good luck." she laughed. "You have to kiss twice to really bring luck. Don't you know that?" He kissed her again, this time slowly and well.gay?He thought again in disbelief. "Frannie's a lucky woman," Dana said, "you can quote me." Stu smiled, not knowing what to say, so he took a step back and said nothing.Two blocks away, a funeral committee's orange truck rattled ominously by, breaking the moment. "Let's go," Dana said. They rode away, and Stu stood on the side of the road, watching them off. Susan Stern returned two days later.She said she watched Dana walk west from Colorado Falls until she became a tiny black dot that merged with the surrounding landscape.Then she cried for a while.On her first night at the Monument, Susan awoke in the wee hours of the morning to a low wail from down the country road next to her camp. She finally worked up the courage to shine a flashlight on the decayed pipe, and found a emaciated, shivering puppy.It looks 6 months old.She reached for it, but it dodged, and she was too big to climb into the pipe.于是她去了纪念碑镇，闯进当地的杂货店，在黎明前的第一缕光线中带着一背包狗食“阿尔波”回来了。这下立竿见影。小狗安安稳稳地躲在自行车后座的挂包里跟着她回来了。 迪克·埃利斯对这只小狗着了迷。它是一只爱尔兰塞特种母狗，要么是纯种的，要么几乎是纯种的，简直没有什么区别。他肯定，等她长大了，科亚克一定会很高兴认识她的。这个消息不胫而走，传遍了自由之邦，那天人们都兴奋地讨论着这对狗里的亚当和夏娃，阿巴盖尔妈妈的话题被遗忘了。苏珊·斯特恩成了女英雄，据委员会所知，甚至没有人想过那天晚上她在离博尔德那么远的纪念碑那里干什么。 但斯图记住的是她们两个离开博尔德的那天早上，当时他目送着她们骑车向丹佛－博尔德的路口远去。因为自由之邦的人们再也没有见到戴纳·于尔根斯。 8月27日；天快黑了；金星在天空闪耀。 尼克、拉尔夫、拉里和斯图坐在汤姆·科伦家的台阶上。汤姆在草坪上，在板球的三柱门之间打槌球玩。 “到时候了。”尼克写道。 斯图低声问：“他们是否还得催眠他。”尼克摇摇头。 “太好了，”拉尔夫说，“我觉得我干不了那个。”他提高声音，喊道：“汤姆！嘿，汤姆！到这儿来！” 汤姆咧嘴笑着跑过来。 “汤姆，该走了。”拉尔夫说。 汤姆的笑容消失了。他仿佛第一次注意到天快黑了。 “走？现在？不！天黑了，汤姆就上床。汤姆不喜欢天黑以后出门。因为有鬼怪。汤姆……汤姆……” 他静了下来，别的人都不安地看着他。汤姆陷入了凝滞的沉默。他不再沉默……但不是他平时的样子了。他并不是突然恢复活力，而是慢慢地，不情愿地，近乎悲哀地。 “到西边去？”他说，“你是说那个时候吗？” 斯图把一只手搭在他的肩膀上。“是的，汤姆，如果你能做到的话。” “上路。” 拉尔夫仿佛被呛了一下，咕哝了一声，绕到了房子背后。汤姆似乎没有注意到。他的目光在斯图和尼克之间来回移动。 “晚上走，白天睡。”在暮色中，汤姆又缓慢地说：“看大象。” Nick nodded. 拉里把汤姆的行李从台阶上拿起来，汤姆仿佛做梦般把行李背上。 “汤姆，你要小心。”拉里涩声道。 “小心。好吧。” 斯图为时已晚地想到，他们是否应该给汤姆一个单人帐篷，又否定了这个想法。汤姆就连一个小帐篷也支不好。 “尼克，”汤姆低声说，“我真的必须这样做吗？” 尼克用一只胳膊搂着汤姆，缓慢地点点头。 "Ok." “汤姆，一直沿着有4条车道的大路走，”拉里说，“就是那条70号路。拉尔夫用摩托车送你到那条路口。” “好吧，拉尔夫，”他顿了一顿。拉尔夫又绕回了房子正面。他用一条手帕擦着眼睛。 “汤姆，你准备好了？”他哽咽着问。 “尼克？我回来时这里还是我的家吗？” 尼克使劲地点点头。 “汤姆喜欢自己的房子。真的。” “我们知道你爱自己的家，汤姆。”这时斯图感到热泪流进了喉咙里。 “好吧。我准备好了。我坐谁的车去？” “我，汤姆，”拉尔夫说，“沿着70号路走，记得吗？” 汤姆点点头，开始走向拉尔夫的摩托。过了一会儿，拉尔夫也耷拉着肩膀走过去。就连他帽子上的羽毛似乎也耷拉着。他爬上车，使劲把车踩着了火。不一会儿，摩托车就驶上百老汇，向东拐了。他们站在一起，目送着紫色的暮色中摩托车变成一个运动着的轮廓，只有红色车灯的移动显示出它的方位。后来，灯光消失了。 尼克低着头，把手插在口袋里，走开了。斯图想跟他一起走，但尼克几乎是愤怒地摇摇头，示意他走开。斯图回到拉里身边。 “就这样了。”拉里说，斯图忧郁地点点头。 “拉里，你觉得我们还会再看见他吗？” “如果我们不能再看见他，我们7个——也许法兰妮除外，她一直不支持派他去——我们其他几个人这辈子都会为了做出派他去的决定而寝食难安的。” “尼克比别人更难受。”斯图说。 “是啊，尼克比别人更难受。” 他们看着尼克慢慢沿着百老汇大街走，消失在渐渐加深的黑暗中。他们又看了一会儿汤姆黑暗的房子。 “我们离开这里吧，”拉里突然说，“我一想到那些动物标本……就突然浑身难受。” 新来的医生乔治·理查德森已经在里奇医疗中心安置了下来，因为这里离博尔德市医院很近，而市医院里有医疗设备、充足的药品供应和手术室。 到8月28日，他在劳里·康斯特布尔和迪克·埃利斯的帮助下，已基本可以工作了。迪克请求离开医学世界，被拒绝了。“你干得很好，”理查德森说，“你学到了很多东西。而且，我一个人也干不了这么多事。如果我们在一两个月内不能再有一个医生，我们就会发疯的。所以，恭喜你了，迪克，你是自由之邦第一个医疗技师。给他一个吻，劳里。” 劳里照着做了。 在8月底的一天上午，11点左右，法兰妮走进接待室，好奇地到处看，有点紧张。劳里站在柜台后面，正在读一本旧的《女士家庭周刊》。 “嘿，法兰妮，”她跳起来说，“我就知道我们早晚会看见你的。乔治现在正给坎迪·琼斯看病，但很快就会轮到你的。你觉得怎样？” “还不错，谢谢你，”法兰妮说，“我猜……” 一个检查室的门打开了，坎迪·琼斯出来了，跟着走出一个驼背的大个子，身穿灯心绒宽松长裤和胸前标有鳄鱼牌的衬衣。坎迪怀疑地看着手里的一瓶粉红色的东西。 “你肯定是那个吗？”她怀疑地问理查德森，“我从没得过那个。我想我有免疫力。” “你没有免疫力，现在才有的。”乔治咧嘴一笑，说道。“别忘记淀粉浴，以后离草远些。” 她苦笑着说：“杰克也染上了。他也得来吗？” “不用，但你可以全家一起洗淀粉浴。” 坎迪顺从地点点头，忽然看见了法兰妮。“嘿，法兰妮，那个姑娘怎么样？” “还行。你怎么样？” “糟透了。”坎迪举起瓶子让法兰妮看标签上的字样。“有毒的常春藤。你一定猜不出我在哪里染上的。”她神情开朗起来，“但我赌你能猜出杰克在哪里染上的。” 他们饶有兴味地目送她离去。然后，乔治说：“戈德史密斯小姐，对吧？自由之邦委员会。很荣幸。” 她伸出手去让他握。“请叫我法兰妮就行了。或者法兰妮。” “好吧，法兰妮。你怎么了？” “我怀孕了，”法兰妮说，“而且吓坏了。”她突然之间泪流满面。 乔治用一只胳膊搂住她的肩。“劳里，5分钟后你来帮忙。” “好吧，医生。” 他把她领进检查室，让她坐在垫着黑垫子的桌子上。 “现在告诉我，为什么哭？是因为温特沃思太太的双胞胎吗？” 法兰妮难过地点点头。 “法兰妮，那是难产。母亲是个烟鬼。孩子即使对双胞胎来说，也先天不足。他们是非常突然地在深夜出生的。我又没有机会验尸。我们那批人中的一些妇女在照顾雷吉娜·温特沃思。我相信——我希望——她将摆脱现在的精神恍惚状态。但目前我只能说，这两个孩子一开始就受到两个打击。死亡可能有各种原因。” “包括超级流感。” “是的，包括超级流感。” “所以我们只能等着看。” “不。我马上就给你做一个彻底的产前检查。我将监测你和其他怀孕妇女每一步的情况。通用电力公司从前有一个广告：'进步是我们最重要的产品'。在自由之邦，孩子是我们最重要的产品，他们也将受到相应的待遇。” “但我们真的不知道。” “我们确实不知道。但法兰妮，你得振作起来。” “好吧，我会努力的。” 短促的敲门声之后，劳里进来了。她递给乔治一个剪贴板上的表格，乔治开始问法兰妮有关她的既往病史的问题。 检查结束后，乔治离开了她一会儿，到隔壁的房间里去做事情。法兰妮穿衣时，劳里和她待在一起。 她扣裙子上的纽扣时，劳里静静地说：“你知道吗，我嫉妒你。这真是有意思——我曾经戴着'零人口'的纪念章去上班。当然，它的意思是说零人口增长。但现在当我想起那个纪念章时，我真觉得难受。法兰妮，你的孩子将是第一个。我知道会没事的。他一定会没事的。” 法兰妮仅仅笑了笑，点点头，她不想提醒劳里，她的不是第一个。 温特沃思太太的双胞胎是第一个。 而温特沃思太太的双胞胎都死了。 “很好。”半小时后，乔治说。 法兰妮扬起了眉毛，有一会儿认为他把她的名字叫错了。 “我说的是孩子。它很好。” 法兰妮找到一张纸巾，紧紧攥在手里。“我感到过它动……但那是一段时间以前了。那以后就没有动静了。我担心……” “它活着，没事，但我确实怀疑你无法感到它动。当时更有可能是肠内气体运动。” “是孩子。”法兰妮平静地说。 “不管是不是，它将来都会很经常地运动的。我估计预产期在一月初到中旬。你觉得怎么样？” "very good." “你吃饭正常吗？” “我觉得还行——有时有点费劲。” “好的。现在不吐了？” “开始有点，但已经过去了。” “好极了。你经常锻炼身体？” 在噩梦般的一个瞬间，她仿佛看见自己在挖掘父亲的坟墓。她眨眨眼，把这个幻影赶走了。那是另一次生活里的事情。“是的，经常。” “你长胖了吗？” “大概长了5磅。” “那很正常。你可以再长12磅；今天我比较慷慨。” 她咧嘴笑起来。“你是医生。” “是啊，我以前是个产科医师，所以你来对了地方。接受你医生的建议，你就会一切顺利的。现在我得谈谈关于自行车、摩托车和机器脚踏车的问题。在12月之后这种车全都不要骑了。再说到那时候也没有人会骑车了。太冷了。不要过多地抽烟喝酒，好吗？” "it is good." “如果你有时想用睡帽，我认为完全没问题。我打算给你补充维生素；你可以在城里任何一家药店里找到……” 法兰妮放声大笑，乔治不知所措地微笑着。 “我说了什么滑稽的事情吗？” “没有。只是在现在这种环境下有点可笑。” “哦，我明白了。至少不会有人抱怨药品价钱太高，是不是？法兰妮，还有最后一件事。你安过宫内避孕器吗？” “没有，为什么？”法兰妮问道，这时她突然想起了她的梦：黑衣人和他的衣架。她打了个寒战。“没有，”她又说了一遍。 “好吧，那就好，”他站起来，“我不会告诉你不要担心……” “不必了，”她表示同意。她眼睛里的笑意已经完全消失了。 "Do not do this." “但我会要求你尽量少地忧虑。母亲的过度忧虑可能导致腺激素分泌失衡。而这对孩子不好。我不希望给孕妇开镇定剂，但如果你认为……” “不，没有必要。”法兰妮说，但她走进炎热的中午阳光下时，她知道她孕期的整个后半部分都会被温特沃思太太那两个消失了的双胞胎困扰。 8月29日，来了3批人，其中一批22个人，一批16个人，一批25个人。桑迪挨个找了委员会的7个成员，告诉他们，自由之邦现在有1000多个居民了。 博尔德不再像一个鬼城了。 30日晚上，纳迪娜·克罗斯站在哈罗德家的地下室里看着他，感到很不安。 当哈罗德做的事情不牵涉到与她以古怪的方式作爱时，他就似乎离开她，进入了自己的私人空间，她对他没有任何影响力。当他进入那种状态时，他似乎很冷漠；不仅如此，他似乎蔑视她，甚至他自己。唯一没有改变的东西就是他对斯图尔特·雷德曼和委员会里其他人的仇恨。 地下室里有一张废弃不用的桌子，哈罗德正在虫蛀了的桌面上干活。他身边摆着一本打开的书，翻开的一页是一张图表。他看一会儿图表，然后看看正在摆弄的仪器，然后再对它做点什么。右手边是一辆三轮摩托车斗。小桌面上到处都是一小段一小段的电线。 “你知道，”他心不在焉地说，“你该出去散步。” “为什么？”她感到有点受伤。哈罗德表情紧张，毫无笑意。纳迪娜明白了为什么哈罗德总是面带笑容：因为他不笑时看起来像个疯子。她怀疑他确实疯了，要不就是快疯了。 “因为我不知道这个炸药放了多久了。”哈罗德说。 "What do you mean by that?" “亲爱的，放久了的炸药会出汗的，”他抬起头来看着她说。她看到他满脸是汗，仿佛是为了证明自己的话。“说好听点，它会渗出物质，而它渗出的是纯硝化甘油，是世界上最不稳定的物质。所以如果炸药放久了，这个小小的科学大会的东西就会把我们炸飞，把我们送过弗拉格斯塔夫山顶。” “你说话时大可不必那么气急败坏。”纳迪娜说。 “纳迪娜？我亲爱的？” 哈罗德平静地看着她，脸上毫无笑意。 "Shut up!" 她不再说话了，但也没有去散步，虽然她其实想去。当然，这如果是弗拉格的意志（而那个灵应牌乩板告诉她，哈罗德就是弗拉格对付委员会的手段），炸药就不会放得太久。即使它确实放久了，不到时候，它也不会爆炸的……不是吗？弗拉格到底有多大控制力呢？ 她告诉自己，足够了，他有足够的控制力。但她并没有把握，她越来越不安。她回过一次自己的家，乔不在了——这次不是坏事。她去见了露西，忍受了一会儿冷淡的接待，得知自从她搬去和哈罗德一起住以后，乔（当然露西叫他利奥）“又回到了以前的样子”。露西显然认为这都怪她……但如果弗拉格斯塔夫山火山爆发了，或是地震把珍珠街毁了，露西也会怪她的。当然，要不了多久，就会有许多人怪她和哈罗德的。然而她没有再看见乔，心里还是极其失望……没能和他吻别。她和哈罗德不会在自由之邦待多久了。 没关系，现在你开始干这样见不得人的事情了，彻底跟他脱离关系才是最好的。你只会害了他……还可能会害了自己，因为乔……看得见事情，知道事情。就让他不再是乔，我也不再是纳迪娜妈妈。让他永远回去做利奥吧。 但矛盾是无法解决的。她不相信自由之邦的人们还能活过一年，包括那个男孩子。他的意志不希望他们活下去…… ……所以说实话，并不只是哈罗德是他的工具。The same to you.你还一度认为瘟疫过后的世界里唯一不能原谅的罪恶就是谋杀，杀害一条生命…… 她突然发现自己希望炸药已经放久了，希望它会爆炸，把他们两个都结果掉。这是仁慈的结局。后来她又发现自己在设想等他们到了山那边之后会怎样，她感到腹部一阵暖流。 “行了。”哈罗德说。他已经把他的仪器放进了一个鞋盒里，放在一边。 “干完了？” “是啊，完了。” "Can it work?" “你想试试看吗？”他的话很刺耳，但她并不在意。他的目光贪婪地在她身上打量，她已经熟知了他这种小男孩般的方式。他从那个遥远的地方回来了——他在那遥远的地方写下的东西都在账本里，她看过之后，又随便地放回松动的壁炉砖下面。现在她能对付他了。现在他的话只是说说而已。 “我们上楼去吧，”她对他忽闪着睫毛。“我先去。” “行，”他声音嘶哑地说。他的额头上出现了细小的汗珠，但这次却不是因为恐惧。“先去吧。” 于是她先上去，她能够感到他看着她穿的小姑娘般的水手短裙。她裙子里面什么也没有穿。 门关上了，哈罗德做的东西在昏暗中摆在打开的鞋盒里。盒子里有一个电池驱动的步话机，后盖被取掉了。吕根炸药用电线和步话机连在一起。书仍然翻开着。书是博尔德公共图书馆的，书名是《65位国家科学大会奖获得者》。图上画的是门铃和步话机连在一起，和鞋盒里的步话机很像。图下面的说明写着：三等奖，1977年国家科学大会，布赖恩·鲍尔制作，佛蒙特·拉特兰。说一个词就能在12英里外打铃！ 那天晚上几个小时之后，哈罗德又下楼来，把鞋盒子盖上，小心翼翼地把它捧到楼上。他把它放在橱柜顶层。 那天下午拉尔夫·布伦特纳告诉他，自由之邦委员会邀请查德·诺里斯在下一次会议上讲话。那是什么时候？哈罗德随意地问了一句。拉尔夫说，是9月2日。 September 2.