sk.petsematary-第32部分

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　　There　was　something　wrong　about　that；　something　that　didn't　fit　with　something　Louis　had　been　previously　told；　but　he　was　too　tired　to　puzzle　out　the　discontinuity。　Jud　said　no　more；　only　looked　at　him　from　his　inscrutable　old　man's　eyes。
　　〃Goodnight；　Jud；〃　Louis　said。
　　〃Goodnight。〃
　　The　old　man　crossed　the　road；　carrying　his　pick　and　shovel。
　　〃Thanks！〃　Louis　called　impulsively。
　　Jud　didn't　turn；　he　only　raised　one　hand　to　indicate　he　had　heard。
　　And　in　the　house；　suddenly；　the　telephone　began　to　ring。
　　Louis　ran；　wincing　at　the　aches　that　flared　in　his　upper　thighs　and　lower　back；　but　by　the　time　he　had　gotten　into　the　warm　kitchen；　the　phone　had　already　rung　six　or　seven　times。　It　stopped　ringing　just　as　he　put　his　hand　on　it。　He　picked　it　up　anyway　and　said　hello；　but　there　was　only　the　open　hum。
　　That　was　Rachel；　he　thought。　I'll　call　her　back。
　　But　suddenly　it　seemed　like　too　much　work　to　dial　the　number；　to　dance　clumsily　with　her　mother…or　worse；　her　checkbook…brandishing　father…to　be　passed　on　to　Rachel　。　。　。　and　then　to　Ellie。　Ellie　would　still　be　up　of　course；　it　was　an　hour　earlier　in　Chicago。　Ellie　would　ask　him　how　Church　was　doing。
　　Great；　he's　fine。　Got　hit　by　an　Orinco　truck。　Somehow　I'm　absolutely　positive　it　was　an　Orinco　truck。　Anything　else　would　lack　dramatic　unity；　if　you　know　what　I　mean。　You　don't？　Well；　never　mind。　The　truck　killed　him　but　didn't　mark　him　up　hardly　at　all。　Jud　and　I　planted　him　up　in　the　old　Micmac　burying　ground…　sort　of　an　annex　to　the　Pet　Sematary；　if　you　know　what　I　mean。　Amazing　walk；　punkin。　I'll　take　you　up　there　sometime　and　we'll　put　flowers　by　his　marker…excuse　me；　his　cairn。　After　the　quicksand's　frozen　over；　that　is；　and　the　bears　go　to　sleep　for　the　winter。
　　He　rehung　the　telephone；　crossed　to　the　sink；　and　filled　it　with　hot　water。　He　removed　his　shirt　and　washed。　He　had　been　sweating　like　a　pig　in　spite　of　the　cold；　and　a　pig　was　exactly　what　he　smelled　like。
　　There　was　some　leftover　meatloaf　in　the　refrigerator。　Louis　cut　it　into　slabs；　put　them　on　a　slice　of　Roman　Meal　bread；　and　added　two　thick　rounds　of　Bermuda　onion。　He　contemplated　this　for　a　moment　before　dousing　it　with　ketchup　and　slamming　down　another　slice　of　bread。　If　Rachel　and　Ellie　had　been　around；　they　would　have　wrinkled　their　noses　in　identical　gestures　of　distaste…　yuck；　gross。
　　Well；　you　missed　it；　ladies；　Louis　thought　with　undeniable　satisfaction　and　gobbled　his　sandwich。　It　tasted　great。　Confucius　say　he　who　smell　like　pig　eat　like　wolf；　he　thought　and　smiled。　He　chased　the　sandwich　with　several　long　swallows　of　milk　directly　from　the　carton…another　habit　Rachel　frowned　on　strenuously…　and　then　he　went　upstairs；　undressed；　and　got　into　bed　without　even　washing　his　teeth。　His　aches　and　pains　had　faded　to　one　low　throb　that　was　almost　forting。
　　His　watch　was　there　where　he　had　left　it；　and　he　looked　at　it。　Ten　minutes　of　nine。　It　really　was　incredible。
　　Louis　turned　off　the　light；　turned　over　on　his　side；　and　slept。
　　He　woke　up　sometime　after　three　the　next　morning　and　shuffled　to　the　bathroom；　He　was　standing　there　urinating；　blinking　owlishly　in　the　bright　white　fluorescent　bathroom　light；　when　the　discrepancy　suddenly　showed　up　in　his　mind；　and　his　eyes　widened…it　was　as　if　two　pieces　of　something　which　should　have　fitted　together　perfectly　had　instead　thudded　against　one　another　and　rebounded。
　　Tonight　Jud　had　told　him　that　his　dog　had　died　when　he　was　ten…had　died　of　infection　after　being　scraped　up　in　a　snarl　of　rusty　barbed　wire。　But　on　the　late…summer　day　when　all　of　them　had　walked　up　to　the　Pet　Sematary　together；　Jud　said　that　his　dog　had　died　of　old　age　and　was　buried　there…he　had　even　pointed　out　the　marker；　although　the　years　had　worn　the　inscription　away。
　　Louis　flushed　the　toilet；　turned　out　the　light；　and　went　back　to　bed。　Something　else　was　wrong；　as　well…and　in　a　moment　he　had　it。　Jud　had　been　born　with　the　century；　and　that　day　at　the　Pet　Sematary　he　had　told　Louis　his　dog　had　died　during　the　first　year　of　the　Great　War。　That　would　have　been　when　Jud　was　fourteen；　if　he　had　meant　when　the　war　actually　started　in　Europe。　When　he　was　seventeen；　if　he　had　meant　when　America　entered　the　war。
　　But　tonight　he　had　said　that　Spot　died　when　he；　Jud；　was　ten。　Well；　he's　an　old　man；　and　old　men　get　confused　in　their　memories；　he　thought　uneasily。　He's　said　himself　that　he's　noticed　signs　of　increasing　forgetfulness…groping　for　names　and　addresses　that　used　to　e　to　him　easily；　sometimes　getting　up　in　the　morning　and　having　no　memory　of　the　chores　he　planned　to　do　just　the　night　before。　For　a　man　of　his　age；　he's　getting　off　pretty　goddamned　light。　。　。　senility's　probably　too　strong　a　word　for　it　in　Jud's　case；　forgetfulness　is　actually　better；　more　accurate。　Nothing　too　surprising　about　a　man　forgetting　when　a　dog　died　some　seventy　years　ago。　Or　the　circumstances　in　which　it　died；　for　that　matter。　Forget　it；　Louis。
　　But　he　wasn't　able　to　fall　asleep　again　right　away；　for　a　long　while　he　lay　awake；　too　conscious　of　the　empty　house　and　the　wind　that　whined　around　the　eaves　outside　it。
　　At　some　point　he　slept　without　even　being　aware　that　he　had　gone　over　the　edge；　it　must　have　been　so；　because　as　he　slipped　away；　it　seemed　to　him　that　he　heard　bare　feet　slowly　climbing　the　stairs　and　that　he　thought；　Let　me　alone；　Pascow；　let　me　alone；　what's　done　is　done　and　what's　dead　is　dead…and　the　steps　faded　away。
　　And　although　a　great　many　other　inexplicable　things　happened　as　that　year　darkened；　Louis　was　never　bothered　by　the　specter　of　Victor　Pascow　again；　either　waking　or　dreaming。
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　　He　awoke　at　nine　the　next　morning。　Bright　sunshine　streamed　in　the　bedroom's　east　windows。　The　telephone　was　ringing。　Louis　reached　up　and　snared　it。　〃Hello？〃
　　〃Hi！〃　Rachel　said。　〃Did　I　wake　you　up？　Hope　so。〃
　　〃You　woke　me　up；　you　bitch；〃　he　said；　smiling。
　　〃Ooooh；　such　nasty　language；　you　bad　old　bear；〃　she　said。　〃I　tried　to　call　you　last　night。　Were　you　over　at　Jud's？〃
　　He　hesitated　for　only　the　tiniest　fraction　of　a　moment。　〃Yes；〃　he　said。　〃Had　a　few　beers。　Norma　was　up　at　some　sort　of　Thanksgiving　supper。　I　thought　about　giving　you　a　ring；　but　you　know。〃
　　They　chatted　awhile。　Rachel　updated　him　on　her　family；　something　he　could　have　done　without；　although　he　took　a　small；　mean　satisfaction　in　the　news　that　her　father's　bald　spot　seemed　to　be　expanding　at　a　faster　rate。
　　〃You　want　to　talk　to　Gage？〃　Rachel　asked。
　　Louis　grinned。　〃Yeah；　I　guess　so；〃　he　said。　〃Don't　let　him　hang　up　the　phone　like　he　did　the　other　time。〃
　　Much　rattling　at　the　other　end。　Dimly　he　heard　Rachel　cajoling　the　kid　to　say　hi；　Daddy。
　　At　last　Gage　said；　〃Hi；　Dayee。〃
　　〃Hi；　Gage；〃　Louis　said　cheerfully。　〃How　you　doing？　How's　your　life？　Did　you　pull　over　your　grandda's　pipe　rack　again？　I　certainly　hope　so。　Maybe　this　time　you　can　trash　his　stamp　collection　as　well。〃
　　Gage　babbled　on　happily　for　thirty　seconds　or　so；　interspersing　his　gobbles　and　grunts　with　a　few　recognizable　words　from　his　growing　vocabulary…mommy；　Ellie；　grandda；　grandma；　car　（pronounced　in　the　best　Yankee　tradition　as　kaaa；　Louis　was　amused　to　note）；　twuck；　and　shit。
　　At　last　Rachel　pried　the　phone　away　from　him　to　Gage's　wail　of　indignation　and　Louis's　measured　relief…he　loved　his　son　and　missed　him　like　mad；　but　holding　a　conversation　with　a　not…quite…two…year…old　was　a　little　bit　like　trying　to　play　cribbage　with　a　lunatic；　the　cards　kept　going　everywhere　and　sometimes　you　found　yourself　pegging　backwards。
　　〃So　how's　everything　there？〃　Rachel　asked。
　　〃Okay；〃　Louis　said；　with　no　hesitation　at　all　this　time…but　he　was　aware　he　had　crossed　a　line；　back　when　Rachel　had　asked　him　if　he　had　gone　over　to　Jud's　last　night　and　he　told　her　he　had。　In　his　mind　he　suddenly　heard　Jud　Crandall　saying；　The　soil　of　a　man's　heart　is　stonier；　Louis。　。　。　a　man　grows　what　he　can　and　he　tends　ft。　〃Well。　。　。　a　little　dull；　if　you　want　to　know　the　God's　honest。　Miss　you。〃
　　〃You　actually　mean　to　tell　me　you're　not　enjoying　your　vacation　from　this　sideshow？〃
　　〃Oh；　I　like　the　quiet；〃　he　admitted；　〃sure。　But　it　gets　strange　after　the　first　twenty…f