sk.petsematary-第9部分

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entury　English　coachmen；　sitting　imperially　behind　the　wheel。
　　He　had　been　model…crazy　since　his　tenth　year。　He　had　begun　with　a　World　War　I　Sped　that　his　Uncle　Carl　had　bought　him；　had　worked　his　way　through　most　of　the　Revell　airplanes；　and　had　moved　on　to　bigger　and　better　things　in　his　teens　and　twenties。　There　had　been　a　boats…in…bottles　phase　and　a　war…machines　phase　and　even　a　phase　in　which　he　had　built　guns　so　realistic　it　was　hard　to　believe　they　wouldn't　fire　when　you　pulled　the　trigger…Colts　and　Winchesters　and　Lugers；　even　a　Buntline　Special。　Over　the　last　five　years　or　so；　it　had　been　the　big　cruise　ships。　A　model　of　the　Lusitania　and　one　of　the　Titanic　sat　on　his　shelves　at　his　university　office；　and　the　Andrea　Doria；　pleted　just　before　they　left　Chicago；　was　currently　cruising　the　mantel…piece　in　their　living　room。　Now　he　had　moved　on　to　classic　cars；　and　if　previous　patterns　held　true；　he　supposed　it　would　be　four　or　five　years　before　the　urge　to　do　something　new　struck　him。　Rachel　looked　on　this；　his　only　real　hobby；　with　a　wifely　indulgence　that　held；　he　supposed；　some　elements　of　contempt；　even　after　ten　years　of　marriage　she　probably　thought　he　would　grow　out　of　it。　Perhaps　some　of　this　attitude　came　from　her　father；　who　believed　just　as　much　now　as　at　the　time　Louis　and　Rachel　had　married　that　he　had　gotten　an　asshole　for　a　son…in…law。
　　Maybe；　he　thought；　Rachel　is　right。　Maybe　I'll　just　wake　up　one　morning　at　the　age　of　thirty…seven；　put　all　these　models　up　in　the　attic；　and　take　up　hang　gliding。
　　Meanwhile　Ellie　looked　serious。
　　Far　away；　drifting　in　the　clear　air；　he　could　hear　that　perfect　Sunday　morning　sound　of　churchbells　calling　worshippers。
　　〃Hi；　Dad；〃　she　said。
　　〃Hello；　pumpkin。　Wass　happenin？〃
　　〃Oh；　nothing；〃　she　said；　but　her　face　said　differently；　her　face　said　that　plenty　was　up；　and…none　of　it　was　so　hot；　thank　you　very　much。　Her　hair　was　fleshly　washed　and　fell　loose　to　her　shoulders。　In　this　light　it　was　still　more　blond　than　the　brown　it　was　inevitably　being。　She　was　wearing　a　dress；　and　it　occurred　to　Louis　that　his　daughter　almost　always　put　on　a　dress　on　Sundays；　although　they　did　not　attend　church。　〃What　are　you　building？〃
　　Carefully　gluing　on　a　mudguard；　he　told　her。　〃Look　at　this；〃　he　said；　carefully　banding　her　a　hubcap。　〃See　those　linked　R's？　That's　a　nice　detail；　huh？　If　we　fly　back　to　Shytown　for　Thanksgiving　and　we　get　on　an　L…10l　1；　you　look　Out　at　the　jet　engines　and　you'll　see　those　same　R's。〃
　　〃Hubcap；　big　deal。　〃She　handed　it　back。
　　〃Please；〃　he　said。　〃If　you　own　a　Rolls…Royce；　you　call　that　a　wheel　covering。　If　you're　rich　enough　to　own　a　Rolls；　you　can　strut　a　little。　When　I　make　my　second　million；　I'm　going　to　buy　myself　one。　Rolls…Royce　iche。　Then　when　Gage　gets　carsick；　he　can　throw　up　into　real　leather。〃　And　just　by　the　way；　Ellie；　what's　on　your　mind？　But　it　didn't　work　that　way　with　Ellie。　You　didn't　ask　things　right　out。　She　was　wary　of　giving　too　much　of　herself　away。　It　was　a　trait　Louis　admired。
　　〃Are　we　rich；　Daddy？〃
　　〃No；〃　he　said；　〃but　we're　not　going　away　to　starve　either。〃
　　〃Michael　Burns　at　school　says　all　doctors　are　rich。〃
　　〃Well；　you　tell　Michael　Burns　at　school　that　lots　of　doctors　get　rich；　but　it　takes　twenty　years。　。　and　you　don't　get　rich　running　a　university　infirmary。　You　get　rich　being　a　specialist。　A　gynecologist　or　an　orthopedist　or　a　neurologist。　They　get　rich　quicker。　For　utility　infielders　like　me；　it　takes　longer。〃
　　〃Then　why　don't　you　be　a　specialist；　Daddy？〃
　　Louis　thought　of　his　models　again　and　of…the　way　he　had　one　day　just　not　wanted　to　build　any　more　warplanes；　the　way　he　had　likewise　gotten　tired　of　Tiger　tanks　and　gun　emplacements；　the　way　he　had　e　to　believe　（almost　overnight；　it　seemed　in　retrospect）　that　building　boats　in　bottles　was　pretty　dumb；　and　then　he　thought　of　what　it　would　be　like　to　spend　your　whole　life　inspecting　children's　feet　for　hammertoe　or　putting　on　the　thin　Latex　gloves　so　you　could　grope　along　some　woman's　vaginal　canal　with　one　educated　finger；　feeling　for　bumps　or　lesions。
　　〃I　just　wouldn't　like　it；〃　he　said。
　　Church　came　into　the　office；　paused；　inspected　the　situation　with　his　bright　green　eyes。　He　leaped　silently　onto　the　windowsill　and　appeared　to　go　to　sleep。
　　Ellie　glanced　at　him　and　frowned；　which　struck　Louis　as　exceedingly　odd。　Usually　Ellie　looked　at　Church　with　an　expression　of　love　so　sappy　it　was　almost　painful。　She　began　to　walk　around　the　office；　looking　at　various　models；　and　in　a　voice　that　was　nearly　casual；　she　said；　〃Boy；　there　were　a　lot　of　graves　up　in　the　Pet　Sematary；　weren't　there？〃
　　Ah；　here's　the　nub；　Louis　thought　but　did　not　look　around；　after　examining　his　instructions；　he　began　putting　the　carriage　lamps　on　the　Rolls。
　　〃There　were；〃　he　said。　〃Better　than　a　hundred；　I'd　say。〃
　　〃Daddy；　why　don't　pets　live　as　long　as　people？〃
　　〃Well；　some　animals　do　live　about　as　long；〃　he　said；　〃and　some　live　much　longer。　Elephants　live　a　very　long　time；　and　there　are　some　sea　turtles　so　old　that　people　really　don't　know　how　old　they　are　。　。　。　or　maybe　they　do；　and　they　just　can't　believe　it。〃
　　Ellie　dismissed　these　simply　enough。　〃Elephants　and　sea　turtles　aren't　pets。　Pets　don't　live　very　long　at　all。　Michael　Burns　says　that　every　year　a　dog　lives；　it's　like　nine　of　our　years。〃
　　〃Seven；〃　Louis　corrected　automatically。　〃I　see　what　you're　getting　at；　honey；　and　there'&　some　truth　to　it。　A　dog　who　lives　to　be　twelve　is　an　old　dog。　See；　there's　this　thing　called　metabolism；　and　what　metabolism　seems　to　do　is　tell　time。　Oh；　it　does　other　stuff　too…some　people　can　eat　a　lot　and　stay　thin　because　of　their　metabolism；　like　your　mother。　Other　people…me；　for　instance…just　can't　eat　as　much　without　getting　fat。　Our　metabolisms　are　different；　that's　all。　But　what　metabolism　seems　to　do　most　of　all　is　to　serve　living　things　as　a　body　clock。　Dogs　have　a　fairly　rapid　metabolism。　The　metabolism　of　human　beings　is　much　slower。　We　live　to　be　about　seventy…two；　most　of　us。　And　believe　me；　seventy…two　years　is　a　very　long　time。〃
　　Because　Ellie　looked　really　worried；　he　hoped　he　sounded　more　sincere　than　he　actually　felt。　He　was　thirty…five；　and　it　seemed　to　him　that　those　years　had　passed　as　quickly　and　ephemerally　as　a　momentary　draft　under　a　door。　〃Sea　turtles；　now；　have　an　even　slower　metabo…〃
　　〃What　about　cats？〃　Ellie　asked　and　looked　at　Church　again。
　　〃Well；　cats　live　as　long　as　dogs；〃　he　said；　〃mostly；　anyway。〃　This　was　a　lie；　and　he　knew　it。　Cats　lived　violent　lives　and　often　died　bloody　deaths；　always　just　below　the　usual　range　of　human　sight。　Here　was　Church；　dozing　in　the　sun　（or　appearing　to）；　Church　who　slept　peacefully　on　his　daughter's　bed　every　night；　Church　who　had　been　so　cute　as　a　kitten；　all　tangled　up　in　a　ball　of　string。　And　yet　Louis　had　seen　him　stalk　a　bird　with　a　broken　wing；　his　green　eyes　sparkling　with　curiosity　and…yes；　Louis　would　have　sworn　it…cold　delight。　He　rarely　killed　what　he　stalked；　but　there　had　been　one　notable　exception…a　large　rat；　probably　caught　in　the　alley　between　their　apartment　house　and　the　next。　Church　had　really　put　the　blocks　to　that　baby。　It　had　been　so　bloody　and　gore…flecked　that　Rachel；　then　in　her　sixth　month　with　Gage；　had　had　to　run　into　the　bathroom　and　vomit。　Violent　lives；　violent　deaths。　A　dog　got　them　and　ripped　them　open　instead　of　just　chasing　them　like　the　bumbling；　easily　fooled　dogs　in　the　TV　cartoons；　or　another　torn　got　them；　or　a　poisoned　bait；　or　a　passing　car。　Cats　were　the　gangsters　of　the　animal　world；　living　outside　the　law　and　often　dying　there。　There　were　a　great　many　of　them　who　never　grew　old　by　the　fire。
　　But　those　were　maybe　not　things　to　tell　your　five…year…old　daughter；　who　was　for　the　first　time　examining　the　facts　of　death。
　　〃I　mean；〃　he　said；　〃Church　is　only　three　now；　and　you're　five。　He　might　still　be　alive　when　you're　fifteen；　a　sophomore　in　high　school。　And　that's　a　long　time　away。〃
　　〃It　doesn't　seem　long　to　me；〃　Ellie　said；　and　now　her　voice　trembled。　〃Not　long　at　all。〃　…
　　Louis　gave　up　the　pretense　of　working　on　his　model　and　gestured　for　her　to　e。　She　sat　on　his　lap；　and　he　was　again　struck　by　he