按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
For a moment Louis saw the Pet Sematary as a kind of advertisement 。 。 。 a e…on； like the kind they gave you on freak alley at the carnival。 They'd bring out the fire…eater and you got to watch his show for free because the owners knew you wouldn't buy the steak unless you saw the sizzle； you wouldn't cough up the cash if you didn't see the flash… Those graves； those graves in their almost Druidic circles。
The graves in the Pet Sematary mimed the most ancient religious symbol of all： diminishing circles indicating a spiral leading down； not to a point； but to infinity； order from chaos or chaos from order； depending on which way your mind worked。 It was a symbol the Egyptians had chiseled on the tombs of the Pharaohs； a symbol the Phoenicians had drawn on the barrows of their fallen kings； it was found on cave walls in ancient Mycenae； the guildkings of Stonehenge had created it as a clock to time the universe； it appeared in the Judeo…Christian Bible as the whirlwind from which God had spoken to Job。
The spiral was the oldest sign of power in the world； man's oldest symbol of that twisty bridge which may exist between the world and the Gulf。
Louis reached Gage's grave at last。 The payloader was gone。 The Astroturf had been removed； rolled up by some whistling workman with his mind on an after…work beer at the Fairmount Lounge； stored in an equipment shed somewhere。 Where Gage lay there was a neat rectangle of bare； raked earth； perhaps five feet by three feet。 The headstone had not been set up yet。
Louis kneeled。 The wind blew through his hair； tumbling it。 The sky was almost entirely dark now。 It raced with clouds。
No one has shone a light in my face and asked me what I'm doing here。 No watchdog has barked。 The gate was unlocked。 The days of the Resurrection Men are past。 If I came up here with a pick and a shovel… He came back to himself with a jerk。 He was only playing a dangerous mind game with himself if he pretended that Pleasant…view stood unwatched during the night hours。 Suppose he was discovered belly…deep in his son's new grave by the caretaker or the watchman？ It might not get into the papers； but then again it might。 He might be charged with a crime。 What crime？ Grave robbing？ Unlikely。 Malicious mischief or vandalism would be more likely。 And in the paper or out of it； the word would get around。 People would talk； it was a story too juicy not to be told：
Local doctor is discovered digging up his two…year…old son； recently killed in a tragic road accident。 He would lose his job。 Even if not； Rachel would be chilled by the wind of such tales； and Ellie might be harried by them at school until her life was a misery of chanting children。 There might be the humiliation of a sanity test in exchange for dropping charges。
But I could bring Gage back to life！ Gage could live again！
Did he really； actually believe that？
The fact was that he did。 He had told himself time and time again； both before Gage's death and after it； that Church had not really been dead； only stunned。 That Church had dug his way out and e home。 A kiddie story with gruesome undertones…
Winnie the Poe。 Master unwittingly piles a cairn of stones over a living animal。 Faithful beast digs itself out and es home。 Fine。 Except it was not true。 Church had been dead。 The Micmac burying ground had brought it back to life。
He sat by Gage's grave； trying to place all the known ponents in an order as rational and logical as this dark magic would allow。
Timmy Baterman； now。 First； did he believe the story？ And second； did it make a difference？
In spite of its convenience； he believed most of it。 It was undeniable that if a place like the Micmac burying ground existed （as it did） and if people knew of it （as a few of the older Ludlowites did）； then sooner or later someone would try the experiment。 Human nature as Louis understood it made it more difficult to believe that it had stopped at a few pets and valuable breed animals。
All right； then…did he also believe that Timmy Baterman had been transformed into some sort of all…knowing daemon？
That was a more difficult question； and he was wary of it because he didn't want to believe it； and he had seen the results of that sort of mind…set before。
No； he did not want to believe Timmy Baterman had been a daemon； but he would not…absolutely could not…allow himself to let what he wanted cloud his judgment。
Louis thought about Hanratty； the bull。 Hanratty； Jud said； had turned mean。 So； in his way； had Timmy Baterman。 Hanratty had later been 〃put down〃 by the same man who had somehow dragged the bull's body up to the Micmac burying ground on a sledge。 Timmy Baterman had been 〃put down〃 by his father。
But because Hanratty had gone bad； did that mean that all animals went bad？ No。 Hanratty the bull did not prove the general case； Hanratty was in fact an exception to the general case。 Look back at the other animals…Jud's dog Spot； the old woman's parakeet； Church himself。 They had all e back changed； and the change had been noticeable in all cases； but in the case of Spot； at least； the change hadn't been so great that Jud had forborne to remend the process of。 。 。 of。 。
（resurrection）
Yes； of resurrection to a friend years later。 Of course； farther down the line he had tried to justify and hem and haw； and had spouted a lot of ominous； confused bullshit that could not even rightly be called philosophy。
How could he refuse to take the chance available to him…this one； unbelievable chance…on the basis of the Timmy Baterman story？ One swallow did not a summer make。
You're slanting all the evidence in favor 'of the conclusion you want to produce； his mind protested。 At least tell yourself the goddamned truth about the change in Church。 Even if you want to disqualify the animals…the mice and the birds…what about the way he is？ Muddled。 。 。 that's the best word of all； that sums it up。 The day we were out with the kite。 You remember how Gage was that day？ How vibrant and alive he was； reacting to everything？ Wouldn't it be better to remember him that way？ Do you want to resurrect a zombie from a grade…B horror picture？ Or even something so prosaic as a retarded little boy？ A boy who eats with his fingers and stares blankly at images on the TV screen and who will never learn to write his own name？ What did Jud say about his dog？ 〃It was like washing a piece of meat。〃 Is that what you want？ A piece of breathing meat？ And even if you're able to be satisfied with that； how do you explain the return of your son from the dead to your wife？ To your daughter？ To Steve Masterton？ To the world？ What happens the first time Missy Dandridge pulls into the driveway and sees Gage riding his trike in the yard？ Can't you hear her screams； Louis？ Can't you see her harrowing her face with her fingernails？ What do you say to the reporters？ What do you say when a film crew from 〃Real People〃 turns up on your doorstep； wanting to shoot film of your resurrected son？
Did any of this really matter； or was it only the voice of cowardice？ Did he believe these things could not be dealt With？ That Rachel would greet her dead son with anything but tears of joy？
Yes； he supposed there was a real possibility that Gage might return 。 。 。 well 。 。 。 diminished。 But would that change the quality of his love？ Parents loved children who were born blind； children born as Siamese twins； children who were born with their guts abysmally rearranged。 Parents pled for judicial mercy or executive clemency on behalf of children who had grown up to mit rape and murder and the torture of the innocent。
Did he believe it would be impossible for him to love Gage even if Gage had to go on wearing diapers until he was eight？ If he did not master the first…grade primer until he was twelve？ If he never mastered it at all？ Could he simply dismiss his son as a sort of divine abortion； when there was another recourse？
But； Louis； my God； you don't live in a vacuum！ People will say… He cut that thought off with rude； angry force。 Of all the things not to consider now； public notice was probably the greatest of them。
Louis glanced down at the raked dirt of Ga