| 2:46a |
@@@@@And its barrel was plastic rather
@@@@@And its barrel was plastic rather than
stainless steel
"You might want a look at this before you go
giving away kisses, though," I said"It came from
the glove compartment of Jack Cantori's carThe
one with Perse inside is locked in Elizabeth's
safe
The thing froze, and when it did, the wind off the
Gulf tore away the last semblance of humanityIn
that moment I was confronting nothing but a
whirling sand-devilI took no chances, however;
it had been a long day, and I had no intention of
taking chances, especially if my daughter were
somewhereand waiting
for her final restI swung my arm as hard as I
could, the flashlight clamped in my fist and Nan
Melda's silver bracelets sliding down my arm to my
wristI had cleaned them carefully in the kitchen
sink at El Palacio, and they jingled
I had one of the silver-tipped harpoons stuck in
my belt, behind my left hip, for good measure, but
I didn't need itThe sand-devil exploded outward
and upwardA scream of rage and pain went through
my headThank God it was brief, or I think it
1106
would have torn me apartThen there was nothing
but the sound of the shells under Big Pink and a
brief dimming of the stars over the dunes to my
right as the last of the sand blew away in a
disorganized flurryThe Gulf was once more empty
except for the moon-gilded rollers, marching in
toward shoreThe Perse had gone, if it had ever
been there
The strength ran out of my legs and I sat down
with a thumpMaybe I'd end up doing the Crawly-
Gator the rest of the way, after allIf so, Big
Pink wasn't farRight now I thought I'd just sit
here and listen to the shellsThen
maybe I'd be able to get up and walk those last
twenty yards or so, go in, and call WiremanTell
him I was all rightTell him it was done, that
Jack could come and pick me up
But for now I would just sit here and listen to
the shells, which no longer seemed to be talking
in my voice, or anyone else's |