The Shining 原版小说-第34章
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kitchen and find her cup out with a tea bag in it。 She would remember that the
books were due at the library and find them all neatly piled up on the hall
table; her library card on top。 Or Jack would take it into his head to wax the
Volkswagen and find Danny already out there; listening to tinny top…forty music
on his crystal radio as he sat on the curb to watch。
Aloud she said; 〃Then why the nightmares now? Why did Tony tell him to lock
the bathroom door?〃
〃I believe it's because Tony has outlived his usefulness;〃 Edmonds said。 〃He
was born — Tony; not Danny — at a time when you and your husband were straining to
keep your marriage together。 Your husband was drinking too much。 There was the
incident of the broken arm。 The ominous quiet between you。〃
Ominous quiet; yes; that phrase was the real thing; anyway。 The stiff; tense
meals where the only conversation had been please pass the butter or Danny; eat
the rest of your carrots or may I be excused; please。 The nights when Jack was
gone and she had lain down; dry…eyed; on the couch while Danny watched TV。 The
mornings when she and Jack had stalked around each other like two angry cats
with a quivering; frightened mouse between them。 It all rang true;
(dear God; do old scars ever stop hurting?)
horribly; horribly true。
Edmonds resumed; 〃But things have changed。 You know; schizoid behavior is a
pretty mon thing in children。 It's accepted; because all we adults have this
unspoken agreement that children are lunatics。 They have invisible friends。 They
may go and sit in the closet when they're depressed; withdrawing from the world。
They attach talismanic importance to a special blanket; or a teddy bear; or a
stuffed tiger。 They suck their thumbs。 When an adult sees things that aren't
there; we consider him ready for the rubber room。 When a child says he's seen a
troll in his bedroom or a vampire outside the window; we simply smile
indulgently。 We have a one…sentence explanation that explains the whole range of
such phenomena in children — 〃
〃He'll grow out of it;〃 Jack said。
Edmonds blinked。 〃My very words;〃 he said。 〃Yes。 Now I would guess that Danny
was in a pretty good position to develop a full…fledged psychosis。 Unhappy home
life; a big imagination; the invisible friend who was so real to him that he
nearly became real to you。 Instead of ‘growing out of' his childhood
schizophrenia; he might well have grown into it。〃
〃And bee autistic?〃 Wendy asked。 She had read about autism。 The word itself
frightened her; it sounded like dread and white silence。
〃Possible but not necessarily。 He might simply have entered Tony's world
someday and never e back to what he calls ‘real things。' 〃
〃God;〃 Jack said。
〃But now the basic situation has changed drastically。 Mr。 Torrance no longer
drinks。 You are in a new place where conditions have forced the three of you
into a tighter family unit than ever before — certainly tighter than my own;
where my wife and kids may see me for only two or three hours a day。 To my mind;
he is in the perfect healing situation。 And I think the very fact that he is
able to differentiate so sharply between Tony's world and ‘real things' says a
lot about the fundamentally healthy state of his mind。 He says that you two are
no longer considering divorce。 Is he as right as I think he is?〃
〃Yes;〃 Wendy said; and Jack squeezed her hand tightly; almost painfully。 She
squeezed back。
Edmonds nodded。 〃He really doesn't need Tony anymore。 Danny is flushing him
out of his system。 Tony no longer brings pleasant visions but hostile nightmares
that are too frightening for him to remember except fragmentarily。 He
internalized Tony during a difficult — desperate — life situation; and Tony is not
leaving easily。 But he is leaving。 Your son is a little like a junkie kicking
the habit。〃
He stood up; and the Torrances stood also。
〃As I said; I'm not a psychiatrist。 If the nightmares are still continuing
when your job at the Overlook ends next spring; Mr。 Torrance; I would strongly
urge you to take him to this man in Boulder。〃
〃I will。〃
〃Well; let's go out and tell him he can go home;〃 Edmonds said。
〃I want to thank you;〃 Jack told him painfully。 〃I feel better about all this
than I have in a very long time。〃
〃So do I;〃 Wendy said。
At the door; Edmonds paused and looked at Wendy。 〃Do you or did you have a
sister; Mrs。 Torrance? Named Aileen?〃
Wendy looked at him; surprised。 〃Yes; I did。 She was killed outside our home
in Somersworth; New Hampshire; when she was six and I was ten。 She chased a ball
into the street and was struck by a delivery van。〃
〃Does Danny know that?〃
〃I don't know。 I don't think so。〃
〃He says you were thinking about her in the waiting room。〃
〃I was;〃 Wendy said slowly。 〃For the first time in 。。。 oh; I don't know how
long。〃
〃Does the word 'redrum' mean anything to either of you?〃
Wendy shook her head but Jack said; 〃He mentioned that word last night; just
before he went to sleep。 Red drum。〃
〃No; rum;〃 Edmonds corrected。 〃He was quite emphatic about that。 Rum。 As in
the drink。 The alcoholic drink。〃
〃Oh;〃 Jack said。 〃It fits in; doesn't it?〃 He took his handkerchief out of his
back pocket and wiped his lips with it。
〃Does the phrase ‘the shining' mean anything to you?〃
This time they both shook their heads。
〃Doesn't matter; I guess;〃 Edmonds said。 He opened the door into the waiting
room。 〃Anybody here named Danny Torrance that would like to go home?〃
〃Hi; Daddy! Hi; Mommy!〃 He stood up from the small table where he had been
leafing slowly through a copy of Where the Wild Things Are and muttering the
words he knew aloud。
He ran to Jack; who scooped him up。 Wendy ruffled his hair。
Edmonds peered at him。 〃If you don't love your mommy and daddy; you can stay
with good old Bill。〃
〃No; sir!〃 Danny said emphatically。 He slung one arm around Jack's neck; one
arm around Wendy's; and looked radiantly happy。
〃Okay;〃 Edmonds said; smiling。 He looked at Wendy。 〃You call if you have any
problems。〃
〃Yes。〃
〃I don't think you will;〃 Edmonds said; smiling。
》
THE SCRAPBOOK
Jack found the scrapbook on the first of November; while his wife and son were
hiking up the rutted old road that ran from behind the roque court to a deserted
sawmill two miles further up。 The fine weather still held; and all three of them
had acquired improbable autumn suntans。
He had gone down in the basement to knock the press down on the boiler and
then; on impulse; he had taken the flashlight from the shelf where the plumbing
schematics were and decided to look at some of the old papers。 He was also
looking for good places to set his traps; although he didn't plan to do that for
another month — I want them all to be home from vacation; he had told Wendy。
Shining the flashlight ahead of him; he stepped past the elevator shaft (at
Wendy's insistence they hadn't used the elevator since they moved in) and
through the small stone arch。 His nose wrinkled at the smell of rotting paper。
Behind him the boiler kicked on with a thundering whoosh; making him jump。
He flickered the light around; whistling tunelessly between his teeth。 There
was a scale…model Andes range down here: dozens of boxes and crates stuffed with
papers; most of them white and shapeless with age and damp。 Others had broken
open and spilled yellowed sheaves of paper onto the stone floor。 There were
bales of newspaper tied up with hayrope。 Some boxes contained what looked like
ledgers; and others contained invoices bound with rubber bands。 Jack pulled one
out and put the flashlight beam on it。
ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPRESS; INC。
To: OVERLOOK HOTEL
From: SIDEY'S WAREHOUSE; 1210 16th Street; Denver; CO。
Via: CANDIAN PACIFIC RR
Contents: 400 CASES DELSEY TOILET TISSUE; 1 GROSS/CASE
Signed D E F
Date August 24; 1954
Smiling; Jack let the paper drop back into the box。
He flashed the light above it and it speared a hanging lightbulb; almost
buried in cobwebs。 There was no chain pull。
He stood on tiptoe and tried screwing the bulb in。 It lit weakly。 He picked up
the toilet…paper invoice again and used it to wipe off some of the cobwebs。 The
glow didn't brighten much。
Still using the flashlight; he wandered through the boxes and bales of paper;
looking for rat spoor。 They had been here; but not for quite a long time 。。。
maybe years。 He found some droppings that were powdery with age; and several
nests of neatly shredded paper that were old and unused。
Jack pulled a newspaper from one of the bundles and glanced down at the
headline。
JOHNSON PROMISES ORDERLY TRANSITION
Says Work Begun by JFK Will Go Forward
in ing Year
The paper was the