Black Dog by Neil Gaiman

Author:Neil Gaiman [Gaiman, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, sf, fantasy, kindle
ISBN: 9781472246677
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2016-11-03T00:00:00+00:00

V

The Living and the Dead

Oliver was out of his room when Shadow got back to the house, sitting in the warm kitchen, a mug of tea by his side, reading a book on Roman architecture. He was dressed, and he had shaved his chin and trimmed his beard. He was wearing pyjamas, with a plaid bathrobe over them.

‘I’m feeling a bit better,’ he said, when he saw Shadow. Then, ‘Have you ever had this? Been depressed?’

‘Looking back on it, I guess I did. When my wife died,’ said Shadow. ‘Everything went flat. Nothing meant anything for a long time.’

Oliver nodded. ‘It’s hard. Sometimes I think the black dog is a real thing. I lie in bed thinking about the painting of Fuseli’s nightmare on a sleeper’s chest. Like Anubis. Or do I mean Set? Big black thing. What was Set anyway? Some kind of donkey?’

‘I never ran into Set,’ said Shadow. ‘He was before my time.’

Oliver laughed. ‘Very dry. And they say you Americans don’t do irony.’ He paused. ‘Anyway. All done now. Back on my feet. Ready to face the world.’ He sipped his tea. ‘Feeling a bit embarrassed. All that Hound of the Baskervilles nonsense behind me now.’

‘You really have nothing to be embarrassed about,’ said Shadow, reflecting that the English found embarrassment wherever they looked for it.

‘Well. All a bit silly, one way or another. And I really am feeling much perkier.’

Shadow nodded. ‘If you’re feeling better, I guess I should start heading south.’

‘No hurry,’ said Oliver. ‘It’s always nice to have company. Moira and I don’t really get out as much as we’d like. It’s mostly just a walk up to the pub. Not much excitement here, I’m afraid.’

Moira came in from the garden. ‘Anyone seen the secateurs? I know I had them. Forget my own head next.’

Shadow shook his head, uncertain what secateurs were. He thought of telling the couple about the cats on the hill, and how they had behaved, but could not think of a way to describe it that would explain how odd it was. So, instead, without thinking, he said, ‘I ran into Cassie Burglass on Wod’s Hill. She pointed out the Gateway to Hell.’

They were staring at him. The kitchen had become awkwardly quiet. He said, ‘She was drawing it.’

Oliver looked at him and said, ‘I don’t understand.’

‘I’ve run into her a couple of times since I got here,’ said Shadow.

‘What?’ Moira’s face was flushed. ‘What are you saying?’ And then, ‘Who the, who the fuck are you to come in here and say things like that?’

‘I’m, I’m nobody,’ said Shadow. ‘She just started talking to me. She said that you and she used to be together.’

Moira looked as if she were going to hit him. Then she just said, ‘She moved away after we broke up. It wasn’t a good breakup. She was very hurt. She behaved appallingly. Then she just up and left the village in the night. Never came back.’

‘I don’t want to talk about that woman,’ said Oliver, quietly.

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