Koontz, Dean - (unknown) by Koontz Dean

Author:Koontz, Dean [Koontz, Dean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 58

AGNES ALWAYS ENJOYED Christmas Eve dinner with Edom

and Jacob, because even they tempered their pessimism on

this night of nights. Whether the season touched their hearts or

they wanted even more than usual to please their sister, she

didn't know. If gentle Edom spoke of kil er tornadoes or if dear

Jacob was reminded of massive explosions, each dwelt not on

horrible death, as usual, but on feats of courage in the midst of

dire catastrophe, recounting astonishing rescues and

miraculous escapes.

With Barty's presence, Christmas Eve dinners had become

even more agreeable, especial y this year when he was almost-

three-going-on-twenty. He talked about the visits to friends that

he and his mother and Edom had made earlier in the day, about

Father Brown, as if that cleric-detective were real, about the

puddle-jumping toads that had been singing in the backyard

when he and his mother had arrived home from the cemetery,

and his chatter was engaging because it was ful of a child's

charm yet peppered with enough precocious observations to

make it of interest to adults.

From the corn soup to the baked ham to the plum pudding, he

did not speak of his dry walk in wet weather.

Agnes hadn't asked him to keep his strange feat a secret from

his uncles. In truth, she had come home in such a curious state

his uncles. In truth, she had come home in such a curious state

of mind that even as she'd worked with Jacob to prepare dinner

and even as she'd overseen Edom's setting of the table, she

hesitated to tel them what had happened on the run from Joey's

grave to the station wagon. She fluctuated between guarded

euphoria and fear bordering on panic, and she didn't trust

herself to recount the experience until she had taken more time

to absorb it. That night, in Barty's room, after Agnes had

listened to his prayers and then had tucked him in for the night,

she sat on the edge of his bed. "Honey, I was wondering.... Now

that you've had more time to think, could you explain to me what

happened?"

He rol ed his head back and forth on the pil ow. "Nope. It's stil

just something you gotta feel."

"Al the ways things are."

"Yeah."

"We'l need to talk about this a lot in the days to come, as we

both have more time to think about it."

"I figured."

Softened by a Shantung shade, the lamplight was golden on his

smal smooth face, but sapphire and emerald in his eyes.

"You didn't mention it to Uncle Edom or Uncle Jacob," she said.

"Better not."

"Why?"

"You were scared, huh?"

"Yes, I was." She didn't tel him that her fear had not been

al ayed by his assurances or by his second walk in the rain.

"And you," Barty said, "you're never scared of anything."

"You mean ... Edom and Jacob are already afraid of so much."

The boy nodded. "If we told 'em, maybe they'd have to wash

their shorts. "

"Where did you hear that expression," she demanded, though

she couldn't conceal her amusement.

Barty grinned mischievously. "One of the places we visited

today. Some big kids. They saw this scary movie, said they had

to wash their shorts after."

"Big kids aren't always smart just because they're big.

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