The Brains of Rats (Valancourt 20th Century Classics) by Michael Blumlein

Author:Michael Blumlein [Blumlein, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: azw
Publisher: Valancourt Books
Published: 2015-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

I forget much of what happened after that, except that by the time Curtis arrived home I had disposed of the glass and the mirror casing. I was wearing a different pair of slacks, and even now am not quite sure what became of the others. I tried to explain what had happened but was hardly coherent: large pieces of the afternoon had somehow vanished from my memory. I felt self-conscious and not a little embarrassed. Curtis was grumpy from a bad day at work, and it was easiest to forget the whole matter. We had a quick dinner and went to bed early. That night the nightmares returned.

Over the course of the next weeks the situation at home deteriorated. Curtis’s job became more and more demanding, and many evenings passed when I ate dinner alone. Tanya reacted by clinging more to me, though whether this was due to Curtis’s absence or the other pressures that were building, I’m not sure. Regardless, her newfound insecurity came at a time when I had little extra to give. I was engaged in a battle of my own.

Shortly after the episode with the mirror I quit my summer post with the university. It had become too difficult to concentrate on even minor tasks when the safety of my home and family was at stake. I resolved to do what was necessary to eliminate the threat.

As I began to spend more time at home, I realized how timely my decision had been. New intrusions were coming daily from the neighboring house, and it took every effort to neutralize them. After removing all mirrors and reflecting glass, I scrubbed the walls with cleanser. Even so, discolored areas remained, and there were cracks through which cold drafts blew even on windless days. On the floor I found several patches of rug that had been unnaturally frayed and a carpet tack that had somehow worked its way loose. Dust and lint seemed to accumulate ever faster, and I had to begin vacuuming twice daily. That, I think, was in October. Two weeks ago the smell began.

It started in the basement but after a day or two came to occupy the whole house. I presumed at first an impaction of unusually thick waste in one of the sewage lines, but neither toilet nor sink in all the house was affected. Next I imagined that some hitherto unknown septic system, only now discovered, liberated, perhaps, by the deep burrowing of some rodent had been disrupted. The supposition was preposterous, but at the time I was quite willing to go to any length of self-deception. And yet even then I suppose I knew the source.

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