keep up with them pretty good when we had the old wood…burning furnace； but now
they've got all out of hand。 Some year I got to get a boy to haul them down to
Sidewinder and burn em。 If Ullman will stand the expense。 I guess he will if I
holler ‘rat' loud enough。〃
〃Then there are rats？〃
〃Yeah； I guess there's some。 I got the traps and the poison Mr。 Ullman wants
you to use up in the attic and down here。 You keep a good eye on your boy； Mr。
Torrance。 You wouldn't want nothing to happen to him。〃
〃No； I sure wouldn't。〃 ing from Watson the advice didn't sting。
They went to the stairs and paused there for a moment while Watson blew his
nose again。
〃You'll find all the tools you need out there and some you don't； I guess。 And
there's the shingles。 Did Ullman tell you about that？〃
〃Yes； he wants part of the west roof reshingled。〃
〃Hell get all the for…free out of you that he can； the fat little prick； and
then whine around in the spring about how you didn't do the job half right。 I
told him once right to his face； I said 。。。〃
Watson's words faded away to a forting drone as they mounted the stairs。
Jack Torrance looked back over his shoulder once into the impenetrable； musty…
smelling darkness and thought that if there was ever a place that should have
ghosts； this was it。 He thought of Grady； locked in by the soft； implacable
snow； going quietly berserk and mitting his atrocity。 Did they scream？ he
wondered。 Poor Grady； feeling it close in on him more every day； and knowing at
last that for him spring would never e。 He shouldn't have been here。 And he
shouldn't have lost his temper。
As he followed Watson through the door； the words echoed back to him like a
knell； acpanied by a sharp snap…like a breaking pencil lead。 Dear God； he
could use a drink。 Or a thousand of them。
》
SHADOWLAND
Danny weakened and went up for his milk and cookies at quarter past four。 He
gobbled them while looking out the window； then went in to kiss his mother； who
was lying down。 She suggested that he stay in and watch 〃Sesame Street〃 — the
time would pass faster — but he shook his head firmly and went back to his place
on the curb。
Now it was five o'clock； and although he didn't have a watch and couldn't tell
time too well yet anyway； he was aware of passing time by the lengthening of the
shadows； and by the golden cast that now tinged the afternoon light。
Turning the glider over in his hands； he sang under his breath： 〃Skip to m
Lou； n I don't care 。。。 skip to m Lou； n I don't care 。。。 my master's gone
away 。。。 Lou； Lou； skip to In Lou。。。〃
They had sung that song all together at the Jack and Jill Nursery School he
had gone to back in Stovington。 He didn't go to nursery school out here because
Daddy couldn't afford to send him anymore。 He knew his mother and father worried
about that； worried that it was adding to his loneliness （and even more deeply；
unspoken between them； that Danny blamed them）； but he didn't really want to go
to that old Jack and Jill anymore。 It was for babies。 He wasn't quite a big kid
yet； but he wasn't a baby anymore。 Big kids went to the big school and got a hot
lunch。 First grade。 Next year。 This year was someplace between being a baby and
a real kid。 It was all right。 He did miss Scott and Andy…mostly Scott…but it was
still all right。 It seemed best to wait alone for whatever might happen next。
He understood a great many things about his parents； and he knew that many
times they didn't like his understandings and many other times refused to
believe them。 But someday they would have to believe。 He was content to wait。
It was too bad they couldn't believe more； though； especially at times like
now。 Mommy was lying on her bed in the apartment； just about crying she was so
worried about Daddy。 Some of the things she was worried about were too grown…up
for Danny to understand…vague things that had to do with security； with Daddy's
selfimage feelings of guilt and anger and the fear of what was to bee of
them…but the two main things on her mind right now were that Daddy had had a
breakdown in the mountains （then why doesn't he call？） or that Daddy had gone
off to do the Bad Thing。 Danny knew perfectly well what the Bad Thing was since
Scotty Aaronson； who was six months older； had explained it to him。 Scotty knew
because his daddy did the Bad Thing； too。 Once； Scotty told him； his daddy had
punched his mom right in the eye and knocked her down。 Finally； Scotty's dad and
mom had gotten a DIVORCE over the Bad Thing； and when Danny had known him；
Scotty lived with his mother and only saw his daddy on weekends。 The greatest
terror of Danny's life was DIVORCE； a word that always appeared in his mind as a
sign painted in red letters which were covered with hissing； poisonous snakes。
In DIVORCE； your parents no longer lived together。 They had a tug of war over
you in a court （tennis court？ badminton court？ Danny wasn't sure which or if it
was some other； but Mommy and Daddy had played both tennis and badminton at
Stovington； so he assumed it could be either） and you had to go with one of them
and you practically never saw the other one； and the one you were with could
marry somebody you didn't even know if the urge came on them。 The most
terrifying thing about DIVORCE was that he had sensed the word…or concept； or
whatever it was that came to him in his understandings…floating around in his
own parents' heads； sometimes diffuse and relatively distant； sometimes as thick
and obscuring and frightening as thunderheads。 It had been that way after Daddy
punished him for messing the papers up in his study and the doctor had to put
his arm in a cast。 That memory was already faded； but the memory of the DIVORCE
thoughts was clear and terrifying。 It had mostly been around his mommy that
time； and he had been in constant terror that she would pluck the word from her
brain and drag it out of her mouth； making it real。 DIVORCE。 It was a constant
undercurrent in their thoughts； one of the few he could always pick up； like the
beat of simple music。 But like a beat； the central thought formed only the spine
of more plex thoughts； thoughts he could not as yet even begin to interpret。
They came to him only as colors and moods。 Mommy's DIVORCE thoughts centered
around what Daddy had done to his arm； and what had happened at Stovington when
Daddy lost his job。 That boy。 That George Hatfield who got pissed off at Daddy
and put the holes in their bug's feet。 Daddy's DIVORCE thoughts were more
plex； colored dark violet and shot through with frightening veins of pure
black。 He seemed to think they would be better off if he left。 That things would
stop hurting。 His daddy hurt almost all the time； mostly about the Bad Thing。
Danny could almost always pick that up too： Daddy's constant craving to go into
a dark place and watch a color TV and eat peanuts out of a bowl and do the Bad
Thing until his brain would be quiet and leave him alone。
But this afternoon his mother had no need to worry and he wished he could go
to her and tell her that。 The bug had not broken down。 Daddy was not off
somewhere doing the Bad Thing。 He was almost home now； put…putting along the
highway between Lyons and Boulder。 For the moment his daddy wasn't even thinking
about the Bad Thing。 He was thinking about 。。。about。。。
Danny looked furtively behind him at the kitchen window。 Sometimes thinking
very hard made something happen to him。 It made things — real things — go away；
and then he saw things that weren't there。 Once； not long after they put the
cast on his arm； this had happened at the supper table。 They weren't talking
much to each other then。 But they were thinking。 Oh yes。 The thoughts of DIVORCE
hung over the kitchen table like a cloud full of black rain； pregnant； ready to
burst。 It was so bad he couldn't eat。 The thought of eating with all that black
DIVORCE around made him want to throw up。 And because it had seemed desperately
important； he had thrown himself fully into concentration and something had
happened。 When he came back to real things； he was lying on the floor with beans
and mashed potatoes in his lap and his mommy was holding him and crying and
Daddy had been on the phone。 He had been frightened； had tried to explain to
them that there was nothing wrong。 that this sometimes happened to him when he
concentrated on understanding more than what normallv came to him。 He tried to
explain about Tony； who they called his 〃invisible playmate。〃
His father had said： 〃He's having a Ha Loo Sin Nation。 He seems okay； but I
want the doctor to look at him anyway。〃
After the doctor left； Mommy had made him promise to never do that again； to
never scare them that way； and Danny had agreed。 He was frightened himself。
Because when he bad concentrated his mind； it had flown out to his daddy； and
for just a moment； before Tony had appeared （far away； as be always did； calling
distantly） and the strange things had blotted out their kitchen and the carved
roast on the blue plate； for just a moment his own consciousness had plunged
through his daddy's darkness to an inprehensible word much more frightening
than DIVORCE； and that word was SUICIDE。 Danny had never e across it again in
his daddy's mind； and he had certainly not gone looking for it。 He didn't care
if he never found out exactly what that word meant。
But he did like to concentrate； because sometimes Tony would e。 Not every
time。 Sometimes things just got woozy and swimmy for a minute and then cleared —
most times； in fact — but at other times Tony would appear at the very limit of
his vision； calling distantly and beckoning 。。。
It had happened twice since they moved to Boulder； and he remembered how
surprised and pleased he had been to find Tony had followed him all the way from
Vermont。 So all his friends hadn't been left behind after all。
The first time he had been out in the back yard and nothing much had happened。
Just Tony beckoning and then darkness and a few minute