友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
The Shining 原版小说-第27部分
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
〃Try!〃
〃I can't。〃
〃Did Tony e?〃
〃Yes。〃
〃What did he show you?〃
〃Dark。 Pounding。 I don't remember。〃
〃Where were you?〃
〃Leave me alone! I don't remember! Leave me alone!〃 He began to sob helplessly
in fear and frustration。 It was all gone; dissolved into a sticky mess like a
wet bundle of paper; the memory unreadable。
Edmonds went to the water cooler and got him a paper cup of water。 Danny drank
it and Edmonds got him another one。
〃Better?〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Danny; I don't want to badger you 。。。 tease you about this; I mean。 But can
you remember anything about before Tony came?〃
〃My mommy;〃 Danny said slowly。 〃She's worried about me。〃
〃Mothers always are; guy。〃
〃No 。。。 she had a sister that died when she was a little girl。 Aileen。 She
was thinking about how Aileen got hit by a car and that made her worried about
me。 I don't remember anything else。〃
Edmonds was looking at him sharply。 〃Just now she was thinking that? Out in
the waiting room?〃
〃Yes; sir。〃
〃Danny; how would you know that?〃
〃I don't know;〃 Danny said wanly。 〃The shining; I guess。〃
〃The what?〃
Danny shook his head very slowly。 〃I'm awful tired。 Can't I go see my mommy
and daddy? I don't want to answer any more questions。 I'm tired。 And my stomach
hurts。〃
〃Are you going to throw up?〃
〃No; sir。 I just want to go see my mommy and daddy。〃
〃Okay; Dan。〃 Edmonds stood up。 〃You go on out and see them for a minute; then
send them in so I can talk to them。 Okay?。〃
〃Yes; sir。〃
〃There are books out there to look at。 You like books; don't you?〃
〃Yes; sir;〃 Danny said dutifully。
〃You're a good boy; Danny。〃
Danny gave him a faint smile。
* * *
〃I can't find a thing wrong with him;〃 Dr。 Edmonds said to the Torrances。 〃Not
physically。 Mentally; he's bright and rather too imaginative。 It happens。
Children have to grow into their imaginations like a pair of oversized shoes。
Danny's is still way too big for him。 Ever had his IQ tested?〃
〃I don't believe in them;〃 Jack said。 〃They straight…jacket the expectations
of both parents and teachers。〃
Dr。 Edmonds nodded。 〃That may be。 But if you did test him; I think you'd find
he's right off the scale for his age group。 His verbal ability; for a boy who is
five going on six; is amazing。〃
〃We don't talk down to him;〃 Jack said with a trace of pride。
〃I doubt if you've ever had to in order to make yourself understood。〃 Edmonds
paused; fiddling with a pen。 〃He went into a trance while I was with him。 At my
request。 Exactly as you described him in the bathroom last night。 All his
muscles went lax; his body slumped; his eyeballs rotated outward。 Textbook auto…
hypnosis。 I was amazed。 I still am。〃
The Torrances sat forward。 〃What happened?〃 Wendy asked tensely; and Edmonds
carefully related Danny's trance; the muttered phrase from which Edmonds had
only been able to pluck the word 〃monsters;〃 the 〃dark;〃 the 〃pounding。〃 The
aftermath of tears; near…hysteria; and nervous stomach。
〃Tony again;〃 Jack said。
〃What does it mean?〃 Wendy asked。 〃Have you any idea?〃
〃A few。 You might not like them。〃
〃Go ahead anyway;〃 Jack told him。
〃From what Danny told me; his ‘invisible friend' was truly a friend until you
folks moved out here from New England。 Tony has only bee a threatening figure
since that move。 The pleasant interludes have bee nightmarish; even more
frightening to your son because he can't remember exactly what the nightmares
are about。 That's mon enough。 We all remember our pleasant dreams more
clearly than the scary ones。 There seems to be a buffer somewhere between the
conscious and the subconscious; and one hell of a bluenose lives in there。 This
censor only lets through a small amount; and often what does e through is
only symbolic。 That's oversimplified Freud; but it does pretty much describe
what we know of the mind's interaction with itself。〃
〃You think moving has upset Danny that badly?〃 Wendy asked。
〃It may have; if the move took place under traumatic circumstances;〃 Edmonds
said。 〃Did it?〃
Wendy and Jack exchanged a glance。
〃I was teaching at a prep school;〃 Jack said slowly。 〃I lost my job。〃
〃I see;〃 Edmonds said。 He put the pen he bad been playing with firmly back in
its holder。 〃There's more here; I'm afraid。 It may be painful to you。 Your son
seems to believe you two have seriously contemplated divorce。 He spoke of it in
an offhand way; but only because he believes you are no longer considering it。〃
Jack's mouth dropped open; and Wendy recoiled as if slapped。 The blood drained
from her face。
〃We never even discussed it!〃 she said。 〃Not in front of him; not even in
front of each other! We — 〃
〃I think it's best if you understand everything; Doctor;〃 Jack said。 〃Shortly
after Danny was born; I became an alcoholic。 I'd had a drinking problem all the
way through college; it subsided a little after Wendy and I met; cropped up
worse than ever after Danny was born and the writing I consider to be my real
work was going badly。 When Danny was three and a half; he spilled some beer on a
bunch of papers I was working on 。。。 papers I was shuffling around; anyway 。。。
and I 。。。 well 。。。 oh shit。〃 His voice broke; but his eyes remained dry
and unflinching。 〃It sounds so goddam beastly said out loud。 I broke his arm
turning him around to spank him。 Three months later I gave up drinking。 I
haven't touched it since。〃
〃I see;〃 Edmonds said neutrally。 〃I knew the arm had been broken; of course。
It was set well。〃 He pushed back from his desk a little and crossed his legs。
〃If I may be frank; it's obvious that he's been in no way abused since then。
Other than the stings; there's nothing on him but the normal bruises and scabs
that any kid has in abundance。〃
〃Of course not;〃 Wendy said hotly。 〃Jack didn't mean— 〃
〃No; Wendy;〃 Jack said。 〃I meant to do it。 I guess someplace inside I really
did mean to do that to him。 Or something even worse。〃 He looked back at Edmonds
again。 〃You know something; Doctor? This is the first time the word divorce has
been mentioned between us。 And alcoholism。 And child…beating。 Three firsts in
five minutes。〃
〃That may be at the root of the problem;〃 Edmonds said。 〃I am not a
psychiatrist。 If you want Danny to see a child psychiatrist; I can remend a
good one who works out of the Mission Ridge Medical Center in Boulder。 But I am
fairly confident of my diagnosis。 Danny is an intelligent; imaginative;
perceptive boy。 I don't believe he would have been as upset by your marital
problems as you believed。 Small children are great accepters。 They don't
understand shame; or the need to hide things。〃
Jack was studying his hands。 Wendy took one of them and squeezed it。
〃But he sensed the things that were wrong。 Chief among them from his point of
view was not the broken arm but the broken — or breaking — link between you two。
He mentioned divorce to me; but not the broken arm。 When my nurse mentioned the
set to him; he simply shrugged if off。 It was no pressure thing。 ‘It happened a
long time ago' is what I think he said。〃
〃That kid;〃 Jack muttered。 His jaws were clamped together; the muscles in the
cheeks standing out。 〃We don't deserve him。〃
〃You have him; all the same;〃 Edmonds said dryly。 〃At any rate; he retires
into a fantasy world from time to time。 Nothing unusual about that; lots of kids
do。 As I recall; I had my own invisible friend when I was Danny's age; a talking
rooster named Chug…Chug。 Of course no one could see Chug…Chug but me。 I had two
older brothers who often left me behind; and in such a situation Chug…Chug came
in mighty handy。 And of course you two must understand why Danny's invisible
friend is named Tony instead of Mike or Hal or Dutch。〃
〃Yes;〃 Wendy said。
〃Have you ever pointed it out to him?〃
〃No;〃 Jack said。 〃Should we?〃
〃Why bother? Let him realize it in his own time; by his own logic。 You see;
Danny's fantasies were considerably deeper than those that grow around the
ordinary invisible friend syndrome; but he felt he needed Tony that much more。
Tony would e and show him pleasant things。 Sometimes amazing things。 Always
good things。 Once Tony showed him where Daddy's lost trunk was 。。。 under the
stairs。 Another time Tony showed him that Mommy and Daddy were going to take him
to an amusement park for his birthday — 〃
〃At Great Barrington!〃 Wendy cried。 〃But how could he know those things? It's
eerie; the things he es out with sometimes。 Almost as if — 〃
〃He had second sight?〃 Edmonds asked; smiling。
〃He was born with a caul;〃 Wendy said weakly。
Edmonds's smile became a good; hearty laugh。 Jack and Wendy exchanged a glance
and then also smiled; both of them amazed at how easy it was。 Danny's occasional
〃lucky guesses〃 about things was something else they had not discussed much。
〃Next you'll be telling me he can levitate;〃 Edmonds said; still smiling。 〃No;
no; no; I'm afraid not。 It's not extrasensory but good old human perception;
which in Danny's case is unusually keen。 Mr。 Torrance; he knew your trunk was
under the stairs because you had looked everywhere else。 Process of elimination;
what? It's so simple Ellery Queen would laugh at it。 Sooner or later you would
have thought of it yourself。
〃As for the amusement park at Great Barrington; whose idea was that
originally? Yours or his?〃
〃His; of course;〃 Wendy said。 〃They advertised on all the morning children's
programs。 He was wild to go。 But the thing is; Doctor; we couldn't afford to
take him。 And we had told him so。〃
〃Then a men's magazine I'd sold a story to back in 1971 sent a check for fifty
dollars;〃 Jack said。 〃They were reprinting the story in an annual; or something。
So we decided to spend it on Danny。〃
Edmonds shrugged。 〃Wish fulfillment plus a lucky coincidence。〃
〃Goddammit; I bet that's just right;〃 Jack said。
Edmonds smiled a little。 〃And Danny himself told me that Tony often showed him
things that never occurred。 Visions based on faulty perception; that's all。
Danny is doing subconsciously what these so…called mystics and mind readers do
quite consciously and cynically。 I admire him for it。 If life doesn't cause him
to retract his antennae; I think he'll be quite a man。〃
Wendy nodded — of course she thought Danny would be quite a man — but the
doctor's explanation struck her as glib。 It tasted more like margarine than
butter。 Edmonds had not lived with them。 He had not been there when Danny found
lost buttons; told her that maybe the TV Guide was under the bed; that he
thought he better wear his rubbers to nursery school even though the sun was out
。。。 and later that day they had walked home under her umbrella through the
pouring rain。 Edmonds couldn't know of the curious way Danny had of preguessing
them both。 She would decide to have an unusual evening cup of tea; go out in the
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 th
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!