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'Felt okay until a second or two ago；' Richard said in that same tiny； whistling voice。 His respiration was very fast； very dry。 His eyes were half…closed。 Jack could only see whites and tiny arcs of blue irises。 'Just got 。 。 。 faint。 Sorry。'
From behind them came another heavy； belching explosion； followed by the rattling sound of train…debris falling on the tin roof of the Quonset hut。 Jack glanced that way； then anxiously up the tracks。
'Can you hang on to me？ I'll piggyback you a ways。' Shades of Wolf； he thought。
'I can hang on。'
'If you can't； say so。'
'Jack；' Richard said with a heartening trace of that old fussy Richard…irritation； 'if I couldn't hang on； I wouldn't say I could。'
Jack set Richard on his feet。 Richard stood there； swaying； looking as if someone could blow once in his face and topple him over backward。 Jack turned and squatted； the soles of his sneakers on one of the old rotted ties。 He made his arms into thigh…stirrups； and Richard put his own arms around Jack's neck。 Jack got to his feet and started to shag along the crossties at a fast walk that was very nearly a jog。 Carrying Richard seemed to be no problem at all； and not just because Richard had lost weight。 Jack had been running kegs of beer； carrying cartons； picking apples。 He had spent time picking rocks in Sunlight Gardener's Far Field； can you gimme hallelujah。 It had toughened him； all of that。 But the toughening went deeper into the fiber of his essential self than something as simple and mindless as physical exercise could go。 Nor was all of it a simple function of flipping back and forth between the two worlds like an acrobat； or of that other world…gorgeous as it could be…rubbing off on him like wet paint。 Jack recognized in a dim sort of way that he had been trying to do more than simply save his mother's life； from the very beginning he had been trying to do something greater than that。 He had been trying to do a good work； and his dim realization now was that such mad enterprises must always be toughening。
He did begin to jog。
'If you make me seasick；' Richard said； his voice jiggling in time with Jack's footfalls； 'I'll just vomit on your head。'
'I knew I could count on you； Richie…boy；' Jack panted； grinning。
'I feel 。 。 。 extremely foolish up here。 Like a human pogo stick。'
'Probably just how you look； chum。'
'Don't 。 。 。 call me chum；' Richard whispered； and Jack's grin widened。 He thought； Oh Richard； you bastard； live forever。
4
'I knew that man；' Richard whispered from above Jack。
It startled him； as if out of a doze。 He had picked Richard up ten minutes ago； they had covered another mile； and there was still no sign of civilization of any kind。 Just the tracks； and that smell of salt in the air。
The tracks； Jack wondered。 Do they go where I think they go？
'What man？'
'The man with the whip and the machine…pistol。 I knew him。 I used to see him around。'
'When？' Jack panted。
'A long time ago。 When I was a little kid。' Richard then added with great reluctance； 'Around the time that I had that 。 。 。 that funny dream in the closet。' He paused。 'Except I guess it wasn't a dream； was it？'
'No。 I guess it wasn't。'
'Yes。 Was the man with the whip Reuel's dad？'
'What do you think？'
'It was；' Richard said glumly。 'Sure it was。'
Jack stopped。
'Richard； where do these tracks go？'
'You know where they go；' Richard said with a strange； empty serenity。
'Yeah…I think I do。 But I want to hear you say it。' Jack paused。 'I guess I need to hear you say it。 Where do they go？'
'They go to a town called Point Venuti；' Richard said； and he sounded near tears again。 'There's a big hotel there。 I don't know if it's the place you're looking for or not； but I think it probably is。'
'So do I；' Jack said。 He set off once more； Richard's legs in his arms； a growing ache in his back； following the tracks that would take him…both of them…to the place where his mother's salvation might be found。
5
As they walked； Richard talked。 He did not e on to the subject of his father's involvement in this mad business all at once； but began to circle slowly in toward it。
'I knew that man from before；' Richard said。 'I'm pretty sure I did。 He came to the house。 Always to the back of the house。 He didn't ring the bell； or knock。 He kind of 。 。 。 scratched on the door。 It gave me the creeps。 Scared me so bad I felt like peeing my pants。 He was a tall man…oh； all grown men seem tall to little kids； but this guy was very tall…and he had white hair。 He wore dark glasses most of the time。 Or sometimes the kind of sunglasses that have the mirror lenses。 When I saw that story on him they had on Sunday Report； I knew I'd seen him somewhere before。 My father was upstairs doing some paperwork the night that show was on。 I was sitting in front of the tube； and when my father came in and saw what was on； he almost dropped the drink he was holding。 Then he changed the station to a Star Trek rerun。
'Only the guy wasn't calling himself Sunlight Gardener when he used to e and see my father。 His name 。 。 。 I can't quite remember。 But it was something like Banlon 。 。 。 or Orlon 。 。 。'
'Osmond？'
Richard brightened。 'That was it。 I never heard his first name。 But he used to e once every month or two。 Sometimes more often。 Once he came almost every other night； for a week； and then he was gone for almost half a year。 I used to lock myself in my room when he came。 I didn't like his smell。 He wore some kind of scent 。 。 。 cologne； I suppose； but it really smelled stronger than that。 Like perfume。 Cheap dime…store perfume。 But underneath it…'
'Underneath it he smelled like he hadn't had a bath for about ten years。'
Richard looked at him； wide…eyed。
'I met him as Osmond； too；' Jack explained。 He had explained before…at least some of this…but Richard had not been listening then。 He was listening now。 'In the Territories version of New Hampshire； before I met him as Sunlight Gardener in Indiana。'
'Then you must have seen that 。 。 。 that thing。'
'Reuel？' Jack shook his head。 'Reuel must have been out in the Blasted Lands then； having a few more radical cobalt treatments。' Jack thought of the running sores on the creature's face； thought of the worms。 He looked at his red； puffy wrists where the worms had bitten； and shuddered。 'I never saw Reuel until the end； and I never saw his American Twin…ner at all。 How old were you when Osmond started showing up？'
'I must have been four。 The thing about the 。 。 。 you know； the closet 。 。 。 that hadn't happened yet。 I remember I was more afraid of him after that。'
'After the thing touched you in the closet。'
'Yes。'
'And that happened when you were five。'
'Yes。'
'When we were both five。'
'Yes。 You can put me down。 I can walk for a while。'
Jack did。 They walked in silence； heads down； not looking at each other。 At five； something had reached out of the dark and touched Richard。 When they were both six
（six； Jacky was six）
Jack had overheard his father and Morgan Sloat talking about a place they went to； a place that Jacky called the Daydream…country。 And later that year； something had reached out of the dark and had touched him and his mother。 It had been nothing more or less than Morgan Sloat's voice。 Morgan Sloat calling from Green River； Utah。 Sobbing。 He； Phil Sawyer； and Tommy Woodbine had left three days before on their yearly November hunting trip…another college chum； Randy Glover； owned a luxurious hunting lodge in Blessing…ton； Utah。 Glover usually hunted with them； but that year he had been cruising in the Caribbean。 Morgan called to say that Phil had been shot； apparently by another hunter。 He and Tommy Woodbine had packed him out of the wilderness on a lashed…together stretcher。 Phil had regained consciousness in the back of Glover's Jeep Cherokee； Morgan said； and had asked that Morgan send his love to Lily and Jack。 He died fifteen minutes later； as Morgan drove wildly toward Green River and the nearest hospital。
Morgan had not killed Phil； there was Tommy to testify that the three of them had been together when the shot rang out； if any testimony had ever been required （and； of course； none ever was）。
But that was not to say he couldn't have hired it done； Jack thought now。 And it was not to say that Uncle Tommy might not have harbored his own long doubts about what had happened。 If so； maybe Uncle Tommy hadn't been killed just so that Jack and his dying mother would be totally unprotected from Morgan's depredations。 Maybe he had died because Morgan was tired of wondering if the old faggot might finally hint to the surviving son that there might have been more to Phil Sawyer's death than an accident。 Jack felt his skin crawl with dismay and revulsion。
'Was that man around before your father and my father went hunting together that last time？' Jack asked fiercely。
'Jack； I was four years old…'
'No； you weren't； you were six。 You were four when he started ing； you were six when my father got killed in Utah。 And you don't forget much； Richard。 Did he e around