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The Shining 原版小说-第82部分

小说: The Shining 原版小说 字数: 每页4000字

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thought of it。 He tried to think of it as seldom as possible。 
  The maid; Delores Vickery her name was; had been hysterical。 Had said some 
things to the other chambermaids; and worse still; to some of the guests。 When 
the word got back to Ullman; as the silly quiff should have known it would do; 
he had fired her out of hand。 She had e to Hallorann in tears; not about 
being fired; but about the thing she had seen in that second…floor room。 She had 
gone into 217 to change the towels; she said; and there had been that Mrs。 


 
 
Massey; lying dead in the tub。 That; of course; was impossible。 Mrs。 Massey had 
been discreetly taken away the day before and was even then winging her way back 
to New York — in the shipping hold instead of the first class she'd been 
accustomed to。 
  Hallorann hadn't liked Delores much; but he had gone up to look that evening。 
The maid was an olive…plected girl of twenty…three who waited tables near the 
end of the season when things slowed down。 She had a small shining; Hallorann 
judged; really not more than a twinkle; a mousy…looking man and his escort; 
wearing a faded cloth coat; would e in for dinner and Delores would trade one 
of her tables for theirs。 The mousy little man would leave a picture of 
Alexander Hamilton under his plate; bad enough for the girl who had made the 
trade; but worse; Delores would crow over it。 She was lazy; a goof…off in an 
operation run by a man who allowed no goof…offs。 She would sit in a linen 
closet; reading a confession magazine and smoking; but whenever Ullman went on 
one of his unscheduled prowls (and woe to the girl he caught resting her feet) 
he found her working industriously; her magazine hidden under the sheets on a 
high shelf; her ashtray tucked safely into her uniform pocket。 Yeah; Hallorann 
thought; she'd been a goof…off and a sloven and the other girls had resented 
her; but Delores had had that little twinkle。 It had always greased the skids 
for her。 But what she had seen in 217 had scared her badly enough so she was 
more than glad to pick up the walking papers Ullman had issued her and go。 
  Why had she e to him? A shine knows a shine; Hallorann thought; grinning at 
the pun。 
  So he had gone up that night and had let himself into the room; which was to 
be reoccupied the next day。 He had used the office passkey to get in; and if 
Ullman had caught him with that key; he would have joined Delores Vickery on the 
unemployment line。 
  The shower curtain around the tub had been drawn。 He had pushed it back; but 
even before he did he'd had a premonition of what he was going to see。 Mrs。 
Massey; swollen and purple; lay soggily in the tub; which was half…full of 
water。 He had stood looking down at her; a pulse beating thickly in his throat。 
There had been other things at the Overlook: a bad dream that recurred at 
irregular intervals — some sort of costume party and he was catering it in the 
Overlook's ballroom and at the shout to unmask; everybody exposed faces that 
were those of rotting insects — and there had been the hedge animals。 Twice; 
maybe three times; he had (or thought he had) seen them move; ever so slightly。 
That dog would seem to change from his sitting…up posture to a slightly crouched 
one; and the lions seemed to move forward; as if menacing the little tykes on 
the playground。 Last year in May Ullman had sent him up to the attic to look for 
the ornate set of firetools that now stood beside the lobby fireplace。 While he 
had been up there the three lightbulbs strung overhead had gone out and he had 
lost his way back to the trapdoor。 He had stumbled around for an unknown length 
of time; closer and closer to panic; barking his shins on boxes and bumping into 
things; with a stronger and stronger feeling that something was stalking him in 
the dark。 Some great and frightening creature that had just oozed out of the 
woodwork when the lights went out。 And when he had literally stumbled over the 
trapdoor's ringbolt he had hurried down as fast as he could; leaving the trap 
open; sooty and disheveled; with a feeling of disaster barely averted。 Later 


 
 
Ullman had e down to the kitchen personally; to inform him he had left the 
attic trapdoor open and the lights burning up there。 Did Hallorann think the 
guests wanted to go up there and play treasure hunt? Did he think electricity 
was free? 
  And he suspected — no; was nearly positive — that several of the guests had seen 
or heard things; too。 In the three years he had been there; the Presidential 
Suite had been booked nineteen times。 Six of the guests who had put up there had 
left the hotel early; some of them looking markedly ill。 Other guests had left 
other rooms with the same abruptness。 One night in August of 1974; near dusk; a 
man who had won the Bronze and Silver Stars in Korea (that man now sat on the 
boards of three major corporations and was said to have personally pink…slipped 
a famous TV news anchorman) unaccountably went into a fit of screaming hysterics 
on the putting green。 And there had been dozens of children during Hallorann's 
association with the Overlook who simply refused to go into the playground。 One 
child had had a convulsion while playing in the concrete rings; but Hallorann 
didn't know if that could be attributed to the Overlook's deadly siren song or 
not — word had gone around among the help that the child; the only daughter of a 
handsome movie actor; was a medically controlled epileptic who had simply 
forgotten her medicine that day。 
  And so; staring down at the corpse of Mrs。 Massey; he had been frightened but 
not pletely terrified。 It was not pletely unexpected。 Terror came when she 
opened her eyes to disclose blank silver pupils and began to grin at him。 Horror 
came when 
  (she had started to get out and e after him。) 
  He had fled; heart racing; and had not felt safe even with the door shut and 
locked behind him。 In fact; he admitted to himself now as he zipped the 
fiightbag shut; he had never felt safe anywhere in the Overlook again。 
  And now the boy — calling; screaming for help。 
  He looked at his watch。 It was 5:30 P。m。 He went to the apartment's door; 
remembered it would be heavy winter now in Colorado; especially up in the 
mountains; and went back to his closet。 He pulled his long; sheepskin…lined 
overcoat out of its polyurethane dry…cleaning bag and put it over his arm。 It 
was the only winter garment he owned。 He turned off all the lights and looked 
around。 Had he forgotten anything? Yes。 One thing。 He took the will out of his 
breast pocket and slipped it into the margin of the dressing table mirror。 With 
luck he would be back to get it。 
  Sure; with luck。 
  He left the apartment; locked the door behind him; put the key under the rush 
mat; and ran down the outside steps to his converted Cadillac。 
 
                                     * * * 
 
  Halfway to Miami International; fortably away from the switchboard where 
Queems or Queems's toadies were known to listen in; Hallorann stopped at a 
shopping center Laundromat and called United Air Lines。 Flights to Denver? 
  There was one due out at 6:36 p。m。 Could the gentleman make that? 
  Hallorann looked at his watch; which showed 6:02; and said he could。 What 
about vacancies on the flight? 


 
 
  Just let me check。 
  A clunking sound in his ear followed by saccharine Montavani; which was 
supposed to make being on hold more pleasant。 It didn't。 Hallorann danced from 
one foot to the other; alternating glances between his watch and a young girl 
with a sleeping baby; in a hammock on her back unloading a coin…op Maytag。 She 
was afraid she was going to get home later than she planned and the roast would 
burn and her husband — Mark? Mike? Matt? — would be mad。 
  A minute passed。 Two。 He had just about made up his mind to drive ahead and 
take his chances when the cannedsounding voice of the flight reservations clerk 
came back on。 There was an empty seat; a cancellation。 It was in first class。 
Did that make any difference? 
  No。 He wanted it。 
  Would that be cash or credit card? 
  Cash; baby; cash。 

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