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She points to the harpoon pistol, which
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She points to the harpoon pistol, which hangs on
the wall, along with several short harpoonsThe
tips are steel, not silver, and the shafts are
heavyShe knows; hasn't she carried them in the
basket enough times?
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He says What are you talking about?
She says I cain't be takin time to explainYou
got to come to the beach right now, less you want
to lose another oneHe doesn't ask which daughter, or inquire
again why he should want the harpoon pistol; he
just snatches it off the wall, takes two of the
harpoons in his other hand, and strides out
through the open study door, first beside Melda
and then ahead of herBy the time he reaches the
kitchen, where Melda has last seen Adie, he's at a
full-out run and she is falling behind even though
she's running herself, holding her skirts before
her in both handsAnd is she surprised by this
sudden break in his torpor, this sudden
galvanizing action? NoBecause, despite the
blanket of his grief, the Mister has also known
that something here is wrong and going wronger all
the time
The back door stands openAn evening breeze
frisks in, stirring it back farther on its
hingesonly now it's actually a night breezeThere will still be light on
Shade Beach, but here at Heron's Roost, dark has
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already comeMelda dashes across the back porch
and sees the Mister already on the path to the
beachShe looks around for
Libbit, but of course she doesn't see her; if
Libbit is doing what she is supposed to be doing,
then she's already on her way to the swimming pool
with her heart-box under her arm
The heart-box with the monster inside it
She runs after the Mister and catches him at the
bench, where the path drops down to the beachHe
is standing there, frozenIn the west, the last
of the sunset is a sullen orange line that will
soon be gone, but there is enough light for her to
see Adie at the edge of the water, and the man who
is wading to greet her
Adriana screams Emery! She sounds mad with joy, as
if he's been gone a year instead of a day
Melda shouts No, Ade, keep away from him! from
beside the frozen, gaping man, but she knows Adie
will pay no attention, and she doesn't; Adie runs
to her husband
John Eastlake says What - and that's all
He's broken free of his torpor long enough to run
this far, but now he's frozen againIs it because
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he sees the two other forms, farther out but also
wading toward shore? Wading in water that should
be over their heads? Melda thinks notShe thinks
he is still staring at his oldest daughter as the
dim figure of the man coming out of the water
reaches for her with his dripping arms and lays
hold of her neck with his dripping hands, first
choking off her glad cries and then dragging her
into the surge
Out there in the Gulf, waiting, ticking back and
forth on the mild swell like a clock that tells
time in years and centuries rather than minutes
and hours, is the black hulk of Perse's |