horrors2

Phthalogreen.Pearl.tex

  1\chapauth{Phthalogreen}
  2\chapter{Pearl}
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  6I stand in the shadow. The sounds have been coming again and again
  7for thirty years. I'm in the old folks' home on 42nd
  8Street in New York. Right by the alley where it all started. My
  9hand shakes slightly with my pain meds in my hand.
 10
 11
 12
 13Pearl, my ten-year-old granddaughter, sits on the bed across the
 14room. I keep my hat down and my collar up so she can't see my
 15face. I won't let her get any closer. I don't want her
 16to see what I've become.
 17
 18
 19
 20``Why won't you take your medicine, Grandpa?'' she
 21asks.
 22
 23
 24
 25``It won't help me,'' I say. ``There
 26isn't a cure for what I have.''
 27
 28
 29
 30``It's okay, Grandpa,'' she says. ``You
 31don't have to take them if you don't want
 32to.''
 33
 34
 35
 36Suddenly the nurse enters the room. Nurse Packard. She's the
 37old hag of the nursing home. Everyone hates her and everyone is
 38hated by her.
 39
 40
 41
 42``You there! What are you doing? Swallow those meds!''
 43she shouts through the darkness.
 44
 45
 46
 47I look at the pills and hesitate. They are huge and taste
 48horrid.
 49
 50
 51
 52``That's it, I'll have to feed them to you!''
 53Nurse Packard shouts again.
 54
 55
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 57``The pills don't help!'' Pearl cries.
 58``Don't you get it?''
 59
 60
 61
 62``Quiet, kid,'' Nurse Packard yells. ``Turn
 63around,'' she says to me.
 64
 65
 66
 67``No. He's sick. You don't want him to turn
 68around,'' Pearl says.
 69
 70
 71
 72``Sure I do,'' she replies. ``Step out of the dark
 73and open your mouth.'' She doesn't know my mouth is
 74always open now. I stay put and pull my coat collar over my
 75chin.
 76
 77
 78
 79With that she runs towards me and commences her brutality, grabbing
 80the pills from my hand. I keep my head down, but her clipboard
 81smashes my head terribly powerful.
 82
 83
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 85``Grandpa!'' Pearl shouts. ``Stop it, you
 86hag!''
 87
 88
 89
 90Nurse Packard ignores her. She giggles and forces her hand into my
 91mouth. The pills enter my throat.
 92
 93
 94
 95Unable to control myself, I inch forward. I feel the light on my
 96legs. Then my chest. Then my head.
 97
 98
 99
100``Look away, Pearl!'' I shout. I lift my hat and Nurse
101Packard screams at the sight of my scarred, purple face.
102
103
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105As the pills enter my stomach I feel it turning and tightening.
106Putrid vomit erupts from my mouth and nose and splatters on Nurse
107Packard's face. As the old woman screams, something pops in
108her head and she drops to the floor, twitching. The vomit keeps
109gushing toward the wriggling body on the floor.
110
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113Then my stomach is empty. I fall to my knees. My head is spinning.
114But I hear Pearl's voice.
115
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118``Grandpa!'' she says. I feel her grabbing my coat.
119
120
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122``No! Don't look at my face!'' I shout.
123
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126``It's okay, Grandpa,'' Pearl says. ``I saw
127you. I never looked away.''
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131Suddenly I am sobbing. I realize I was wrong to assume she was
132weak. She has the right to see her Grandpa's face. I turn and
133look at her.
134
135
136
137``Grandpa,'' she says, hugging me. ``I want to know
138something.''
139
140
141
142``What, honey?'' I say.
143
144
145
146``What is your real name? Mommy won't tell
147me.''
148
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151I think for a moment. Then I pick Pearl up and put her on my
152lap.
153
154
155
156``My name,'' I say proudly, ``is Luke
157Bavarious.''
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161[edit: typo fixes] 
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