“From her?” I can’t keep from smirking. “Morphine does not constitute medical attention. You ought to be doing physical therapy. You might still be able to get out of that chair.”
He finally opens his eyes, turns and smiles at me. “You’re a good kid.”
“Why do you put up with it?”
He lies back on the grass and crosses his arms over his forehead. “You must read a lot.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve read Poe, right? Edgar Allan Poe? Jesus, who hasn’t?” He chuckles softly. “Lot of people think he wrote proto-pulp, but I like him all the same.”
I can’t believe we’re discussing Edgar Allan Poe. “Are we having this conversation?”
He goes on as though he hasn’t heard me. “The Telltale Heart. You remember that? Guy kills somebody, the authorities come to ask him a couple of questions, he keeps hearing the victim’s heart beating under the floorboards. Pomp-PUMP, pomp-PUMP.” He puffs his cheeks up and expels the air with every second syllable. “Goes crazy, turns himself in just so he can get away from it. Pomp-PUMP, pomp-PUMP.”
Okay, folks, he’s had a heat stroke, let’s wheel him in.
Suddenly he props himself up on one elbow and puts out a hand to clutch my forearm. “Everybody’s got a heart beating under the floorboards. Pomp-PUMP. Pomp-PUMP. Pomp-PUMP. Everybody.” He lets go of my arm. “So how about that lunch?”
Door 59
By F.H. Batacan
***
I love all three stories for LitCritters session 16:
Character Encoding by Baryon Tensor Posadas
Cathedral by Raymond Carver
Door 59 by F.H. Batacan
Medyo intense compared to other stories. I like it.
***
Speaking of LitCrit, here's a little token I laid out for Sir Ian's birthday yesterday. Nacompleto na...hehe.
Once again, thanks sir!
***
Off to cheerdance practice now... Don't you dare laugh.
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