Fifty Degrees Below - Kim Stanley Robinson [201]
“Well it’s not okay!”
“Leave them alone,” Charlie said. “Joe doesn’t mind it, see?”
“But what are they doing?”
“It’s just a little ceremony they have.”
“But why?”
“Well you know. Maybe he’s just trying to lower his temperature.”
“Oh come on!”
“Come on yourself. Just let them do it. Joe is loving it, and they think they’re helping.”
Anna glowered. “They’re only going to give him a cold.”
“You know perfectly well being cold has nothing to do with catching a cold. What an old wives’ tale.”
“Old wives’ tales usually contained real observations, smart guy. It turns out when you get cold your immune system is suppressed, so if there happens to be a virus around you’ve got more of a chance of catching it, so there is a connection.”
“But he’s not getting too cold. Leave them alone. They’re having fun.”
Except then Joe howled a quick protest. Rudra and Drepung looked startled; then Drepung turned Joe by the shoulder, so that he faced the snowman. Seeing the mask again Joe quietened. He tilted his head, scowled hideously at the snowman, gave the mask back vibe for vibe: no mere piece of wood was going to outscowl him.
Straightening up beside him, Rudra pointed at the demon mask, then up at the low clouds purling overhead. Suddenly he twisted and as it were corkscrewed upward, thrusting himself up and back until he looked straight up at the sky. He shouted, “Dei tugs-la ydon ysol! Ton pa, gye ba! Ton pa, gye ba!”
Startled, Joe looked up at Rudra so quickly that he plumped onto his butt. Rudra leaned over him and shouted “Gye ba!” with a sudden ferocity. Joe scrambled away, then jumped up to trundle down the slope of the lawn as fast as he could.
“Hey!” Anna cried.
Charlie held her arm again. “Let them be!”
“What do you mean? Joe!” And with a quick spasm she was away and running through the snow. “Joe! Joe!”
Joe, still running for the river, did not appear to hear her. Then he tripped and fell in a perfect faceplant, sprawling down the snow slope and leaving behind a long snow angel. Anna reached him and slipped herself trying to stop. Down she went too; then Drepung joined them and helped them both up, saying “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”
Rudra stayed up by the snowman, swaying and jerking. He staggered to the snowman, pulled off its demon mask, threw it at his feet and stomped on it. “HA! TON PA! HA! GYE BA! HAAAAAA!”
Hearing this Joe wailed, beating at the snow and then at Anna’s outstretched arms. Drepung ventured to touch him once lightly on the shoulder. Joe buried his head in Anna’s embrace. Rudra, now sitting on the ground next to the flattened mask, watched them; he waved at Joe when Joe looked over Anna’s shoulder. Joe blinked big tears down his cheeks, shuddering as he calmed. For a long time Joe and Rudra stared blankly at each other.
Charlie walked over to help the old man to his feet. Both Rudra and Drepung seemed satisfied now, relaxed and ready to get on with other things; and seeing it, Charlie felt a certain calmness fill him too. He and Rudra went down and flanked Joe and Anna, took Joe’s mittened and snow-caked little hands, squeezed them. Joe looked around at the farmhouse and the tent filling with guests, the expanse of snow falling down to the river. Charlie clapped Drepung on the shoulder, held it briefly.
“What?” Anna demanded.
“Nothing. Nothing. Let’s go in and see what they have to eat, shall we?”
LATE THAT AFTERNOON, WHEN THE KHEMBALIS’ party was breaking up, and they had heard all about the trip out to see the salt fleet, the Quiblers asked Frank if he wanted to come over for dinner and watch the election returns.
“Thanks,” he said, “but I’m going to go to dinner with Diane.”
“Oh I see.”
“Maybe I can drop by afterward, see the late returns.”
“Sure, whatever.”
Frank went to his van, drove carefully back to the Khembali house in Arlington. Out in the cold garden shed he changed clothes, trying to think what would look nice. He was going out to dinner with his boss, who would not be his boss for much longer, so that different kinds of hypothetical possibilities might then