Pet Sematary - Stephen King [1]
Beyond the house was a large field for the children to play in, and beyond the field were woods that went on damn near forever. The property abutted state lands, the realtor had explained, and there would be no development in thç foreseeable future. The remains of the Micmac Indian tribe had laid claim to nearly eight thousand acres in Ludlow and in the towns east of Ludlow, and the complicated litigation, involving the federal government as well as that of the state, might stretch into the next century.
Rachel stopped crying abruptly. She sat up. Is that-
Thats it, Louis said. He felt apprehensive-no, he felt scared. In fact he felt terrified. He had mortgaged twelve years of their lives for this; it wouldnt be paid off until Eileen was seventeen.
He swallowed.
What do you think?
I think its beautiful, Rachel said, and that was a huge weight off his chest-and off his mind. She wasnt kidding, he saw; it was in the way she was looking at it as they turned in the asphalted driveway that curved around to the shed in
back, her eyes sweeping the blank windows, her mind already ticking away at such matters as curtains and oilcloth for the cupboards, and God knew what else.
Daddy? Ellie said from the back seat. She had stopped crying as well. Even Gage had stopped fussing. Louis savored the silence.
What, love?
Her eyes, brown under darkish blond hair in the rearview mirror, also surveyed the house, the lawn, the roof of another house off to the left in the distance, and the big field stretching up to the woods.
Is this home?
Its going to be, honey, he said.
Hooray! she shouted, almost taking his ear off. And Louis, who could sometimes become very irritated with Ellie, decided he didnt care if he ever clapped an eye on Disney World in Orlando.
He parked in front of the shed and turned off the wagons motor.
The engine ticked. In the silence, which seemed very big after Chicago and the bustle of State Street and the Loop, a bird sang sweetly in the late afternoon.
Home, Rachel said softly, still looking at the house.
Home, Gage said complacently on her lap.
Louis and Rachel stared at each other. In the rearview mirror, Eileens eyes widened.
Did you-
Did he-
Was that-
They all spoke together, then all laughed together. Gage took no notice; he only continued to suck his thumb. He had been saying Ma for almost a month now and had taken a stab or two at something that might have been Daaa or only wishful thinking on Louiss part.
But this, either by accident of imitation, had been a real Word Home.
Louis plucked Gage from his wifes lap and hugged him.
That was how they came to Ludlow.
2
In Louis Creeds memory that one moment always held a magical quality-partly, perhaps, because it really was magical, but mostly because the rest of the evening was so wild. In the next three hours, neither peace nor magic made an appearance.
Louis had stored the house keys away neatly (he was a neat and methodical man, was Louis Creed) in a small manila envelope which he had labeled Ludlow House-keys received June 29. He had put the keys away in the Fairlanes glove compartment. He was absolutely sure of that. Now they werent there.
While he hunted for them, growing increasingly irritated, Rachel hoisted Gage onto her hip and followed Eileen over to the tree in the field. He was checking under the seats for the third time when his daughter screamed and then began to cry.
Louis! Rachel called. Shes cut herself!
Eileen had fallen from