There's a trail of smoke lifting up through the late night (okay, early morning) darkness from where Ennis' sitting down by the lake ( Read more... )

It's the wind on your face, the sun on the back of your neck. The way the birds call in the morning, and the animals that howl in the night. It's all of those and none of them, and most of the time, even Ennis doesn't know what he is.

What he knows is this: Jack is happy, and Sallie is happy. Well, happy enough, at the very least.

An ounce of ( Read more... )

You'd think that it'd get old, just being.

Being there, being somewhere, maybe not here or there, but being. It ain't old for Ennis, though, no way no how, and if ghosts can smile, there's one smiling as a craggy old man watches a grumpy old lady muttering under her breath while she does chores out in the cold.

It gets cold, sometimes. And that would surprise Ennis if anything could, but seems there ain't much surprising anymore. Sometimes, though, he sits down and things about things that're warm. It don't help much, but it passes the time. Beds'n'blankets and people, too ( Read more... )

It ain't like Ennis Del Mar had a lot of possessions to be doin' away with, in Milliways or in Wyoming. Junior's got her share, he didn't take a lot with him. But he's still got some stuff Jack might be left t'deal with. Back in that cupboard in a corner of his room in Shadow, there's a note in the neat and proper handwriting of the caretaker.

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Ennis screams.

He screams and throws things and punches people.

Only he don't do any of that, does he? He can't.

Ain't like much changes in here.

Walls don't change.

Pictures don't change.

Man in the bed, grumbling and grumping don't change.

Just the days change.

It ain't easy, carryin' a man that big outside, when he ain't much for letting you help him ( Read more... )

It's nice out.

It's real nice out.

If he can see anything, Ennis can see that from his room.

Means he's something of kind of stir crazy (when he ain't doped to the gills), but can you blame him?

God help the person who tries to cheer him up today.