Lincoln in the Bardo(21)
You lie, the boy said.
It appeared the boy’s degradation had now begun to affect his disposition.
I beg your pardon? said the Reverend.
You three have lied to me from the first, the boy said. Said I should go. What if I had? I would have missed Father entirely. And now you say you will give him a message?
We will, the Reverend said. We most certainly— But how will you? the boy said. Have you a method? Of communication? I did not. When I was there within him.
roger bevins iii
We do, said Mr. Vollman. We do have such a method.
the reverend everly thomas
(Nebulous.
Far from established.) roger bevins iii
(There has historically been some confusion around this issue.) hans vollman
Just then, from across the premises, came the sound of Mrs. Delaney, calling out for Mr. Delaney.
the reverend everly thomas
Many years ago, her husband had preceded her to this place. But was no longer here. That is to say, though his sick-form lay just where she had put it, Mr. Delaney himself—
roger bevins iii
Was elsewhere.
the reverend everly thomas
Had gone on.
hans vollman
However, poor Mrs. Delaney could not resolve to follow.
roger bevins iii
Because of some funny business. That had taken place with another Mr. Delaney.
the reverend everly thomas
The brother of her husband.
hans vollman
It had not felt “funny” at the time, but urgent, fated, and wonderful.
roger bevins iii
But now she was of a divided heart: having spent many years in that previous place, longing for this other Delaney, miserably trapped in her marriage— the reverend everly thomas
She had, within a month of her husband having come here, taken up with that other Delaney, only to find him at once falling in her estimation, because of the reckless disregard he had shown for her husband’s (his brother’s) memory, this revealing to her that he was of a decayed and avaricious moral character (unlike her husband, who had been, she now saw, upstanding in every way).
hans vollman
Albeit rather literal, and timid, and not nearly the imposing and alluring physical specimen that he, the (morally suspect) brother, was.
roger bevins iii
So she found herself stuck.
hans vollman
Physically longing for that Delaney (still back there, in that previous place).
the reverend everly thomas
But also desiring to go, and see her husband again, and apologize.
roger bevins iii
For having wasted the many years of their life together craving another man.
hans vollman
In short, she did not know whether she was coming or going.
the reverend everly thomas
Going or waiting.
roger bevins iii
So just wandered around, shouting, “Mr. Delaney!”
the reverend everly thomas
Continuously.
hans vollman
We never knew which Delaney she was calling for.
roger bevins iii
Nor did she.
the reverend everly thomas
I say, the lad suddenly gasped, an unmistakable quaver of fear in his voice.
hans vollman
Looking over, my heart sank.
The roof around him had liquefied, and he appeared to be sitting in a gray-white puddle.
roger bevins iii
From out of the puddle, a vine-like tendril emerged.
the reverend everly thomas
Thickening as it approached the boy, it flowed, cobra-like, over the juncture at which his calves crossed.
roger bevins iii
Reaching to brush it away, I found it stiff, more stone than snake.
the reverend everly thomas
A chilling development.
roger bevins iii
The beginning of the end.
hans vollman
XXXII.
If Miss Traynor’s case was any indication, this tendril would soon be followed by a succession of others, until the boy was fully secured (Gulliver-like) to the roof.
roger bevins iii Once secured, he would be rapidly overgrown by what might best be described as a placental sheen.
the reverend everly thomas This sheen then hardening into a shell-like carapace, that carapace would begin to transition through a series of others (viz., the fallen bridge, vulture, dog, terrible hag, etc.), each more detailed and hideous than the last, this process only serving to increase the speed of his downward spiral: the more perverse the carapace, the less “light” (happiness, honesty, positive aspiration) would get in.
roger bevins iii Driving him ever further from the light.
hans vollman These memories of Miss Traynor depressed us.
the reverend everly thomas Bringing to our minds, as they did, the shame of that long-ago night.
roger bevins iii On which we had abandoned her.
hans vollman
Stumbling away, heads lowered.
roger bevins iii Tacitly assenting to her doom.
the reverend everly thomas As she descended.
hans vollman We remembered her singing merrily all through the initial carapacing, as if to deny what was happening.
roger bevins iii “A Heavy Bough Hung Down.”
hans vollman Dear child.
the reverend everly thomas Lovely voice.
hans vollman
Which became steadily less lovely as the initial carapace formed and she took on the form of a girl-sized crow.