Clotho and Lachesis returned his gaze with an uneasiness Ralph found he had absolutely no urge to allay. It seemed very right to him, somehow, that they should feel the way they were feeling.
Ralph: [“Yes, she’s very brave and I love her very much and I think we’ll make each other very happy until-“] He broke off, and Lois stirred in his arms. He realized with a mixture of amusement and relief that she had been half-asleep.
[“Until what, Ralph?”] [“Until you name it. I guess that there’s always an until when you’re a Short-Timer, and maybe that’s okay.”] Lachesis: [Well, I guess this is goodbye.] Ralph grinned in spite of himself, reminded of The Lone Ranger radio program, where almost every episode had ended with some version of that line. He reached out toward Lachesis and was sourly amused to see the little man recoil from him.
Ralph: [“Wait a minute… let’s not be so hasty, fellas.] Clotho, with a tinge of apprehension: [Is something wrong?] [“I don’t think so, but after getting popped in the head, popped in the ribs, and damned near roasted alive, I think I have a right to make sure that it’s really over. Is it? Is your boy safe?”] Clotho, smiling and clearly relieved: [Yes. Can’t you feel it?
Eighteen years from now,. just before his death, the boy is going to save the lives of two men who would otherwise die… and one of those men must of die, if the balance between the Random and the Purpose is to be maintained.] Lois: [“Never mind all that. I just want to know if we can go back to being regular Short-Timers again.”] Lachesis: [Not only can, Lois, but must. If you and Ralph were to stay up here much longer, you wouldn’t be able to go back down.] Ralph felt Lois press more tightly against him.
[“I wouldn’t like that.”] Clotho and Lachesis turned toward each other and a subtle, perplexed glance-How could anybody not like it up here? their eyes asked-passed between them before they turned back to Ralph and Lois.
Lachesis: [We really must be going. I’m sorry, but-Ralph: [“Hold on, neighbors-you’re not going anywhere yet.”] They looked at him apprehensively while Ralph slowly pushed up the sleeve of his sweater-the cuff was now stiff with some fluid, perhaps catfish ichor, that he found he did not want to think about-and showed them the white, knotted line of scar on his forearm.
[“Put away the constipated looks, guys. I just want to remind you that you gave me your word. Don’t forget that part of it.] Clotho, with obvious relief: [You can depend on it, Ralph. What was your weapon is now our bond. The promise will not be forgotten-Ralph was beginning to believe it really was over. And, crazy as it seemed, part of him regretted it. Now it was real life-life as it went on on the floors below this level-that seemed almost like a mirage, and he understood what Lachesis had meant when he told them that they would never be able to return to their normal lives if they stayed up here much longer.
Lachesis: [We really must go. Fare you well, Ralph and Lois. We will never forget the service you have rendered us.] Ralph: [“Did we ever have a choice? Did we really?”] Lachesis, very softly: [We told you so, didn’t we? For Short-Timers there is always a choice. We find that frightening… but we also find it beautiful.] Ralph: [“Say-do you fellows ever shake hands?”] Clotho and Lachesis glanced at each other, startled, and Ralph sensed some quick dialogue flashing between them in a kind of telepathic shorthand. When they looked back at Ralph, they wore identical nervous smiles-the smiles of teenage boys who have decided that if they can’t find enough courage to ride the big rollercoaster at the amusement park this summer, they will never truly be men.
Clotho: [We have observed this custom many times, of course, but no-we have never shaken hands.] Ralph looked at Lois and saw she was smiling… but he thought he saw a shimmer of tears in her eyes, as well.
He offered his hand to Lachesis first, because Mr. L. seemed marginally less jumpy than his colleague.
[“Put ’er there, Mr. L. “I Lachesis looked at Ralph’s hand for so long that Ralph began to think he wasn’t going to be able to actually do it, although he clearly wanted to. Then, timidly, he put out his own small hand and allowed Ralph’s larger one to close over it. There was a tingling vibration in Ralph’s flesh as their auras first mingled, then merged… and in that merging he saw a series of swift, beautiful silver patterns. They reminded him of the Japanese characters on Ed’s scarf.
He pumped Lachesis’s hand twice, slowly and formally, then released it. Lachesis’s look of apprehension had been replaced by a large goony smile. He turned to his partner.
[His force is almost completely unguarded during this ceremoni.”
felt it.” It’s quite wonderful.ll Clotho inched his own hand out to meet Ralph’s, and in the instant before they touched, Mr. C. closed his eyes like a man expecting a painful injection.
Lachesis, meanwhile, was shaking hands with Lois and grinning like a vaudeville hoofer taking an encore.
Clotho appeared to steel himself, then seized Ralph’s hand. He flagged it once, firmly. Ralph grinned.
[“Take her easy, Mr. C.] Clotho withdrew his hand. He seemed to be searching for the proper response.
[Thank you, Ralph. I will take her any way I can get her.
Correct?] Ralph burst out laughing. Clotho, now turning to shake hands with Lois, gave him a puzzled smile, and Ralph clapped him on the back.
[“You got it right, Mr. C. -absolutely right-“He slipped his arm around Lois and gave the little bald doctors a final curious look.
[“I’ll be seeing you fellows again, won’t I?”] Clotho: [Yes, Ralph.] Ralph: [“Well, that’s fine. About seventy years from now would be good for me” why don’t you boys)just put it down on your calendar?”] They responded with the smiles of politicians, which didn’t surprise him much. Ralph gave them a little bow, then put his arms around Lois’s shoulders and watched as Mr, C. and Mr. L. walked slowly down the hill. Lachesis opened the door of the slightly warped Portosan marked MEN; Clotho stood in the open doorway of WOMEN.
Lachesis smiled and waved. Clotho lifted the long-bladed scissors in a queer sort of salute.
Ralph and Lois waved back.
The bald doctors stepped inside and closed the doors.
Lois wiped her streaming eyes and turned to Ralph.
[“Is that it? It is, isn’t it?”] Ralph nodded.
[“What do we do now?”] He held out his arm.
[“May I see you home, madam?”]
Smiling, she clasped his forearm just below the elbow.
[“Thank you, sir. You may.”] They left Strawford Park that way, returning to the Short-Time level as they came out on Harris Avenue, slipping back down to their normal place in the scheme of things with no fuss or botherwithout, in fact, even being aware they were doing it until it was done.
Derry groaned with panic and sweated with excitement. Sirens wailed, people shouted from second-storey windows to friends on the sidewalks below, and on every street-corner people had clustered to watch the fire on the other side of the valle, Ralph and Lois paid no attention to the tumult and hooraw. They walked slowly up Up-Mile Hill, increasingly aware of their exhaustion; it seemed to come piling into them like softly thrown bags of sand. The pool of white light marking the Red Apple Store’s parking lot seemed an impossible distance away, although Ralph knew it was only three blocks, and short ones, at that.
To make matters worse, the temperature had dropped a good fifteen degrees since that morning, the wind was blowing hard, and neither of them was dressed for the weather. Ralph suspected this might be the leading edge of autumn’s first big gale, and that in Derry, Indian summer was over.
Faye Chapin, Don Veazie, and Stan Eberly came hurrying do-,n the hill toward them, obviously bound for Strawford Park. The fieldglasses Old Dor sometimes used to watch planes taxi, land, and take off were bouncing around Faye’s neck. With Don, who was balding and heavyset, in the middle, their resemblance to a more famous trio was inescapable.