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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htmThe Crandalls came over on New Year’s Eve for Rachel’s eggnog, and Louis found himself mentallyexamining Norma. She had a pale and somehow transparent look that he had seen before. Hisgrandmother would have said Norma was beginning to “fail,” and that was perhaps not such a bad wordfor it. All at once her hands, so swollen and misshapen by arthritis, seemedcovered with liver Spots. Her hair looked thinner. The Crandalls went home around ten, and the Creedssaw the New Year in together in front of the TV. It was the last time Norma was in their house.Most of Louis’s semester break was sloppy and rainy. In terms of heating costs, he was grateful for thethaw, but the weather was still depressing and dismal. He worked around the house, buildingbookshelves and cupboards for his wife, and a model Porsche in his study for himself. By the timeclasses resumed on January 23, Louis was happy to go back to the university.The flu finally arrived—a fairly serious outbreak struck the campus less than a week after the springsemester had begun, and he had his hands full—he found himself working ten and sometimes twelvehours a day and going home utterly whippedbut not really unhappy.The warm spell broke on January 29 with a roar. There was a blizzard followed by a week of numbingsubzero weather. Louis was checking the mending broken arm of a young man who was hopingdesperately—and fruitlessly, in Louis’s opinion—that he would be able to play baseball that springwhen one of the candy-stripers poked her head in and told him his wife was on the telephone.Louis went into his office to take the call. Rachel was crying, and he was instantly alarmed. Ellie, hethought. She’s fallen off her sled and broken her arm. Or fractured her skull. He thought with alarm ofthe crazed fraternity boys and their toboggan.“It isn’t one of the kids, is it?” he asked. “Rachel?”“No, no,” she said, crying harder. “Not one of the kids. It’s Norma, Lou. Norma Crandall. She died thismorning. Around eight o’clock, right after breakfast, Jud said. He came over to see if you were here andI told him you’d left half an hour ago. Heoh Lou, he just seemed so lost and so dazed. . so old.thank God Ellie was gone and Gage is too young to understand . . .”Louis’s brow furrowed, and in spite of this terrible news he found it was Rachel his mind was going outto, seeking, trying to find. Because here it was again. Nothing you could quite put your finger on,because it was so much an overall attitudinal fix. That death was a secret, a terror, and it was to be keptfile:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20St...20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (153 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM