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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htmceased at the funeral parlor, where a fistfight with his father-in-law (bad enough) resulted in an eventeven more terrible—a final bit of outrageous gothic melodrama which shattered whatever remained ofRachel’s fragile self-control. That day’s penny dreadful events were only complete when she was pulled,screaming, from the East Room of the Brookings-Smith Mortuary, where Gage lay in his closed coffin,and sedated in the foyer by Surrendra Hardu.The irony of it was that she would not have experienced that final episode at all, that extravagance ofhorror, one might say, if the fistfight between Louis Creed and Mr. Irwin Goldmanof Dearborn had taken place at the morning visiting hours (10 to 11:30 A.M.) instead of at the afternoonvisiting hours (2 to 3:30 P.M.). Rachel had not been in attendance at the morning visiting hours; shesimply had not been able to come. She sat at home with Jud Crandall and Steve Masterton. Louis had noidea how he ever could have gotten through the previous forty-eight hours or so without Jud and Steve.It was well for Louis—well for all three of the remaining family members—that Steve had shown up aspromptly as he had, because Louis was at least temporarily unable to make any kind of decision, evenone so minor as giving his wife a shot to mute her deep grief. Louis hadn’t even noticed that Rachel hadapparently meant to go to the morning viewing in her housecoat, which she had misbuttoned. Her hairwas uncombed, unwashed, tangled. Her eyes, blank brown orbits, bulged from sockets so sunken thatthey had almost become the eyes of a living skull. Her flesh was doughy. It hung from her face. She satat the breakfast table that morning, munching unbuttered toast and talking in disjointed phrases thatmade no sense at all. At one point she had said abruptly, “About that Winnebago you want to buy, Lou—” Louis had last spoken about buying a Winnebago in 1981.Louis only nodded and went on eating his own breakfast. He was having a bowl of Cocoa Bears. CocoaBears had been one of Gage’s favorite cereals, and this morning Louis wanted them. The taste of themwas appalling, but he still wanted them. He was neatly turned out in his best suit—not black, he didn’thave a black suit, but it was at least a deep charcoal gray. He had shaved, showered, and combed hishair. He looked fine, although he was lost in shock.Ellie was dressed in blue jeans and a yellow blouse. She had brought a picture to the breakfast table withher. This picture, an enlargement of a Polaroid Rachel had taken with the SX-70 Louis and the kids hadgiven her for her last birthday, showed Gage, grinning from the depths of his Sears ski-parka, sitting onher Speedaway sled as Ellie pulled him. Rachel had caught Ellie looking back over her shoulder andsmiling at Gage. Gage was grinning back at her.Ellie carried the picture, but she didn’t talk much.Louis was unable to see the condition of either his wife or his daughter; he ate his breakfast and his mindreplayed the accidentover and over and over, except in this mind-movie the conclusion was different. In the mind-movie hefile:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20St...20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (182 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM