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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm—they was gettin ready to take on the Hall twins over the privilege of toting that poor old poisoned muttup to the boneyard.”Louis started giggling. Soon he was laughing out loud. He could feel the days-old residue of tension leftfrom the bitter argument with Rachel beginning to loosen.“So she says, ‘Wait! Wait! Looka this!’ And they all stop and look. And goddam if she ain’t—”“Jud,” Norma said warningly.“Sorry, dear; I get carried away yarning, you know that.”“I guess you do,” she said.“And darned if she ain’t got that book open to FUNERALS, and there’s a picture of Queen Victoriagetting her final sendoff and bon voyage, and there are about forty-eleven people on each side of hercoffin, some sweatin and strainin to lift the bugger, some just standin around in their funeral coats andruffled collars like they was waitin for someone to call post time at the racetrack. And Mandy says,‘When it’s a ceremonial funeral of state, you can have as many as you want! The book says so!’“That solved it?” Louis asked.“That did the trick. They ended up with about twenty kids, and damn if they didn’t look just like thepicture Mandy had found, except maybe for the ruffles and tall hats. Mandy took charge, she did. Gotem lined up and gave each of em a wildflower—a dandelion or a lady’s slipper or a daisy—and off theywent., By the gee, I always thought the country missed a bet when Mandy Holloway never got voted tothe U.S. Congress.” He laughed and shook his head. “Anyway, that was the end of Billy’s bad dreamsabout the Pet Sematary. He mourned his dog and finished his mourning and got on. Which is what we alldo, I guess.”Louis thought again of Rachel’s near-hysteria.“Your Ellie will get over it,” Norma said and shifted position. “You must be thinking that death is all wetalk about around here, Louis. Jud and I are getting on, but I hope neither of us has gotten to the gorecrowstage yet—”“No, of course not, don’t be silly,” Louis said.“—But it’s not such a bad idea to be on nodding acquaintance with it. These days. . . I don’t know. . . noone wants to talk about it or think about it, it seems. They took it off the TV because they thought itmight hurt the children some way hurt their minds. . and people want closed coffins so they don’t haveto look at the remains or say goodbye. . . it just seems like people want to forget it.”file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Ste...%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (41 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM