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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm“I’ll settle for luck.” He grinned as Ellie came back. “You ready, Witch Hazel?”“I’m ready,” she said. “Come on—come on—come on!”On the way home with half a bag of candy an hour later (Ellie protested when Louis finally called a halt,but not too much; she was tired), his daughter startled him by saying: “Did I make Missus Crandall havethe heart attack, Daddy? When I wouldn’t take the apple with the bruise on it?”Louis looked at her, startled, wondering where children got such funny, half-superstitious ideas. Step ona crack, break your mother’s back. Loves me, loves me not. Daddy’s stomach, Daddy’s head, smile atmidnight, Daddy’s dead. That made him think of the Pet Sematary again and those crude circles. Hewanted to smile at himself and was not quite able.“No, honey,” he said. “When you were in with those two ghosts—”“Those weren’t ghosts, just the Buddinger twins.”“Well, when you were in with them, Mr. Crandall was telling me that his wife had been having littlechest pains. In fact, you might have been responsible for saving her life or at least for keeping it frombeing much worse.”Now it was Ellie’s turn to look startled.Louis nodded. “She needed a doctor, honey. I’m a doctor. But I was only there because it was your nightto go trick-or-treating.”Ellie considered this for a long time and then nodded. “But she’ll probably die anyway,” she said matterof-factly.“People who have heart attacks usually die. Even if they live, pretty soon they have anotherone and another one and another one until...boom!”“And where did you learn these words of wisdom, may I ask?” Ellie only shrugged—a very Louislikeshrug, he was amused to see.She allowed him to carry in her bag of candy—an almost ultimate sign of trust—and Louis pondered herattitude. The thought of Church’s death had brought on near-hysteria. But the thought of grandmotherlyNorma Crandall dying . . . that Ellie seemed to take calmly, a matter of course, a given. What had shesaid? Another one and another one, until. . . boom!The kitchen was empty, but Louis could hear Rachel moving around upstairs. He set Ellie’s candy downfile:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Ste...%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (84 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM