JК
Bag of Bones :: Кинг Стивен
Страница: 146 из 425On the wall above and behind us there was an Edward Hopper print—that one of a lonely lunch counter late at night—and across the room, over the small Formica-topped table in the kitchen nook, was one of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers series. Even more than the Hopper, it looked at home in Mattie Devore’s doublewide. I have no idea why that should have been true, but it was. “Glass slipper will cut her footie,” Ki said in a muzzy, considering way. “No way,” I said. “Slipper-glass was specially made in the Kingdom of Grimoire. Smooth and unbreakable, as long as you didn’t sing high C while wearing them.”
“I get a pair?”
“Sorry, Ki,” I said, “no one knows how to make slipper-glass anymore.
It’s a lost art, like Toledo steel.” It was hot in the trailer and she was hot against my shirt, where her upper body lay, but I wouldn’t have changed it. Having a kid on my lap was pretty great. Outside, her mother was singing and gathering up dishes from the card table we’d used for our picnic. Hearing her sing was also pretty great. “Go on, go on,” Kyra said, pointing to the picture of Cinderella scrubbing the floor. The little girl peeking nervously around her mother’s leg was gone; the angry I’m-going-to-the-damn-beach girl of Saturday morning was gone; here was only a sleepy kid who was pretty and bright and trusting.
“Before I can’t hold it anymore.”
“Do you need to go pee-pee?”
“No,” she said, looking at me with some disdain. “Besides, that’s you-rinating.
Peas are what you eat with meatloaf, that’s what Mattie says. And I already went. But if you don’t go fast on the story, I’ll fall to sleep.”
“You can’t hurry stories with magic in them, Ki.”
“Well go as fast as you can.”
“Okay.” I turned the page. Here was Cinderella, trying to be a good sport, waving goodbye to her asshole sisters as they went off to the ball dressed like starlets at a disco.”
“No sooner had Cinderella said goodbye to Tammy Faye and Vanna—’”
“Those are the sisters’ names?”
“The ones I made up for them, yes. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” She settled more comfortably on my lap and dropped her head against my chest again. “"No sooner had Cinderella said goodbye to Tammy Faye and Vanna than a bright light suddenly appeared in the corner of the kitchen. Stepping out of it was a beautiful lady in a silver gown.
The jewels in her hair glowed like stars.’”
“Fairy godmother,” Kyra said matter-of-factly. “Yes.” Mattie came in carrying the remaining half-bottle of Mondavi and the blackened barbecue implements. Her sundress was bright red.
“I get a pair?”
“Sorry, Ki,” I said, “no one knows how to make slipper-glass anymore.
It’s a lost art, like Toledo steel.” It was hot in the trailer and she was hot against my shirt, where her upper body lay, but I wouldn’t have changed it. Having a kid on my lap was pretty great. Outside, her mother was singing and gathering up dishes from the card table we’d used for our picnic. Hearing her sing was also pretty great. “Go on, go on,” Kyra said, pointing to the picture of Cinderella scrubbing the floor. The little girl peeking nervously around her mother’s leg was gone; the angry I’m-going-to-the-damn-beach girl of Saturday morning was gone; here was only a sleepy kid who was pretty and bright and trusting.
“Before I can’t hold it anymore.”
“Do you need to go pee-pee?”
“No,” she said, looking at me with some disdain. “Besides, that’s you-rinating.
Peas are what you eat with meatloaf, that’s what Mattie says. And I already went. But if you don’t go fast on the story, I’ll fall to sleep.”
“You can’t hurry stories with magic in them, Ki.”
“Well go as fast as you can.”
“Okay.” I turned the page. Here was Cinderella, trying to be a good sport, waving goodbye to her asshole sisters as they went off to the ball dressed like starlets at a disco.”
“No sooner had Cinderella said goodbye to Tammy Faye and Vanna—’”
“Those are the sisters’ names?”
“The ones I made up for them, yes. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” She settled more comfortably on my lap and dropped her head against my chest again. “"No sooner had Cinderella said goodbye to Tammy Faye and Vanna than a bright light suddenly appeared in the corner of the kitchen. Stepping out of it was a beautiful lady in a silver gown.
The jewels in her hair glowed like stars.’”
“Fairy godmother,” Kyra said matter-of-factly. “Yes.” Mattie came in carrying the remaining half-bottle of Mondavi and the blackened barbecue implements. Her sundress was bright red.