mass delusion ongoing in this town. Finegan nods to the pile of video
games he is clutching.
Can’t eat those.
Finegan is now walking alongside the man, who is trying out the
pawnshopman’s sales pitch on Finegan, as he must now go home and face
the little lady.
These are worth more, overall. Growth item. Low
price now but the value of these babies will
skyrocket!
Finegan asks,
So when are the crews expected to arrive?
The man in his Sunday best says,
We ain’t heard, but that’s cause they’re real
busy.
Finegan is still engaging the man in his Sunday best in conversation as
they approach his home, having never encountered a mass delusion
before. The path is along a path worn into the yard, which is no longer
mowed. Joey has now caught the fascination too, and realizes what
Finegan is trying to do with his polite questions. Joey is walking
along beside Finegan, straining to hear every word.
The home where the man in his Sunday best and his missus live has
collapsed, the roof falling into the center of the home, the beams
having broken during the quakes. But an entry into one wing has been
arranged through a window, a piece of rug placed over the windowsill to
soften the slide in and out. The porch of the small home is sloping but
the roof is holding.
The missus is wearing a cotton dress and slip-on shoes, sitting on a
stool in the yard, plucking a chicken. She has her long hair piled on
top of her head and pinned with hairpins, out of the way of her work.
The missus is gutting the chicken, pulling the entrails out into a
bucket between her knees where she has also placed the feathers. She
tosses the plucked chicken into a roasting pan to her side, and digs
around in the entrails for the heart, liver, and kidneys of the
chicken, also to be roasted. As the threesome approach, she looks up.
The man in his Sunday best says,
Another bargain, my dear! I’ll just put these
away with the rest of our treasure.
96
At this, he sprints for the padded window frame, and putting one leg
inside he slips through to escape any questions from the missus.
Finegan and Joey are left to introduce themselves but no need as the
missus starts talking.
Oh Lord. More junk.
The missus swings on the stool so she is facing the roasting pan and a
pot with some dressing, and begins to stuff the dressing into the
chicken. It’s evident that she does the work around the place while her
husband dreams on about the recovery to come. Finegan is in the midst
of motioning toward the window where her husband disappeared, ready to
speak and has his mouth open, but is interrupted again. The missus sits
up straight, catching her breath, and brushes away a strand of hair
that has escaped the pins.
At least it keeps them busy. We had some that
just withered away, couldn’t take the loss.
She nods in the direction of the padded window where her husband
disappeared as she bends to finish stuffing her chicken.
He thinks he’s got gains.
Just then the man in his Sunday best appears in the padded window,
slinging one leg out and turning to pull the rest of his body through.
He has a chalkboard in his hand and holds it up with an ecstatic look
on his face.
Maw, best ever!
______________________________
The pawnshopman walks up to his shop and opens the door with a key.
A crowd of a half dozen people has formed outside the pawnshop, all
carrying clothing or small boxes or electronics in their hands. Some
are dressed in casual clothes, others wearing their Sunday best. The
pawnshopman says,
Open for business!
Finegan and Joey are walking down the middle of the street, past this
congregation, heads turned to watch the drama.
The crowd is bargaining with each other while waiting for their turn in
the pawnshop. One woman holds up a sequined dress, holding it out to
her side for display, trying to sell it to a man who is holding a box.
Another man has mounted antlers of a deer that he is holding in front
of him. He is approaching first one and then another in the crowd, but
they turn their backs on him.
As Finegan and Joey are leaving the business district they pass a man
carrying a large picture frame, devoid of a picture, toward the
pawnshop, followed by a woman carrying a large iridescent vase.
97
______________________________
Finegan and Joey are returning to the houseboat, moored near the
business district of the town. They are walking up the gangplank,
greeted by a wagging Barney. Finegan, who is first on the plank, throws
a comment over his shoulder to Joey.
I like our stuff better.
Joey grins and laughs in agreement.
98
Slave Labor
The houseboat is approaching a rock outcropping and water fall. Finegan
is on the roof, with Joey peddling. The water is deep, but because of
the rock outcropping Finegan is being cautious. Suddenly he holds his
hand out to stop Joey.
Whoa!
Finegan is in shock.
Holy shit.
Dozens of skeletons, picked clean by fish and crabs, are under the
clear mountain water. Some are of children. Some pieces of clothing in
tatters are here and there still on the bodies, but mostly the
skeletons are white and quite visible. Joey comes bounding up the boxes
from the rear of the houseboat to see. He and Finegan stand side by
side, in silence.
As the houseboat is moving along the rocky shoreline, in the
background, in the woods, we see movement, a man crouching behind a
rock. Finegan motions silently for Joey to stop peddling and to drift,
and to stay where he is. Having seen the bodies and seeing the man’s
caution, Finegan speaks quietly, not knowing what might be nearby.
Yo. Is there danger nearby? We saw those
bodies.
The escapee looks over his shoulder and then steps forward to the
water’s edge.
Can you get me outta here? I’m too old to work
anymore, scheduled for termination. . . Please.
They’ve got dogs, they’re gonna be tracking me.
Having seen children’s bones, Finegan does not assume this man to be a
criminal, and hops down to get the canoe.
______________________________
The houseboat is approaching a small wooded island. It is surrounded by
deep water, at least a mile from the rocky coastline they just left.
The houseboat is maneuvered to a bay at the back of the island, and all
three aboard tie the houseboat to partially submerged trees there. Now