按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
he stood up and began to chisel the disguised mine gently； blowing away loose grain with his mouth； using the feather stick； chipping more concrete off。 he stopped his focus only when the music slipped off the wavelength and he had to realign the station； bringing clarity back to the swing tunes。 very slowly he unearthed the series of wires。 there were six wires jumbled up； tied together； all painted black。
he brushed the dust off the mapboard the wires lay on。
six black wires。 when he was a child his father had bunched up his fingers and； disguising all but the tips of them； made him guess which was the long one。 his own small finger would touch his choice； and his father’s hand would unfold； blossoming； to reveal the boy’s mistake。 one could of course make a red wire negative。 but this opponent had not just concreted the thing but painted all the characters black。 kip was being pulled into a psychological vortex。 with the knife he began to scrape the paint free； revealing a red； a blue； a green。 would his opponent have also switched them？ he’d have to set up a detour with black wire of his own like an oxbow river and then test the loop for positive or negative power。 then he would check it for fading power and know where the danger lay。
hana was carrying a long mirror in front of her down the hall。 she would pause because of the weight of it and then move forward； the mirror reflecting the old dark pink of the passageway。
the englishman had wanted to see himself。 before she stepped into the room she carefully turned the reflection upon herself； not wanting the light to bounce indirectly from the window onto his face。
he lay there in his dark skin； the only paleness the hearing aid in his ear and the seeming blaze of light from his pillow。 he pushed the sheets down with his hands。 here； do this； pushing as far as he could； and hana flicked the sheet to the base of the bed。
she stood on a chair at the foot of the bed and slowly tilted the mirror down at him。 she was in this position； her hands braced out in front of her； when she heard the faint shouts。
she ignored them at first。 the house often picked up noise from the valley。 the use of megaphones by the clearance military had constantly unnerved her when she was living alone with the english patient。
“keep the mirror still； my dear；” he said。
“i think there is someone shouting。 do you hear it？” his left hand turned up the hearing aid。
“it’s the boy。 you’d better go and find out。” she leaned the mirror against the wall and rushed down the corridor。 she paused outside waiting for the next yell。 when it came she took off through the garden and into the fields above the house。
he stood； his hands raised above him as if he were holding a giant cobweb。 he was shaking his head to get free of the earphones。 as she ran towards him he yelled at her to circle to the left； there were mine wires all over the place。 she stopped。 it was a walk she had taken numerous times with no sense of danger。 she raised her skirt and moved forward； watching her feet as they entered the long grass。
his hands were still up in the air as she came alongside him。 he had been tricked； ending up holding two live wires he could not put down without the safety of a descant chord。 he needed a third hand to negate one of them and he needed to go back once more to the fuze head。 he passed the wires carefully to her and dropped his arms； getting blood back into them。
“i’ll take them back in a minute。” “it’s okay。” “keep very still。” he opened up his satchel for the geiger counter and magnet。 he ran the dial up and along the wires she was holding。 no swerve to negative。 no clue。 nothing。 he stepped backwards； wondering where the trick could be。
“let me tape those to the tree； and you leave。” “no。 i’ll hold it。 they won’t reach the tree。” “no。” “kip—i can hold them。” “we have an impasse。 there’s a joke。 i don’t know where to go from here。 i don’t know how plete the trick is。” leaving her； he ran back to where he had first sighted the wire。 he raised it and followed it all the way this time； the geiger counter alongside it。 then he was crouched about ten yards from her； thinking； now and then looking up； looking right through her； watching only the two tributaries of wire she held in her hands。 i don’t know； he said out loud； slowly； / don’t know。 i think i have to cut the wire in your left hand； you must leave。 he was pulling the radio earphones on over his head； so thesound came back into him fully； filling him with clarity。 he schemed along the different paths of the wire and swerved into the convolutions of their knots； the sudden corners； the buried switches that translated them from positive to negative。 the tinderbox。 he remembered the dog； whose eyes were as big as saucers。 he raced with the music along the wires； and all the while he was staring at the girl’s hands； which were very still holding onto them。
“you’d better go。” “you need another hand to cut it； don’t you？” “i can attach it to the tree。” “i’ll hold it。” he picked the wire like a thin adder from her left hand。 then the other。 she didn’t move away。 he said nothing more； he now had to think as clearly as he could； as if he were alone。 she came up to him and took back one of the wires。 he was not conscious of this at all； her presence erased。 he travelled the path of the bomb fuze again； alongside the mind that had choreographed this； touching all the key points； seeing the x ray of it； the band music filling everything else。
stepping up to her； he cut the wire below her left fist before the theorem faded； the sound like something bitten through with a tooth。 he saw the dark print of her dress along her shoulder； against her neck。 the bomb was dead。 he dropped the cutters and put his hand on her shoulder； needing to touch something human。 she was saying something he couldn’t hear； and she reached forward and pulled the earphones off so silence invaded。 breeze and a rustle。 he realized the click of the wire being cut had not been heard at all； just felt； the snap of it； the break of a small rabbit bone。 not letting go of her； he moved h