them would be going down to the Sidewinder Public Library to see if they could
get him some second…grade…level books on an extended loan through the winter；
and she would talk to him。 And frankly。 With that thought she felt a little
easier； and at last began to drift toward sleep。
* * *
Danny lay awake in his bedroom； eyes open； left arm encircling his aged and
slightly worse…for…wear Pooh （Pooh had lost one shoe…button eye and was oozing
stuffing from half a dozen sprung seams）； listening to his parents sleep in
their bedroom。 He felt as if he were standing unwilling guard over them。 The
nights were the worst of all。 He hated the nights and the constant howl of the
wind around the west side of the hotel。
His glider floated overhead from a string。 On his bureau the VW model； brought
up from the roadway setup downstairs； glowed a dimly fluorescent purple。 His
books were in the bookcase； his coloring books on the desk。 A place for
everything and everything in its place。 Mommy said。 Then you know where it is
when you want it。 But now things had been misplaced。 Things were missing。 Worse
still； things had been added； things you couldn't quite see； like in one of
those pictures that said CAN YOU SEE THE INDIANS？ And if you strained and
squinted； you could see some of them the thing you had taken for a cactus at
first glance was really a brave with a knife clamped in his teeth； and there
were others hiding in the rocks； and you could even see one of their evil；
merciless faces peering through the spokes of a covered wagon wheel。 But you
could never see all of them； and that was what made you uneasy。 Because it was
the ones you couldn't see that would sneak up behind you； a tomahawk in one hand
and a scalping knife in the other 。。。
He shifted uneasily in his bed； his eyes searching out the forting glow of
the night light。 Things were worse here。 He knew that much for sure。 At first
they hadn't been so bad； but little by little 。。。 his daddy thought about
drinking a lot more。 Sometimes he was angry at Mommy and didn't know why。 He
went around wiping his lips with his handkerchief and his eyes were far away and
cloudy。 Mommy was worried about him and Danny； too。 He didn't have to shine into
her to know that； it had been in the anxious way she had questioned him on the
day the fire hose had seemed to turn into a snake。 Mr。 Hallorann said he thought
all mothers could shine a little bit； and she had known on that day that
something had happened。 But not what。
He had almost told her； but a couple of things had held him back。 He knew that
the doctor in Sidewinder had dismissed Tony and the things that Tony showed him
as perfectly
（well almost）
normal。 His mother might not believe him if he told her about the hose。 Worse；
she might believe him in the wrong way； might think he was LOSING HIS MARBLES。
He understood a little about LOSING YOUR MARBLES； not as much as he did about
GETTING A BABY； which his mommy had explained to him the year before at some
length； but enough。
Once； at nursery school； his friend Scott had pointed out a boy named Robin
Stenger； who was moping around the swings with a face almost long enough to step
on。 Robin's father taught arithmetic at Daddy's school； and Scott's daddy taught
history there。 Most of the kids at the nursery school were associated either
with Stovington Prep or with the small IBM plant just outside of town。 The prep
kids chummed in one group； the IBM kids in another。 There were cross…
friendships； of course； but it was natural enough for the kids whose fathers
knew each other to more or less stick together。 When there was an adult scandal
in one group； it almost always filtered down to the children in some wildly
mutated form or other； but it rarely jumped to the other group。
He and Scotty were sitting in the play rocketship when Scotty jerked his thumb
at Robin and said： 〃You know that kid？〃
〃Yeah；〃 Danny said。
Scott leaned forward。 〃His dad LOST HIS MARBLES last night。 They took him
away。〃
〃Yeah？ Just for losing some marbles？〃
Scotty looked disgusted。 〃He went crazy。 You know。〃 Scott crossed his eyes；
flopped out his tongue； and twirled his index fingers in large elliptical orbits
around his ears。 〃They took him to THE BUGHOUSE。〃
〃Wow；〃 Danny said。 〃When will they let him e back？〃
〃Never…never…never；〃 Scotty said darkly。
In the course of that day and the next； Danny heard that
a。） Mr。 Stenger had tried to kill everybody in his family； including Robin；
with his World War II souvenir pistol；
b。） Mr。 Stenger ripped the house to pieces while he was STINKO；
c。） Mr。 Stenger had been discovered eating a bowl of dead bugs and grass like
they were cereal and milk and crying while he did it；
d。） Mr。 Stenger had tried to strangle his wife with a stocking when the Red
Sox lost a big ball game。
Finally； too troubled to keep it to himself； he had asked Daddy about Mr。
Stenger。 His daddy had taken him on his lap and had explained that Mr。 Stenger
had been under a great deal of strain； some of it about his family and some
about his job and some of it about things that nobody but doctors could
understand。 He had been having crying fits； and three nights ago he had gotten
crying and couldn't stop it and had broken a lot of things in the Stenger home。
It wasn't LOSING YOUR MARBLES； Daddy said； it was HAVING A BREAKDOWN； and Mr。
Stenger wasn't in a BUGHOUSE but in a SANNY…TARIUM。 But despite Daddy's careful
explanations； Danny was scared。 There didn't seem to be any difference at all
between LOSING YOUR MARBLES and HAVING A BREAKDOWN； and whether you called it
a BUGHOUSE or a SANNYTARIUM； there were still bars on the windows and they
wouldn't let you out if you wanted to go。 And his father； quite innocently； had
confirmed another of Scotty's phrases unchanged； one that filled Danny with a
vague and unformed dread。 In the place where Mr。 Stenger now lived； there were
THE MEN IN THE WHITE COATS。 They came to get you in a truck with no windows； a
truck that was gravestone gray。 It rolled up to the curb in front of your house
and THE MEN IN THE WHITE COATS got out and took you away from your family and
made you live in a room with soft walls。 And if you wanted to write home； you
had to do it with Crayolas。
〃When will they let him e back？〃 Danny asked his father。
〃Just as soon as he's better； doc。〃
〃But when will that be？〃 Danny had persisted。
〃Dan；〃 Jack said； 〃NO ONE KNOWS。〃
And that was the worst of all。 It was another way of saying never…never…never。
A month later； Robin's mother took him out of nursery school and they moved away
from Stovington without Mr。 Stenger。
That had been over a year ago； after Daddy stopped taking the Bad Stuff but
before he had lost his job。 Danny still thought about it often。 Sometimes when
he fell down or bumped his head or had a bellyache； he would begin to cry and
the memory would flash over him； acpanied by the fear that he would not be
able to stop crying； tha