Pet Samatary, Part One: The Pet Sematary - Chapter 13

Part One: The Pet Sematary - Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Then the room filled up with people, as if they were all only actors, waiting for their cue. This only added to Louis's feeling of unreality and disorientation – the strength of these feelings, which he had studied in psychology classes but never actually experienced, frightened him badly. It was, he supposed, the way a person would feel shortly after someone had slipped a powerful dose of LSD into his drink.

Like a play staged only for my benefit, he thought. The room is first conveniently cleared so the dying Sybil can speak a few lines of oblique prophecy to me and me alone, and as soon as he's dead, everyone comes back.

The candy-stripers bungled in, one on each end of the hard stretcher, the one they used for people with spinal or neck injuries. Joan Charlton followed them, saying that the campus police were on their way. The young man had been struck by a car while jogging. Louis thought of the joggers who had run in front of his car that morning and his guts rolled.

Behind Charlton came Steve Masterton with two Campus Security cops. ‘Louis, the people who brought Pascow in are …' He broke off and said sharply, ‘Louis, are you all right?'

‘I'm okay,' he said, and got up. Faintness washed over him again and then withdrew. He groped. ‘Pascow is his name?'

One of the campus cops said, ‘Victor Pascow, according to the girl he was jogging with.'

Louis glanced at his watch and subtracted two minutes. From the room where Masterton had sequestered the people who had brought Pascow in, he could hear a girl sobbing wildly. Welcome back to school, little lady, he thought. Have a nice semester. ‘Mr Pascow died at 10:09 a.m.,' he said.

One of the cops wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.

Masterton said again, ‘Louis, are you really okay? You look terrible.'

Louis opened his mouth to answer, and one of the candy-stripers abruptly dropped her end of the hard stretcher and ran out, vomiting down the front of her pinafore. A phone began to ring. The girl who had been sobbing now began to scream the dead man's name – ‘Vic! Vic! Vic!' – over and over. Bedlam. Confusion. One of the cops was asking Charlton if they could have a blanket to cover him up and Charlton was saying she didn't know if she had the authority to requisition one and Louis found himself thinking of a line from Maurice Sendak: ‘Let the wild rumpus start!'

Those rotten giggles rose in his throat again, and somehow he managed to bottle them up. Had this Pascow really said the words Pet Sematary? Had this Pascow really spoken his name? Those were the things that were knocking him off-kilter, the things that had sent him wobbling out of orbit. But already his mind seemed to be wrapping those few moments in a protective film – sculpting, changing, disconnecting. Surely he had said something else (if he had indeed spoken at all), and in the shock and unhappy passion of the moment, Louis had misinterpreted it. More likely, Pascow had only mouthed sounds, as he had at first thought.

Louis groped for himself, for that part of himself that had caused the administration to give him this job over the other fifty-three applicants for the position. There was no one in command here, no forward motion; the room was full of milling people.

‘Steve, go give that girl a trank,' he said, and just saying the words made him feel better. It was as if he were in a rocket-ship under power now, pulling away from a tiny moonlet. Said moonlet being, of course, that irrational moment when Pascow had spoken. He had been hired to take charge; he was going to do it.

‘Joan. Give the cop a blanket.'

‘Doctor, we haven't inventoried—'

‘Give it to him anyway. Then check on that candy-striper.' He looked at the other girl, who still held her end of the hard stretcher. She was staring at Pascow's remains with a kind of hypnotized fascination. ‘Candy-striper!' Louis said harshly, and her eyes jerked away from the body.

‘W-W-Wh—'

‘What's the other girl's name?'

‘W-Who?'

‘The one who puked,' he said with deliberate harshness.

‘Juh-Juh-Judy. Judy DeLessio.'

‘Your name?'

‘Carla.' Now the girl sounded a little more steady.

‘Carla, you go check on Judy. And get that blanket. You'll find a pile of them in the little utility closet off Examining Room One. Go, all of you. Let's look a little professional here.'

They got moving. Very shortly the screaming in the other room quieted. The phone, which had stopped ringing, now began again. Louis pushed the HOLD button without picking the receiver up off its cradle.

The older campus cop looked more together, and Louis spoke to him: ‘Who do we notify? Can you give me a list?'

The cop nodded and said, ‘We haven't had one of these in six years. It's a bad way to start the semester.'

Louis punched one of the unlighted buttons on the phone and started making his calls without bothering to check who he had on hold.

Part One: The Pet Sematary - Chapter 13 Deel één: De Pet Sematary - Hoofdstuk 13 Часть первая: "Зверинец" - Глава 13 Частина перша: Семінарія для домашніх тварин - Розділ 13

THIRTEEN CAPÍTULO TRECE

Then the room filled up with people, as if they were all only actors, waiting for their cue. Entonces la sala se llenó de gente, como si fueran solo actores, esperando su señal. This only added to Louis's feeling of unreality and disorientation – the strength of these feelings, which he had studied in psychology classes but never actually experienced, frightened him badly. Esto solo se sumó a la sensación de irrealidad y desorientación de Louis: la fuerza de estos sentimientos, que había estudiado en clases de psicología pero que nunca experimentó, lo asustaban mucho. It was, he supposed, the way a person would feel shortly after someone had slipped a powerful dose of LSD into his drink. Era, supuso, la forma en que se sentiría una persona poco después de que alguien le hubiera puesto una poderosa dosis de LSD en su bebida.

Like a play staged only for my benefit, he thought. Como una obra de teatro puesta en escena sólo para mi beneficio, pensó. The room is first conveniently cleared so the dying Sybil can speak a few lines of oblique prophecy to me and me alone, and as soon as he's dead, everyone comes back. Primero se despeja convenientemente la habitación para que la moribunda Sybil pueda pronunciar unas pocas líneas de profecía oblicua para mí y solo para mí, y tan pronto como muere, todos regresan.

The candy-stripers bungled in, one on each end of the hard stretcher, the one they used for people with spinal or neck injuries. Los candy-stripers entraron torpemente, uno en cada extremo de la dura camilla, la que usaban para las personas con lesiones en la columna o el cuello. Joan Charlton followed them, saying that the campus police were on their way. Joan Charlton los siguió, diciendo que la policía del campus estaba en camino. The young man had been struck by a car while jogging. El joven había sido atropellado por un automóvil mientras hacía jogging. Louis thought of the joggers who had run in front of his car that morning and his guts rolled. Louis pensó en los corredores que habían corrido frente a su auto esa mañana y se le revolvieron las tripas.

Behind Charlton came Steve Masterton with two Campus Security cops. Detrás de Charlton venía Steve Masterton con dos policías de Seguridad del Campus. ‘Louis, the people who brought Pascow in are …' He broke off and said sharply, ‘Louis, are you all right?' 'Louis, las personas que trajeron a Pascow son...' Se interrumpió y dijo bruscamente: 'Louis, ¿estás bien?'

‘I'm okay,' he said, and got up. "Estoy bien", dijo, y se levantó. Faintness washed over him again and then withdrew. El desmayo se apoderó de él otra vez y luego se retiró. He groped. Él buscó a tientas. ‘Pascow is his name?' ¿Se llama Pascow?

One of the campus cops said, ‘Victor Pascow, according to the girl he was jogging with.' Uno de los policías del campus dijo: 'Victor Pascow, según la chica con la que estaba haciendo jogging'.

Louis glanced at his watch and subtracted two minutes. Louis miró su reloj y restó dos minutos. From the room where Masterton had sequestered the people who had brought Pascow in, he could hear a girl sobbing wildly. Desde la habitación donde Masterton había secuestrado a las personas que habían traído a Pascow, podía escuchar a una niña sollozar salvajemente. Welcome back to school, little lady, he thought. Bienvenida de vuelta a la escuela, pequeña dama, pensó. Have a nice semester. Que tengas un buen semestre. ‘Mr Pascow died at 10:09 a.m.,' he said. "El señor Pascow murió a las 10:09 am", dijo.

One of the cops wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. Uno de los policías se pasó el dorso de la mano por la boca.

Masterton said again, ‘Louis, are you really okay? Masterton dijo de nuevo: 'Louis, ¿estás realmente bien? You look terrible.' Te ves terrible.'

Louis opened his mouth to answer, and one of the candy-stripers abruptly dropped her end of the hard stretcher and ran out, vomiting down the front of her pinafore. Louis abrió la boca para responder, y uno de los candy-stripers soltó abruptamente su extremo de la dura camilla y salió corriendo, vomitando en la parte delantera de su delantal. A phone began to ring. Un teléfono empezó a sonar. The girl who had been sobbing now began to scream the dead man's name – ‘Vic! La niña que había estado sollozando ahora comenzó a gritar el nombre del muerto: '¡Vic! Vic! Vic!' – over and over. ¡Vic! - una y otra vez. Bedlam. Algarabía. Confusion. Confusión. One of the cops was asking Charlton if they could have a blanket to cover him up and Charlton was saying she didn't know if she had the authority to requisition one and Louis found himself thinking of a line from Maurice Sendak: ‘Let the wild rumpus start!' Uno de los policías le preguntaba a Charlton si podían tener una manta para cubrirlo y Charlton decía que no sabía si tenía la autoridad para requisar una y Louis se encontró pensando en una frase de Maurice Sendak: ¡Empieza el alboroto!

Those rotten giggles rose in his throat again, and somehow he managed to bottle them up. Esas risitas podridas volvieron a subir a su garganta, y de alguna manera se las arregló para reprimirlas. Had this Pascow really said the words Pet Sematary? ¿Este Pascow realmente había dicho las palabras Pet Sematary? Had this Pascow really spoken his name? ¿Este Pascow realmente había pronunciado su nombre? Those were the things that were knocking him off-kilter, the things that had sent him wobbling out of orbit. Esas eran las cosas que lo estaban desequilibrando, las cosas que lo habían enviado tambaleándose fuera de órbita. But already his mind seemed to be wrapping those few moments in a protective film – sculpting, changing, disconnecting. Pero su mente ya parecía estar envolviendo esos pocos momentos en una película protectora: esculpiendo, cambiando, desconectando. Surely he had said something else (if he had indeed spoken at all), and in the shock and unhappy passion of the moment, Louis had misinterpreted it. Seguramente había dicho algo más (si es que realmente había hablado), y en la conmoción y la infeliz pasión del momento, Louis lo había malinterpretado. More likely, Pascow had only mouthed sounds, as he had at first thought. Lo más probable es que Pascow solo emitiera sonidos con la boca, como había pensado al principio.

Louis groped for himself, for that part of himself that had caused the administration to give him this job over the other fifty-three applicants for the position. Louis buscó a tientas por sí mismo, por esa parte de sí mismo que había hecho que la administración le diera este trabajo sobre los otros cincuenta y tres candidatos para el puesto. There was no one in command here, no forward motion; the room was full of milling people. No había nadie al mando aquí, ningún movimiento hacia adelante; la sala estaba llena de gente pululando.

‘Steve, go give that girl a trank,' he said, and just saying the words made him feel better. 'Steve, ve a darle una broma a esa chica', dijo, y solo decir las palabras lo hizo sentir mejor. It was as if he were in a rocket-ship under power now, pulling away from a tiny moonlet. Era como si ahora estuviera en un cohete propulsado, alejándose de una diminuta luna. Said moonlet being, of course, that irrational moment when Pascow had spoken. Dicho moonlet siendo, por supuesto, ese momento irracional cuando Pascow había hablado. He had been hired to take charge; he was going to do it. Lo habían contratado para hacerse cargo; él iba a hacerlo.

‘Joan. Give the cop a blanket.' Dale una manta al poli.

‘Doctor, we haven't inventoried—' 'Doctor, no hemos inventariado...'

‘Give it to him anyway. 'Dáselo de todos modos. Then check on that candy-striper.' He looked at the other girl, who still held her end of the hard stretcher. Entonces revisa ese caramelo-striper.' Miró a la otra chica, que todavía sostenía su extremo de la dura camilla. She was staring at Pascow's remains with a kind of hypnotized fascination. Estaba mirando los restos de Pascow con una especie de fascinación hipnotizada. ‘Candy-striper!' Louis said harshly, and her eyes jerked away from the body. '¡Candy-striper!' Louis dijo con dureza, y sus ojos se apartaron del cuerpo.

‘W-W-Wh—' 'WW-Qu-'

‘What's the other girl's name?' '¿Cuál es el nombre de la otra chica?'

‘W-Who?' '¿Q-Quién?'

‘The one who puked,' he said with deliberate harshness. —El que vomitó —dijo con deliberada dureza—.

‘Juh-Juh-Judy. 'Juh-Juh-Judy. Judy DeLessio.' Judy DeLessio.

‘Your name?' '¿Su nombre?'

‘Carla.' Now the girl sounded a little more steady. 'Carla' Ahora la chica sonaba un poco más firme.

‘Carla, you go check on Judy. Carla, ve a ver a Judy. And get that blanket. Y coge esa manta. You'll find a pile of them in the little utility closet off Examining Room One. Encontrarás un montón de ellos en el pequeño armario de servicios públicos de la sala de examen uno. Go, all of you. Vayan todos ustedes. Let's look a little professional here.' Veamos un poco de profesional aquí.

They got moving. Se pusieron en movimiento. Very shortly the screaming in the other room quieted. Muy pronto los gritos en la otra habitación se calmaron. The phone, which had stopped ringing, now began again. El teléfono, que había dejado de sonar, volvió a sonar. Louis pushed the HOLD button without picking the receiver up off its cradle. Louis pulsó el botón HOLD sin descolgar el auricular de su soporte.

The older campus cop looked more together, and Louis spoke to him: ‘Who do we notify? El policía mayor del campus parecía más tranquilo y Louis le habló: '¿A quién notificamos? Can you give me a list?' ¿Me puede dar una lista?

The cop nodded and said, ‘We haven't had one of these in six years. El policía asintió y dijo: 'No hemos tenido uno de estos en seis años. It's a bad way to start the semester.' Es una mala forma de empezar el semestre.

Louis punched one of the unlighted buttons on the phone and started making his calls without bothering to check who he had on hold. Louis pulsó uno de los botones apagados del teléfono y comenzó a hacer sus llamadas sin molestarse en comprobar a quién tenía en espera.