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ven for Oy。
Pigeons ruffled and cooed overhead。 The left wheel of Susannah's chair squawked monotonously。 My kingdom for an oilcan； Eddie thought； and realized he was a lot more than just scared。 The last time he had felt this level of terror had been on the day when he and Henry had stood on the sidewalk of Rhinehold Street in Dutch Hill； looking at the slumped ruin of The Mansion。 They hadn't gone in on that day in 1977； they had turned their backs on the haunted house and walked away； and he remembered vowing to himself that he would never； never； ever go back to that place。 It was a promise he'd kept； but here he was； in another haunted house； and there was the haunter； right over there…Blaine the Mono； a long low pink shape with one window peering at him like the eye of a dangerous animal who is shamming sleep。
He stirs no more from his berth in the Cradle。 。 。 。 He has even stopped speaking in his many voices and laughing。 。 。 。 Ardis was the last to go nigh Blaine 。 。 。 and when Ardis couldn't answer what was asked； Blaine slew him with blue fire。
If it speaks to me； I'll probably go crazy； Eddie thought。
The wind gusted outside； and a fine spray of rain flew in through the tall egress slot cut in the side of the building。 He saw it strike Blaine's window and bead up there。
Eddie shuddered suddenly and looked sharply around。 〃We're being watched…I can feel it。〃
〃I wouldn't be at all surprised。 Push me closer to the gate； Eddie。 I want to get a better look at that box。〃
〃Okay； but don't touch it。 If it's electrified…〃
〃If Blaine wants to cook us； he will；〃 Susannah said； looking through the bars at Blaine's back。 〃You know it； and I do； too。〃
And because Eddie knew that was only the truth； he said nothing。
The box looked like a bination inter and burglar alarm。 There was a speaker set into the top half； with what looked like a TALK/LISTEN button next to it。 Below this were numbers arranged in a shape which made a diamond：
1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45
46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55
56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72
73 74 75 76 77 78 79
80 81 82 83 84 85
86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94
95 96 97
98 99
100
Under the diamond were two other buttons with words of the High Speech printed on them： MAND and ENTER。
Susannah looked bewildered and doubtful。 〃What is this thing； do you think？ It looks like a gadget in a science fiction movie。〃
Of course it did； Eddie realized。 Susannah had probably seen a home security system or two in her time…she had； after all； lived among the Manhattan rich； even if she had not been very enthusiastically accepted by them…but there was a world of difference between the electronics gear available in her when； 1963； and his own； which was 1987。 We've never talked much about the differences； either； he thought。 I wonder what she'd think if I told her Ronald Reagan was President of the United States when Roland snatched me？ Probably that I was crazy。
〃It's a security system；〃 he said。 Then； although his nerves and instincts screamed out against it； he forced himself to reach out with his right hand and thumb the TALK/LISTEN switch。
There was no crackle of electricity； no deadly blue fire went racing up his arm。 No sign that the thing was even still connected。
Maybe Blaine is dead。 Maybe he's dead； after all。
But he didn't really believe that。
〃Hello？〃 he said； and in his mind's eye saw tin… unfortunate Ardis； screaming as he… was microwaved by the blue fire dancing all over his face and body； melting his eyes and setting his hair ablaze。 〃Hello 。 。 。 Blaine？ Anybody ？〃
He let go of the button and waited； stiff with tension。 Susannah's hand crept into his； cold and small。 There was still no answer； and Eddie…now more reluctant than ever…pushed the button again。
〃Blaine？〃
He let go of the button。 Waited。 And when there was still no answer； a dangerous giddiness overcame him； as it often did in moments of stress and fear。 When that giddiness took him； counting the cost no longer seemed to matter。 Nothing mattered。 It had been like that when he had outfaced Balazar's sallow…faced contact man in Nassau； and it was like that now。 And if Roland had seen him in the moment this lunatic impa…tience overtook him； he would have seen more than just a resemblance between Eddie and Cuthbert； he would have sworn Eddie was Cuthbert。
He jammed the button in with his thumb and began to bellow into the speaker； adopting a plummy （and pletely bogus） British accent。 〃Hullo； Blaine！ Cheerio； old fellow！ This is Robin Leach； host of Life…styles of the Rich and Brainless； here to tell you that you have won six billion dollars and a new Ford Escort in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes！〃
Pigeons took flight above them in soft； startled explosions of wings。 Susannah gasped。 Her face wore the dismayed expression of a devout woman who has just heard her husband blaspheme in a cathedral。 〃Eddie； stop it！ Stop it！〃
Eddie couldn't stop it。 His mouth was smiling； but his eyes glittered with a mixture of fear； hysteria； and frustrated anger。 〃You and your monorail girlfriend； Patricia； will spend a lux…yoo…rious month in scenic Jimtown； where you'll drink only the finest wine and eat only the finest virgins！ You…〃
〃。 。 。 shhhh 。 。 。〃
Eddie broke off； looking at Susannah。 He was at once sure that it had been she who had shushed him…not only because she had already tried but because she was the only other person here…and yet at the same time he knew it hadn't been Susannah。 That had been another voice： the voice of a very young and very frightened child。
〃Suze？ Did you…〃
Susannah was shaking her head and raising her hand at the same time。 She pointed at the inter box； and Eddie saw the button marked MAND was glowing a very faint shell…pink。 It was the same color as the mono sleeping in its berth on the other side of the barrier。
〃Shhh。。。 don't wake him up；〃 the child's voice mourned。 It drifted from the speaker； soft as an evening breeze。
〃What 。 。 。〃 Eddie began。 Then he shook his head； reached toward the TALK/LISTEN switch and pressed it gently。 When he spoke again； it was not in the blaring Robin Leach bellow but in the almost…whisper of a conspirator。 〃What are you？ Who are you？〃
He released the button。 He and Susannah regarded each other with the big eyes of children who now know they are sharing the house with a dangerous…perhaps psychotic…adult。 How have they e by the knowledge？ Why； because another child has told them； a child who has lived with the psychotic adult for a long time； hiding in corners and stealing out only when it knows the adult is asleep； a frightened child who happens to be almost invisible。
There was no answer。 Eddie let the seconds spin out。 Each one seemed long enough to read a whole novel in。 He was reaching for the button again when the faint pink glow reappeared。
〃I'm Little Blaine；〃 the child's voice whispered。 〃The one he doesn't see。 The one he forgot。 The one he thinks he left behind in the rooms of ruin and the halls of the dead。〃
Eddie pushed the button again with a hand that had picked up an uncontrollable shake。 He could hear that shake in his voice； as well。 〃Who？ Who is the one who doesn't see？ Is it the Bear？〃
No…not the bear； not he。 Shardik lay dead in the forest； many miles behind them； the world had moved on even since then。 Eddie suddenly remembered what it had been like to lay his ear against that strange unfound door in the clearing where die bear had lived its violent half…life； that door with its somehow terrible stripes of yellow and black。 It was all of a piece； he realized now； all part of some awful； decaying whole； a tattered web with the Dark Tower at its center like an inpre…hensible stone spider。 All of Mid…World had bee one vast haunted mansion in these strange latter days； all of Mid…World had bee The Drawers； all of Mid…World had bee a waste land； haunting and haunted。
He saw Susannah's lips form the words of the real answer before the voice from the inter could speak them； and those words were as obvious as the solution to a riddle once the answer is spoken。
〃Big Blaine；〃 the unseen voice whispered。 〃Big Blaine is the ghost in the machine…the ghost in all the machines。〃
Susannah's hand had gone to her throat and was clutching it； as if she intended to strangle herself。 Her eyes were full of terror； but they were not glassy； not stunned； they were sharp with understanding。 Per…haps she knew a voice like this one from her own when…the when where the integrated whole that was Susannah had been shunted aside by the warring personalities of Detta and Odetta。 The childish voice had sur…prised her as well as him； but her agonized eyes said she was no stranger to the concept being expressed。
Susannah knew all about the madness of duality。
〃Eddie we have to go；〃 she said。 Her terror turned the words into an unpunctuated auditory smear。 He could hear air whistling in her wind…pipe like a cold wind around a chimney。 〃Eddie we have to get away Eddie we have to get away Eddie…〃
〃Too late；〃 the tiny； mourning voice said。 〃He's awake。 Big Blaine is awake。 He knows you are here。 And he's ing。〃
Suddenly lights…bright orange arc…sodiums…began to flash on in pairs above them； bathing the pillared vastness of the Cradle in a harsh glare that banished all shadows。 Hundreds of pigeons darted and swooped in frightened； aimless flight； startled from their plex of interlocked nests high above。
〃Wait！〃 Eddie shouted。 〃Please； wait！〃
In his agitation he forgot to push the button； but it made no differ…ence； Little Blaine responded anyway。 〃No！ I can't let him catch me！ I can't let him kill me； too！〃
The light on the inter box went dark again； but only for a moment。 This time both MAND and ENTER lit up； and their color was not pink but the lurid dark red of a blacksmith's forge。
〃WHO ARE YOU？〃 a voice roared； and it came not just from the box but from every speaker in the city which still operated。 The rotting bodies hanging from the poles shivered with the vibrations of that mighty voice； it seemed that even the dead would run from Blaine； if they could。 。
Susannah shrank back in her chair； the heels of her hands pressed to her ears； her face long with dismay； her mouth distorted in a silent scream。 Eddie felt himself shrinking toward all the fantastic； hallucinatory terrors of eleven。 Had it been this voice he had feared when he and Henry stood outside The Mansion？ That he had perhaps even antici…pated？ He didn't know 。 。 。 but he did know how Jack in that old story must have felt when he realized that he had tried the beanstalk once too often； and awakened the giant。
〃HOW DARE YOU DISTURB MY SLEEP？ TELL ME NOW； OR DIE WHERE YOU STAND。〃
He might have frozen right there； leaving Blaine…Big Blaine…to do to them whatever it was he had done to Ardis （or something even worse）； perhaps should have frozen； locked in that down…the…rabbit…hole； fairy…tale terror。 It was the memory of the small voice which had spoken first that enabled him to move。 It had been the voice of a terrified child； but it had tried to help them； terrified or not。
So now you have to help yourself； he thought。 You woke it up； deal with it； for Christ's sake！
Eddie reached out and pushed the button again。 〃My name is Eddie Dean。 The woman with me is my wife； Susannah。 We're 。 。 。〃
He looked at Susannah； who nodded and made frantic motions for him to go on。
〃We're on a quest。 We seek the Dark Tower which lies in the P