“You don’t think! ? After all this!? Good grief, let me tell you! The Witch, Jim, the balloon! Last night, all alone, I — “
But there was no time to tell it.
No time to tell his stabbing the balloon so it gusted away to die in the lonely country sinking the blind woman with it.
No time because walking in the cold rain now, they heard a sad sound.
They were passing an empty lot deep within which stood a vast oak-tree. Under it were rainy shadows, and the sound.
“Jim,” said Will, “someone’s — crying.”
“No.” Jim moved on.
“There’s a little girl in there.”
“No.” Jim would not look. “What would a girl be doing out under a tree in the rain? Come on.”
“Jim! You hear her!”
“No! I don’t, I don’t!”
But then the crying came stronger across the dead grass, flew like a sad bird through the rain, and Jim had to turn, for there was Will marching across the rubble.
“Jim — that voice — I know it!”
“Will, don’t go there!”
And Jim did not move, but Will stumbled and walked until he entered the shade of the raining tree where the sky fell and was lost in autumn leaves and crept down at last in shining rivers along the branches and trunk and there was the little girl, crouched, face buried in her hands, weeping as if the town were gone and the people in it and herself lost in terrible woods.
And at last Jim came edging up and stood at the edge of the shadow and said, “Who is it?”
“I don’t know.” But Will felt tears start to his eyes, as if some part of him guessed.
“It’s not Jenny Holdridge, is it…”
“No.”
“Jane Franklin?”
“No.” His mouth felt full of novocaine, his tongue merely stirred in his numb lips. “…no… “
The little girl wept, feeling them near, but not looking up yet.
“…me…me…help me…nobody’ll help me…me…me…I don’t like this…”
Then when she had strength enough and was quieter she turned her face, her eyes almost swollen shut with weeping. She was shocked to see anyone near, then surprised.
“Jim! Will! Oh God, it’s you!”
She seized Jim’s hand. He writhed back, yelling. “No! I don’t know you, let go!”
“Will, help me, Jim, oh don’t go, don’t leave!” she gasped, brokenly, new tears bursting from her eyes.
“No, no, don’t!” screamed Jim, he thrashed, he broke free fell, leaped to his feet, one fist raised to strike. He stopped, trembling, held it to his side. “Oh, Will, Will, let’s get out of here, I’m sorry, oh God, God.”
The little girl in the shadow of the tree, flung back, widened her eyes to fix the two in wetness, moaned, clutched herself and rocked back and forth, her own child-baby, comforting her elbows… soon she might sing to herself and sing that way, alone beneath the dark tree, forever, no one able to join or stop the song.
“…someone must help me…someone must help her…” she mourned as for one dead, “someone must help her…nobody will…nobody has…help her if not me…terrible…terrible…”
“She knows us!” said Will, hopelessly, half bent down to her, half turned to Jim. “I can’t leave her!”
“Lies!” said Jim, wildly. “Lies! She don’t know us! Never saw her before!”
“She’s gone, bring her back, she’s gone, bring her back,” mourned the girl, eyes shut.
“Find who?” Will got down on one knee, dared to touch her hand. She grabbed him. Almost immediately she knew this was wrong for he tried to tear free, so she let him go, and wept, while he waited near and Jim, far out in the dead grass, called in for them to go, he didn’t like it, they must, they must go.
“Oh, she’s lost,” sobbed the little girl. “She ran off in that place and never come back. Will you find her, please, please…?”
Shivering, Will touched her cheek. “Hey now,” he whispered. “You’ll be okay. I’ll find help,” he said, gently. She opened her eyes. “This is Will Halloway, okay? Cross my heart, we’ll be back. Ten minutes. But you mustn’t go away.” She shook her head. “You’ll wait here under the tree for us?” She nodded, mutely. He stood up. This simple motion frightened her and she flinched. So he waited and looked at her and said, “I know who you are.” He saw the great familiar eyes open grey in the small wounded face. He saw the long rainwashed black hair and the pale cheeks. “I know who you are. But I got to check.”