Gerald’s Game

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Jessie reached for her cigarettes, but succeeded only in knocking them all over the floor. She turned to the keyboard and the VDT again, without making any attempt to pick them up.

I felt myself going insane, Ruth-and I mean I really felt it happening. Then I heard some voice inside me, Punkin, I think; Punkin who showed me how to get out of the handcuffs in the first place and got me moving when Goody tried to interfere-Goody with her wistful, counterfeit logic, Punkin, God bless her.

“Don’t you give it the satisfaction, Jessie!” she said. “And don’t you let Brandon pull you away until you do what you have to do!”

He was trying, too. He had both hands on my shoulders and was pulling on me as if I were a tug-of-war rope, and the judge was hammering away with his gavel and the bailiff was running over and I knew I only had that one last second to do something that would matter, that would make a difference, that would show me that no eclipse lasts forever, so I…