jefflong.yearzero-第20节

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d。　A　whole　lifetime　of　hair　and　nails；　Abbot　realized。　The　clone's　body　hair　was　stark　black　against　skin　that　had　never　seen　the　sun。
　The　other　divers　joined　Miranda；　and　together；　cradling　the　man　between　them；　they　drafted　upwards。　As　they　passed　the　observation　windows；　the　clone　suddenly　woke　to　his　new　world。　He　opened　his　eyes。　And　they　were　blue。　Cornflower　blue。　〃Look！〃　someone　gasped。
　Inside　her　dive　mask；　even　Miranda　appeared　shocked。
　The　face　was　unmistakable。　Cavendish　had　cloned　himself。　It　grew　more　audacious　than　that。
　The　eyes　opened　wider。　The　clone　turned　his　head；　taking　in　the　surroundings。　He　noticed　the　audience　of　scientists　watching　from　the　other　side　of　the　glass。　A　faint　smile　appeared　in　his　streaming　beard。
　〃Did　you　see　that？〃　Abbot　whispered　to　Elise。
　〃Of　course；　I　saw；〃　she　seethed。　〃He's　doomed　us。　The　genie　is　out　of　the　bottle　now。〃
　〃No；　Elise。　The　smile。　He　smiled。　He　recognized　us。〃
　
　6
　Monster
　
　KATHMANDU/BADRIGHOTJAIL
　THIRTEENMONTHSLATER
　Like　a　gargoyle　in　wirerims；　Nathan　Lee　sat　crosslegged　in　the　windowsill　with　Grace's　storybook　in　his　lap。　He'd　been　at　work　with　it　for　nearly　a　year。　It　was　early　in　the　morning。　Blue　fog　lapped　against　what　were　left　of　his　toes。　Behind　him　on　the　floor；　three　lepers　lay　dreaming　in　a　huddle。
　The　palace　belonged　to　me；he　neatly　printed。At　night　I　listened　to　my　heart　beating　and　the　quiet　claws　of　gecko　lizards。　To　the　lizards；　I　was　king。
　He　left　a　four…inch　space　for　art　work。　That　would　e　later；　maybe　an　aerial　view　of　an　Escher…style　maze。　Or　a　naturalist　sketch　of　a　gecko。　He'd　always　been　pretty　fair　at　drawing。　He　would　give　it　a　thin　sepia　wash；　or　gently　lay　in　some　water　colors　with　a　dry　brush。　One　had　to　be　careful　painting　on　this　old　rice　paper。
　I　could　look　down　and　spy　people　going　about　their　ordinary　lives。He　bent　close　to　see　the　ink　on　the　page。　His　candle　kept　flickering　in　the　tin　lantern。But　no　matter　how　loud　I　shouted；　no　one　seemed　to　notice　me。　No　one；　until　the　day　a　little　girl　happened　to　look　up　at　my　window。
　He　loved　this　hour。　He　had　made　a　habit　of　waking　first　among　the　prisoners。　All　too　soon　the　dawn　would　break　wide　open。　Roosters　would　screech；　dogs　would　bark。　Nine　hundred　men　and　boys　would　fill　the　yard；　muttering　prayers　and　hawking　up　the　taste　of　night；　clamoring；　washing；　bartering　for　extra　rations　of　rice　or　for　old　Hindi　movie　magazines　or　rags　of　clothing。　The　noise　would　stretch　into　night；　the　clockwork　of　volleyballs　batting　back　and　forth　and　chess　pieces　clicking　and　lunatics　chanting。　But　for　now；　his　peace　held　and　he　could　pretend　to　be　alone　with　his　daughter。
　Long　ago；　Badrighot　Prison　had　been　a　Rana　palace。　At　this　hour；　in　this　fog；　it　was　easy　to　make　out　the　bygone　glory。　In　buildings　now　occupied　by　murderers　and　political　prisoners　and　rapists；　rajas　once　listened　to　music。　From　terraces　where　prisoners　now　grew　small　red　tomatoes　and　ginger　roots；　princes　used　to　fly　kites。　Monkeys　had　capered　in　an　arbor　that　no　longer　existed。　Elephants　and　peacocks　had　drunk　from　a　pool　with　emerald　green　lotuses。　He　had　discovered　all　of　this　and　woven　it　into　his　storybook。
　The　former　palace　had　bee　his　escape。　Ironically　it　was　escape　that　had　brought　him　here。　Since　being　jailed　fourteen　months　ago；　Nathan　Lee　had　gotten　loose　three　times。　He　wasn't　very　good　at　it。　The　longest　his　freedom　had　ever　lasted　was　fifteen　minutes。
　After　his　third　escape；　they　had　transferred　him　to　this　medieval　pound　with　its　towering　brick　walls。　He'd　gotten　five　years　added　to　his　twenty。　As　an　extra　punishment；　they'd　placed　him　with　the　lepers。　It　amounted　to　a　death　sentence。　It　wasn't　the　leprosy　that　concerned　Nathan　Lee。　He　knew　it　was　rarely　contagious。　But　the　lepers　were　regarded　as　walking　dead。　They　received　less　food　than　the　other　prisoners。　Even　on　a　full　ration；　Nathan　Lee　knew　he　would　never　last　a　quarter　century　in　this　Third　World　sewer。
　The　leper　asylum　stood　off　by　itself　and　was　considered　more　secure　than　the　other　buildings。　It　was　like　a　box　within　a　box。　The　guards　watched　it；　but　so　did　the　prisoners。　Even　the　untouchables　loathed　to　have　lepers　mingling　with　the　general　population。　Like　geese；　prisoners　would　cry　the　alarm　if　anyone　tried　to　leave　the　building。　The　one　person　lower　than　them　all　was　their　sole　Westerner。　Their　one　and　only　man　eater。
　Nathan　Lee　remembered　his　trial　only　vaguely；　as　part　of　a　larger　nightmare　of　interrogation　and　jail　and　the　horror　of　his　frostbitten　toes　blackening　on　the　bone。　He　remembered　the　pitiless　Indian　doctor　with　his　scissors　more　than　the　judges　or　lawyers。　Apparently　some　kind　of　animal　had　gotten　to　Rinchen's　body　before　the　authorities　did。　Gruesome　photos　were　introduced　showing　the　ravaged　corpse　tangled　in　Nathan　Lee's　pink　climbing　rope。　Once　the　charge　of　cannibalism　was　raised；　the　American　consular　officer　had　quit　sitting　behind　Nathan　Lee　in　the　courtroom。　TheMen's　Journal　writer　had　moved　closer。
　In　a　sworn　deposition　delivered　by　diplomatic　pouch；　Professor　David　Ochs　claimed　Nathan　Lee　had　tried　to　throw　him；　too；　off　the　mountainside。　〃Monster；〃　concluded　Nepal's　main　newspaper；The　Rising　Sun。　〃The　yeti　lives。〃　The　court　agreed。　Nathan　Lee　had　grown　used　to　the　pitter…patter　of　prisoners　spitting　on　him　or　flicking　stones　at　his　legs。　What　tore　at　him　was　how　much　Grace　might　be　hearing　of　it。　He　could　only　pray　Lydia　would　spare　her。
　To　his　surprise；　the　lepers　were　good　to　him。　They　doctored　and　fed　him　when　he　developed　a　fever。　They　gave　him　a　straw　mat　and　a　blanket　and　a　mosquito　net　belonging　to　a　dead　man。　Some　mornings　they　would　ask　grave　questions　about　his　dreams。　It　turned　out　he　wept　in　his　sleep　every　night。
　Once　a　day；　they　were　allowed　to　walk　around　the　pound。　It　was　usually　the　hottest　part　of　the　day；　or　the　wettest；　or　the　coldest。　Most　of　the　other　prisoners　retreated　inside　their　own　buildings　while　the　lepers　staggered　and　limped　around　the　walking　circuit　at　the　foot　of　the　walls。　One　day　he　found　tusk　marks　high　upon　the　eastern　wall。　Though　the　gouges　had　been　plastered　over；　they　were　the　ghostly　evidence　of　royal　elephants。　That　was　the　beginning　of　his　book　for　Grace。
　After　that；　he　pursued　an　archaeological　survey　of　the　old　palace。　He　paced　off　measurements；　gained　an　overlook　of　the　grounds　from　the　upper　windows；　collected　oral　histories。　He　came　to　treat　it　as　his　long…lost　dissertation。　His　exploration　quickly　became　magical　for　the　lepers；　too。　They　gave　him　paper　and　ink　for　his　drawings。　He　gave　them　wings。
　He　hired　one　of　the　lepers；　a　cobbler；　to　sew　his　pages　together　into　a　book。　It　was　prised　of　a　hodgepodge　of　paper。　Some　were　pieces　of　rice　paper；　some　linen　or　pulped　wood；　and　some　were　empty　end　pages　recycled　from　other　books。　A　few　were　even　made　of　papyrus　or　soft　vellum。　In　all　there　were　over　three　hundred　pages　bound　together　in　a　cover　taken　from　a　nineteenth…century　botany　pendium　entitledFlora　of　the　Greater　Himalaya；　by　George　Bogle；　a　potato　specialist。　The　book　was　as　beautiful　as　it　was　strange。　It　weighed　five　pounds　in　his　hands。　It　even　smelled　rare　and　enticing。　His　archaeological　notes　and　stories…in…progress　occupied　the　first　183　pages。　The　rest　was　blank；　waiting　for　his　pen　and　paintbrush。　Each　morning；　Nathan　Lee　rose　at　this　same　hour　to　fill　in　a　little　more。
　Now　he　adjusted　the　tin　lantern；　and　by　its　orange　glow　resumed　his　fairytale　of　the　monster　in　the　tower。She　was　so　small　down　there　among　that　crowd。　I　wondered；　Who　could　she　be？　What　did　she　think；　seeing　my　faraway　face？
　He　left　the　rest　of　that　page　blank　for　a　watercolor　portrait　of　a　little　girl。　It　would　consume　him　for　days。　Of　late；　he　found　himself　confusing　Grace　with　images　of　other　girls　and　women。　The　lepers　had　shown　him　antique　studio　pictures　of　their　wives　and　daughters；　and　their　faces　intruded　on　him。　He　had　glued　the　snapshot　of　Grace　to　the　inside　cover；　but　it　was　nearly　ruined　from　water　and　sun　exposure。　Time　was　against　him　and　he　knew　it。　She　was　growing　up。　Her　fifth　birthday　was　ing　soon。
　He'd　sent　dozens　of　letters；　wishfully　picturing　Lydia　reading　them　to　Grace；　and　yet　knowing　better。　Not　so　much　as　a　postcard　came　back。　Maybe　Grace　believed　her　daddy　had　perished　in　the　Himalayas；　a　colorful　excuse　for　her　preschool　friends。　Just　as　likely；　she'd　been　told　he　was　an　animal　rotting　in　a　faraway　cage。
　Nathan　Lee　closed　the　book。　It　was　time　to　start　a　fire　in　the　clay　pit　in　the　floor。　He　tucked　the　book　in　hisjhola；　a　haversack　made　of　coarse　wool。　The　book　fit　perfectly；　leaving　just　enough　space　for　his　pens　and　the　little　watercolor　kit。　Thejhola　never　left　his　side。
　As　he　was　backing　from　the　window；　the　fog　suddenly　parted　and　Nathan　Lee　saw　something　he'd　never　seen。　Thirty　feet　away；　at　his　same　height；　there　was　a　monkey　in　the　guard　tower。　It　was　perched　on　its　haunches。　The　monkey　saw　him　at　the　same　moment。　They　regarded　each　other；　then　the　monkey　resumed　eating　a　piece　of　fruit　from　some　neighborhood　altar。
　Nathan　Lee　waited。　There　had　to　be　some　mistake。The　guards　were　gone。
　He　sniffed　for　the　smoke　of　theirbidis。　He　threw　a　pebble　at　the　tower。　The　monkey　ba