gns.snakes-第16节

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nt　wisp　of　smoke　that　had　the　bereaved　coral　snake　backing　off　in　alarm。
　　
　　The　sparks　were　fanned　by　the　faint　night　breeze；　burst　into　a　little　yellow　flame　that　almost　failed；　grew　again　and　licked　out　at　the　next　piece　of　undergrowth。　Catching　again。　Spreading；　the　dead　man's　clothes　singed；　ignited；　gave　off　a　stench　of　roasting　human　flesh。　Death　and　instant　cremation。
　　
　　The　surviving　snake　fled　terror…stricken　before　the　advancing　flames；　its　mate　forgotten；　the　strongest　instinct　of　the　wild　taking　over；　one　that　had　been　passed　on　to　it　by　its　mother　in　a　far…off　land　across　the　Atlantic。　Survival。
　　
　　Only　after　that　would　its　thoughts　return　to　revenge。
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　　Chapter　9
　　
　　JOHN　PRICE　had　remained　in　the　bungalow　after　they　had　taken　Aunt　Elsie's　body　away　simply　because　he　had　nowhere　else　to　go。　A　little　voice　inside　his　head　whispered；　'It's　your　bungalow　now；　John。　You　know　very　well　she's　left　it　to　you　in　her　will。　Quite　a　nice　little　nest…egg　for　you。'　Shut　up；　I'm　not　interested。
　　
　　Oh　God；　what　a　damnable　thing　to　happen。　And　he　couldn't　even　hate　the　escaped　snakes　for　it　because　it　was　nothing　to　do　with　them；　would　have　happened　anyway。　Elsie　Harrison　had　left　the　back　door　ajar；　an　inquisitive　grass　snake　had　found　its　way　in；　and　as　a　result　she　had　suffered　a　heart　attack。　What　bloody　rotten　luck！
　　
　　He　knew　he　would　stay　on　in　Stainforth；　maybe　for　quite　some　time　because　now　he　had　a　home　here　even　if　he　did　not　have　work。　For　the　moment　he　had　a　job；　oh　yes；　help　us　find　these　snakes　before　anybody　else　gets　killed。　Now　a　western　diamondback　rattler　had　been　shot　in　the　village　and　that　was　going　to　scare　an　awful　lot　of　people。　Up　on　the　moors；　even　on　the　grassy　slopes；　was　another　world；　near　enough　to　be　interesting　but　when　a　rattler　turned　up　in　the　village　itself　then　folks　really　began　to　mess　their　pants。
　　
　　John　made　himself　a　cup　of　coffee；　knew　he　had　a　lot　of　thinking　to　do。　Somehow　he　and　the　rest　of　the　police　and　army　searchers　had　got　it　all　wrong。　They　had　settled　for　the　obvious；　the　most　wild　and　desolate　place。　OK；　the　rattler　could　just　be　one　that　had　stayed　behind…or　two；　because　there　was　a　pair　of　them　according　to　the　inventory。　So　there　was　certainly　another　one　not　too　far　away。　He　found　himself　glancing　around　the　kitchen；　you're　getting　jumpy；　John　Price。
　　
　　He　had　just　sipped　his　coffee　when　he　heard　the　first　fire　engine　go　by；　a　few　seconds　later　another　followed　in　its　wake。　More　traffic；　a　police　car。
　　
　　John　Price　opened　the　door　and　that　was　when　he　smelled　the　smoke；　life…stifling　fumes；　choking；　burning　vegetation。　The　sky　was　aglow；　a　deep　smoky　red；　activity　everywhere。　His　eyes　smarted；　it　was　surely　a　heath　or　woodland　fire　and　this　was　the　last　thing　they　needed　in　Stainforth　with　killer　snakes　on　the　loose。　So　much　for　tomorrow's　carefully　laid　plans；　anything　could　happen　now。
　　
　　He　closed　the　door；　went　outside。　Wherever　the　fire　was　the　smoke　could　well　drive　the　reptiles　out　from　their　hiding　places；　disperse　them　in　all　directions。
　　
　　And　infuriate　them。
　　
　　Being　a　single　parent　in　a　village　like　Stainforth　was　both　a　source　of　embarrassment　and　bitterness　as　Barbara　Brown　knew　only　too　well。　Tall　and　lanky；　she　was　'not　bad…looking'　as　most　of　the　youths　in　Stainforth　agreed；　but　she　wasn't　the　sort　of　girl　you　could　get　worked　up　over。　Some　boasted　of　having　'had　her'　after　youth　club；　others　kept　quiet　about　it。　'Respectable'　parents　worried　about　their　sons　associating　with　her；　to　some　she　was　just　a　joke；　'the　village　boot'　as　they　referred　to　her。
　　
　　But　in　reality　Barbara　was　no　local　whore；　merely　an　unfortunate　and　misunderstood　girl　who　craved　affection　and　could　not　find　it。　She　had　been　desperate　for　a　steady　boyfriend　from　the　time　she　reached　fifteen　and　she　had　grossly　misunderstood　the　attentions　of　the　teenage　boys　at　youth　club；　she　genuinely　thought　that　when　one　of　them　slipped　his　arm　through　hers　and　led　her　up　behind　the　ramshackle　Nissen　hut　that　had　served　as　a　youth　club　since　the　war　ended；　it　was　because　he　felt　for　her；　loved　her。　It　took　her　a　long　time　to　cotton　on　to　the　fact　that　all　the　rough　element　of　the　local　male　population　were　interested　in　was　their　own　pleasure。　And　that　was　how　it　was　for　three　years；　hopes　built　and　dashed；　and　no　chance　of　a　permanent　relationship。
　　
　　Barbara's　father　had　walked　out　on　her　mother　when　Barbara　was　eleven；　he　had　an　affair　with　a　woman　in　the　next　town；　and　he　left　home　to　go　and　five　with　her。　Betty　Brown　did　not　seem　to　care　as　long　as　she　had　enough　money　to　buy　forty　fags　a　day；　every　evening　she　went　down　to　the　pub　and　usually　got…air　the　free　booze　she　wanted　there。　Barbara　remembered　the　time　her　mother　brought　a　boyfriend　home。　Bill　was　several　years　older　than　her　and　unemployed；　and　he　used　to　stop　overnight　on　occasions；　sharing　Betty's　bed。　Eventually　he　moved　in　permanently。
　　
　　The　young　girl　felt　that　she　was　in　the　way；　the　hints　that　a　lot　of　girls　leave　home　and　set　up　in　a　flat　on　their　own　hurt　her。　She　would　have　left　if　she　had　had　the　opportunity；　but　with　no　money　and　no　job　the　idea　was　little　more　than　a　pipe　dream。　She　was　jealous　of　her　mother；　too。　How　was　it　that　a　woman　of　forty…five　got　a　steady　boyfriend　whilst　she；　at　seventeen；　was　still　searching　for　a　relationship？
　　
　　It　was　on　the　cards　that　Barbara　would　get　herself　pregnant　eventually。　Some　of　Stainforth's　youths　had　standing　bets　on　it；　a　quid　she's　got　one　in　the　oven　before　she's　eighteen；　50p　it's　a　boy。　And　a　fiver　says　it's　Ted　Growson's。　But　nobody　would　ever　conclusively　prove　that　it　was　Ted's　because　there　were　three　or　four　of　the　younger　men　who　would　be　reluctant　to　help　with　an　inquiry　concerning　the　fathering　of　the　Brown　baby；　and　even　if　they　were　willing　it　was　very　doubtful　if　anything　could　be　proved　conclusively。
　　
　　Barbara　had　her　baby　three　months　after　her　seventeenth　birthday　and　it　cost　George　Rowley　a　quid。　Tom　Sproson　forked　out　50p　because　it　was　a　boy　but　that　fiver　was　still　unclaimed　and　Ted　Growson's　girlfriend　had　blacked　his　eye　but　that　did　not　prove　anything。
　　
　　Life　underwent　a　drastic　change　for　Barbara　Brown　after　she　returned　to　Stainforth　from　the　maternity　hospital。　Her　own　mother　didn't　want　to　know　the　baby。　'If　you　get　doin'　them　kinda　things；　Babs；　then　you　gotta　take　the　consequences　for　it；'　Betty　mumbled　from　behind　her　cigarette。　'You　can　stop　'ere　but　don't　let　that　baby　get　makin'　a　row　in　the　night；　'cause　me　and　Bill　needs　our　sleep。'
　　
　　Somehow　Barbara　muddled　through；　relied　on　inborn　maternal　instincts　to　help　her。　In　her　own　way　she　was　happy；　she　had　somebody　who　loved　her　even　if　baby　Michael　taxed　her　patience　to　its　limits。　Often　in　the　night　she　nursed　him　to　stop　him　from　crying；　sat　up　in　bed　with　eyes　heavy　from　lack　of　sleep；　because　if　Michael　had　a　screaming　fit　Bill　would　bang　on　the　flimsy　adjoining　bedroom　wall；　yelling；　'shuddup'。　But　usually　on　fine　days　she　could　catch　up　on　her　sleep　whilst　her　son　slept　in　his　second…hand　pram　in　the　garden。　Overall；　everything　worked　out；　more　or　less。
　　
　　Yesterday　she　had　kept　him　indoors　because　of　the　snakes　warning。　They　had　kept　doors　and　windows　closed　in　accordance　with　the　policeman's　instructions　and　Michael　had　been　restless；　crying　for　long　periods；　and　Betty　had　lost　her　temper。　'Don't　know　what　the　bloody　place　is　in'　to；'　she　had　screeched。　'You　can't　go　out　'cause　they　reckon　there's　snakes　on　the　loose　but　I　never　seen　none。　So　we　all　stops　inside　and　that　flamin'　babby　'owls　his　bleedin'　'ead　off。　Well；　we　ain't　standin'　for　this　day　after　day。　It　makes　Bill　proper　niggly　and　then　'e　gets　on　at　me。　You　take　it　from　me；　Babs；　there　ain't　no　snakes　in　the　village；　if　there　are　any　they're　up　on　the　moors。　You　put　the　babby　out　tomorrow；　'e　won't　e　to　no　'arm。'
　　
　　There　had　been　a　big　fire　in　the　night；　Roberta's　barley　field　ablaze；　the　smoke　pall　hanging　over　the　village　so　that　the　inhabitants　of　Stainforth　had　to　keep　their　windows　shut　anyway。　The　smoky　night　air　was　filled　with　the　demonic　howling　of　fire　engine　and　police　sirens；　everywhere　eerily　aglow　with　an　orange　hue；　vehicles　ing　and　going　all　night　long。
　　
　　By　dawn　the　fire　was　out　but　the　stench　of　burning　lingered；　would　hang　around　for　days；　flaked　ashes　floating　in　the　slight　breeze　like　a　black　summer　snowstorm。
　　
　　'It　won't　do　Michael　no　good　out　there；'　Barbara　had　said　as　she　helped　herself　to　the　sawdust…like　remains　of　a　packet　of　cornflakes；　her　baby　held　to　her　bosom　with　her　free　arm；　seemingly　unable　to　make　up　his　mind　which　breast　he　wanted　to　feed　off　first。　Bill　was　still　upstairs　in　bed；　he　rarely　put　in　an　appearance　before　midday。
　　
　　'It　wunna　'urt　'im；'　Betty　Brown　screwed　up　her　face　into　her　usual　expression　of　perpetual　discontentment。　'Trouble　with　babbies　today　is　they're　pampered。　If　'e　lived　in　the　town　then　he'd　have　to　put　up　with　petrol　fumes　and　the　like　and　learn　to　like　'em。　A　bit　o'　smoke　never　'urt　nobody。　Bill'll　go　mad　if　'e　'as　to　put　up　with　'im　indoors　all