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’Well,’ he , he reached over and lifted off the tray cover

He couldn’t check the oh of surprise that passed his lips

The three eggs were fried in butter, bright yellow eyes focused straight on the ceiling, ringed about with long, crisp lengths of ated bacon Next to them was a platter of four book-thick slices of toast spread with crea on thee juice, a dish of strawberries bleeding in alabaster creaent and unrance of freshly brewed coffee

Mr Ketchue juice He took a few drops in his ue The citric acid tingled deliciously on his warue He sed If it was poisoned it was by a master’s hand Saliva tided in his mouth He suddenly remembered that, just before he was picked up, he’d beento stop at a cafe for food

While he ate, warily but decidedly, Mr Ketchunificent breakfast

It was the rural retted their blunder It seemed a fli you had to say for these New Englanders; they could cook like a son-of-a-gun Breakfast for Mr Ketchum was usually a sweet roll, heated, and coffee Since he was a boy in his father’s house he hadn’t eaten a breakfast like this

He was just putting down his third cup of well-creamed coffee when footsteps sounded in the hall Mr Ketchuht He stood

Chief Shipley stopped outside the cell ’Had your breakfast?’

Mr Ketchum nodded If the chief expected thanks he was in for a sad surprise Mr Ketchum picked up his coat

The chief didn’t move

’Well ?’ said Mr Ketchum after a few minutes He tried to put it coldly and authoritatively It came out somewhat less

Chief Shipley looked at hi

’May I inquire -?’ he began

’Judge isn’t in yet,’ said Shipley

’But’ Mr Ketchum didn’t knohat to say

’Just caone

Mr Ketchum was furious He looked down at the remains of his breakfast as if they contained the answer to this situation He druh Insufferable! What were they trying to do �C inti

Mr Ketchum walked over to the bars He looked up and down the empty hallway There was a cold knot inside him The food seeed the heel of his right hand once against the cold bar By God! By God!

It o o’clock in the afternoon when Chief Shipley and the old policeman came to the cell door Wordlessly the policeman opened it Mr Ketchu on his coat while the door was relocked

He walked in short, inflexible strides between the twoat the picture on the wall ’Where are we going?’ he asked

’Judge is sick,’ said Shipley ’We’re taking you out to his house to pay your fine’

Mr Ketchuue with theht,’ he said ’If that’s the way you have to do it’

’Only way to do it,’ said the chief, looking ahead, his face an expressionless mask

Mr Ketchum pressed down the corners of a slim smile This was better It was almost over now He’d pay his fine and clear out

It was foggy outside Sea mist rolled across the street like driven smoke Mr Ketchum pulled on his hat and shuddered The dah his flesh and dew itself around his bones Nasty day, he thought Hefor his Ford

The old policeestured towards the inside

’What about my car?’ Mr Ketchum asked

’We’ll coe,’ said Shipley

’Oh I’

Mr Ketchum hesitated Then he bent over and squeezed into the car, dropping down on the back seat He shivered as the cold of the leather pierced trouser wool He edged over as the chief got in

The policeain that hollow sound, like the slariot into the car and Mr Ketchuh into liquid life He sat there breathing slowly and deeply while the policeine He looked out theat his left

The fog was just like se Except for that bone-gripping dampness Mr Ketchum cleared his throat He heard the chief shift on the seat beside him

’Cold,’ Mr Ketchu

Mr Ketchum pressed back as the car pulled away fro-veiled street He listened to the crisp sibilance of the tyres on wet paving, the rhythments on the misted windshield

After a moment he looked at his watch Almost three Half a day shot in this blasted Zachry

He looked out through theagain as the town ghosted past He thought he saw brick buildings along the kerb but he wasn’t sure He looked down at his white hands, then glanced over at Shipley The chief was sitting stiffly upright on the seat, staring straight ahead Mr Ketchus

On Main Street the fog seeht He looked up and down the street All the stores and offices looked closed He glanced at the other side of the street Sa

’Where is everybody?’ he asked

’What?’

’I said where is everybody?’

’Home,’ the chief said

’Rut it’s Wednesday,’ said Mr Ketchum ’Aren’t your -stores open?’

’Bad day,’ said Shipley ’Not worth it’

Mr Ketchulanced at the sallow faced chief, then withdrew his look hastily He felt cold preain What in God’s nah in the cell Here, tracking through this sea of ht,’ he heard his nerve-sparked voice saying There are only sixty-seven people, aren’t there?’

The chief said nothing

’How h-how old is Zachry?’

In the silence he heard the chiefs finger joints crackle dryly

’Hundred fifty years,’ said Shipley

’That old,’ said Mr Ketchum He sith effort His throat hurt a little Come on, he told himself Relax

’How come it’s named Zachry?’ The words spilled out, uncontrolled

’Noah Zachry founded it,’ said the chief

’Oh Oh I see I guess that picture in the station?’

That’s right,’ said Shipley

Mr Ketchum blinked So that was Noah Zachry, founder of this town they were driving through �C

�Cblock after block after block There was a cold, heavy sinking in Mr Ketchu, ere there only 67 people?

He opened his

’Why are there only -?’ The words came out anyway before he could stop the the That is �C ’ Mr Ketchu breath No help for it He had to know

’How coo away,’ said Shipley

Mr Ketchum blinked The answer came as such an anticlimax His brow furrowed Well, what else? he asked himself defensively Remote antiquated, Zachry would have little attraction for its younger generations Mass gravitation toplaces would be inevitable

The heavy ainst the seat Of course Think how ht, and I don’t even live here

His gaze slid forward through the windshield, caught by soht Celebration, he thought They probably went berserk every fortnight and had they

’Who was Zachry anyway?’ he asked The silence was getting to hiain

’Sea captain,’ said the chief

’Oh?’

’Whaled in the South Seas,’ said Shipley

Abruptly, Main Street ended The police car veered left on to a dirt road Out theMr Ketchulide by There was only the sound of the engine labouring in second and of gravelly dirt spitting out froe live, on a an thinning now Mr Ketchureyish cast to them The car turned and faced the ocean Mr Ketchu below The car kept turning It faced the crest of the hill again

Mr Ketchue’s house up there?’ he asked

’Yes,’ the chief answered

’High,’ said Mr Ketchu the ocean, now Zachry, now the bleak, hill-topping house It was a greyish white house, three storeys high, at each end of it the crag of an attic tower It looked as old as Zachry itself, thought Mr Ketchuain

Mr Ketchuht or were they really shaking? He tried to s but there was no ly This was so stupid, he thought; there’s no reason in the world for this He saw his hands clench together

The car wasup the final rise towards the house now Mr Ketchuo, he heard soe to shove out the door and run Muscles tensed emphatically

He closed his eyes For God’s sake, stop it! he yelled at hi about this but his distorted interpretation of it These were s had explanations and people had reasons Zachry’s people had a reason too; a narrow distrust of city dwellers This was their socially acceptable revenge That made sense After all �C

The car stopped The chief pushed open the door on his side and got out The policeman reached back and opened the other door for Mr Ketchus and foot to be numb He had to clutch at the top of the door for support He staround

’Went to sleep,’ he said

Neither of the lanced at the house; he squinted He had seen a dark green drape slip back into place? He winced and estured towards the house The three men started towards it

’I, uh don’t have much cash on me, I’m afraid/ he said ’I hope a traveller’s check will be all right’

’Yes,’ said the chief

They went up to the porch steps, stopped in front of the door The police, brass key-head and Mr Ketchuh the door curtains Inside, he could ht and the boards creaked under hiain

’Maybe he’s �C too sick,’ Mr Ketchuested faintly

Neither of the lanced back over his shoulder Could they catch hiustedly You pay your fine and you leave, he explained patiently to himself That’s all; you pay your fine and you leave

Inside the house there was dark movement Mr Ketchum looked up, startled in spite of hi the door

The door opened The woth black dress with a white oval pin at her throat Her face arthy, seamed with threadlike lines Mr Ketchum slipped off his hat automatically

’Come in,’ said the woman

Mr Ketchum stepped into the hall

’You can leave your hat there,’ said the wo towards the hat rack that looked like a tree ravaged by flas As he did, his eye was caught by a large painting near the foot of the staircase He started to speak but the woman said, ’This way’

They started down the hall Mr Ketchu as they passed it

’Who’s that wo next to Zachry?’

’His wife,’ said the chief

’But she-’

Mr Ketchu in his throat Shocked, he drowned it out with a sudden clearing of the throat He felt ashamed of himself Still Zachry’s wife?

The woman opened a door ’Wait in here,’ she said

The heavyto the chief Just in time to see the door shut

’Say, uh’ He walked to the door and put his hand on the knob It didn’t turn

He frowned He ignored the pile-driver beats of his heart ’Hey, what’s going on?’ Cheerily bluff, his voice echoed off the walls Mr Ketchum turned and looked around The room was empty It was a square e as he sought the proper words

’Okay,’ he said, abruptly, ’it’s very -’ He twisted the knob sharply ’Okay, it’s a very funny joke’ By God, he was mad ’I’ve taken all I’m -’

He whirled at the sound, teeth bared

There was nothing The room was still empty He looked around dizzily What was that sound? A dull sound, like water rushing

’Hey,’ he said automatically He turned to the door ’Hey!’ he yelled, ’cut it out! Who do you think you are anyway?’

He turned on weakening legs The sound was louder Mr Ketchum ran a hand over his brow It was covered with sweat It arm in there

’Okay, okay,’ he said, ’it’s a fine joke but -’

Before he could go on, his voice had corkscrewed into an awful, wracking sob Mr Ketchuered a little He stared at the roo hand touched the wall and jerked away

It was hot

’Huh?’ he asked incredulously

This was ied idea of a little joke It was a gaame

’Okay!’ he yelled ’Okay? It’s funny, it’s very funny! Now letto be trouble!’

He pounded at the door Suddenly he kicked it The roo hotter It was alged open

The questions they’d asked him The loose way the clothes fit everyone he’d iven hi of the men, of the woman The way they’d all looked at hi, Noah Zachry’s wife �C a native woman with her teeth filed to a point

BARBECUE TONIGHT

Mr Ketchum screamed He kicked and pounded on the door He threw his heavy body against it He shrieked at the people outside

’Let me out! Let me out! LET ME OUT!’

The worst part about it was, he just couldn’t believe it was really happening