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"Much better" He regarded her at uncoth, then declared, "I have to say, there’s soh I’ there’s more there than meets the eye"

"Where’s Peter?"

His eyes widened "She speaks! I was beginning to wonder" Then, dismissively: "Not to worry about your friend Delayed in traffic, I expect As for st ourselves I hope this doesn’t seem too forward, but I feel a certain kinship with you, Amy Our journeys are not so very different when you think about it But first: where, pray tell, is rown table cutlery tells me she’s around here so to share on the subject? Have it your way Do you knohat you are, Aht"

Let him talk, she told herself Time hat she needed Let hi said nothing further The virals held her fast He stepped away toward the train tunnels, where he resu forlornly into the blackness

"For a long time, I wanted to kill you Well, perhaps not ‘wanted’ You can’t help being what you are, anypersonal You wereI hatedthe blade "Iine the folly of the ht, that he could atone for his crimes But he couldn’t Not after what he did to Liz Toto ht of fun, a bit of coret that intensely"

Aet about it But that was the night I see that now It was the night the truth of the world opened to me It wasn’t the woirl in the crib Do you know that I can still smell her, Amy? That sweet soft odor that all babies have It’s practically holy Her little fingers and toes, the smoothness of her skin Her whole life was in her eyes All of us begin that way You, me, everyone Full of love, full of hope I could see it: she trusted me Her mother lay dead on the kitchen floor, but here was this ive her a bottle? Change her diaper? Perhaps I would pick her up, take her on my lap and read her a story She had no idea what I’d done, what I was I felt so sorry for her But that wasn’t the reason I felt sorry because she’d had to be born in the first place I should have killed her right then It would have been a ht and held Then:

"I see from your expression that I appall you Believe me, I appall myself so over us That’s the cold heart of it, the grand delusion Or if there is, he’s the cruelest kind of bastard, letting us believe he cares I’, compared to him What kind of God would allow her mother to die like that? What God would let Liz be all alone at the end, not the touch of a hand or a single word of kindness to help her leave her life? I’ll tell you what kind, Aain "Your friends on the boat will be back, you know Don’t be surprised--I know all about it I practically watched them sail away from the pier Oh, et the better of them It’s simple human nature All of this will be dust by then, but here I’ll be, waiting"

Do it, Alicia, she thought Do it, Michael Do it now

"What do I want, Amy? The answer is quite simple: I want to save you More than that I want to teach you To make you see the truth" His expression darkened "Hold her tightly, please"

--

The clock had run down Michael glanced at Alicia "Ready?"

She nodded

"You er

"What the hell, Circuit?"

He drew up the bar and tried again Nothing He pulled the positive wire, touched it lightly to the contact, and pressed the plunger a third time A spark leapt

He had current; the problem was at the other end

"Stay here"

He unscrewed the second wire, grabbed the plunger box and lantern, and tore down the stairs

--