Page 5 (1/2)

“ ‘It happens to everyone,’ he persisted, refusing to help me As I look back on this, I still despise hiht have drawn ht have calht watch my death with the saht But he didn’t Lestat was never the vampire I am Not at all” The vampire did not say this boastfully He said it as if he would truly have had it otherwise

“Alors,” he sighed “I was dying fast, whichas rapidly I siret I was nota perfect idiot ‘Oh, for the love of hell!’ he began shouting ‘Do you realize I’ve made no provision for you? What a fool I am’ I was tempted to say, ‘Yes, you are,’ but I didn’t ‘You’ll have to bed doithI haven’t prepared you a coffin’ ”

The vahed “The coffin struck such a chord of terror in me I think it absorbed all the capacity for terror I had left Then ca to share a coffin with Lestat He was in his father’s bedrooood-bye, that he would return in the o, why must you live by such a schedule!’ the old man deracious to the oldone, but now he became a bully ‘I take care of you, don’t I? I’ve put a better roof over your head than you ever put over ht, I’ll do it, damn you!’ The old man started to whine Onlyof exhaustion kept h the open door, enthralled with the colors of the counterpane and the positive riot of color in the old rayish flesh I found even the yellow of his teeth appealing toof his lip ‘Such a son, such a son,’ he said, never suspecting, of course, the true nature of his son ‘All right, then, go I know you keep a woo to see her as soon as her husband leaves in theGive me my rosary What’s happened to ave him the rosary…”

“But…” the boy started

“Yes?” said the vah questions”

“I was going to ask, rosaries have crosses on them, don’t they?”

“Oh, the ruhed “You refer to our being afraid of crosses?”

“Unable to look on theht,” said the boy

“Nonsense,I like And I rather like looking on crucifixes in particular”

“And what about the ruh them”

“I wish I could,” laughed the vahtful I should like to pass through all manner of different keyholes and feel the tickle of their peculiar shapes No” He shook his head “That is, hoould you say today… bullshit?”

The boy laughed despite hirew serious

“You mustn’t be so shy with me,” the vampire said “What is it?”

“The story about stakes through the heart,” said the boy, his cheeks coloring slightly

“The same,” said the va both syllables, so that the boy sical pohatsoever Why don’t you sarettes? I see you have them in your shirt pocket”