55

As she spoke, she was shivering in her white sweater and added, "Daddy thinks we'll rent an apartment in Heron till it's done." She was insisting that until the problem was solved, none of us would ever set foot in that house again to sleep. We have decided that until the necessary repairs have been made, we will not be sleeping in that place again.




"How exactly does that make a difference in anything? There is no question in my mind that he will go to Heron with you "said Merit.




When Caroline turned, her green cat's eyes made a valiant effort to meet Merit's, but they were unable to successfully establish eye contact "Who?




"She had a muddled way of speaking.




"Oh, Caroline, I beg you not to make things any worse!




"Caroline's response to Dennis' outburst was, "All I want to do is get away from this place," she said.

"There's just so much more that I can take." She pushed her way through the crowd as if she had to provide immediate evidence of the truth of what she had just spoken. Merit whispered to Dennis, "Let her go," and Dennis nodded. "It makes no difference." Her eyes glanced up, and for an instant Dennis was able to see the terror that was in her.

If Caroline, who was aware of what was going on, was acting in this fashion, what can we infer about how the other children are behaving? Dennis seemed exasperated as he articulated his opinion that she was useless.




She recognized the solution in the looks on the faces of the individuals around her at that same moment. Everyone seemed to be in a state of extreme fear, as if she and Merit had been carrying some type of terrible disease with them or as if she and Merit were the cause of the problem.




While giving a perplexed expression, Dennis said, "I don't believe this."




Deanna Kennedy, a friend of Sue's who was standing at the front of the crowd, stated, "I don't believe it either," despite the fact that she did not seem to be as concerned as the other individuals in the crowd. "When I talked with Sue yesterday afternoon, she was in such a happy mood and appeared to be in such a positive frame of mind. There is no possibility that she could have died. It is impossible." When Deanna started weeping, her boyfriend comforted her by putting his arm around her, and shortly after that, a large number of other women began crying as well. The male members of the audience gradually adopted a more solemn attitude as the discussion continued.

In what way does it make a difference? There is no question in my mind that he will go to Heron with you "said Merit.




When Caroline turned, her green cat's eyes made an attempt to meet Merit's, but they were unable to successfully establish eye contact with one another. She said, "Who?" in a way that suggested she was unsure of the answer.




As Dennis spoke the words "Oh, Caroline, not you too!" his mouth sprang wide in shock. Caroline said, "I just want to get away from this place as soon as possible."

As she momentarily lifted her eyes to meet Dennis's, Dennis saw a fleeting glimpse of the horrified look that was on her face. She pushed her way through the crowd as though she had an urgent need to demonstrate the veracity of what she had just spoken right at that precise moment. "There's just so much more that I can take." "Let her go, Dennis," Merit begged. "It is irrelevant to the discussion."

Dennis yelled at the top of his lungs, " She is completely pointless." If Caroline, who was aware of the circumstances, was acting in this way, how are the other children supposed to behave?




She turned her attention to the individuals around her and found the solution reflected in their facial expressions. Everyone gave off the feeling that they were afraid, as if she and Merit had been carrying some sort of terrible illness with them. It seemed as though she and Merit were the ones to blame for the problem.




While giving a perplexed expression, Dennis said, "I don't believe this."




Deanna Kennedy, a close friend of Sue's who goes by the handle "Even I don't Believe It," expressed her displeasure with the statement. She was at the front of the group, and in contrast to the other individuals present, she did not give off the impression of being anxious. As soon as she heard what Deanna said after that, Deanna immediately began weeping. "Yesterday afternoon, I had a conversation with Sue, and she seemed so happy and upbeat. There is no way she could have passed away." Her boyfriend put his arm around her and comforted her at the time as several other women began to cry at the same time. The males in the crowd began to shift about, and their facial expressions became more serious.