Chapters 8-11 The Body

CHAPTERS 8 -11

THE BODY

By Stephen king

index

before reading

chapter 9

chapter 8

My English Lab

chapter 11

chapter 10

After reading

Chapter 8 The Railway

By the time we got across Beeman's field and had reached the tracks, we had all taken our shirts off and tied them around our waists. We were sweating like pigs. We climbed the bank up to the railway, and there we stood and looked down the tracks. I'll never forget that moment, however old I get. The hands-on my watch stood at twelve o'clock and the sun shone down with cruel heat. Behind us was Castle Rock, where we had all grown up, with its houses and its factories sending smoke into the sky and waste into the river. In front of us were the railway tracks, and the sun seemed to send us messages off the metal. The Castle River was to our left, and our right some empty land, covered in small bushes. We stood there for that one midday moment, and then Chris said, 'Come on, let's go.'

'Nothing,' Vern said. 'Sorry.' 'Let's see how much money we've got,' I said. I untied my shirt and laid it on the ground. We all put our money into it. We had about two and a half dollars 'Not bad,' I said. 'There's a shop at the end of that little road that goes to the dump. One of us can get some hamburger meat and some Cokes there.'

Who?' Vern asked. 'We'll, spin coins for it when we get to the dump. Come on.' I put all the money into my pocket and was just tying my shirt around my waist again when Chris shouted, 'Train!' I put my hand on to one of the tracks to feel it, although I could already hear it. The track was shaking like a living thing. Vern and Chris jumped down the bank. The train was really loud now. Instead of jumping, Teddy turned towards the train. The sun flashed off his thick glasses.

We walked beside the tracks and our feet sent up clouds of black dust at every step. Vern started singing but soon stopped, which was better for our ears. Only Teddy and Chris had brought water bottles and we were all drinking from them a lot.

Come on, Teddy,' I said. 'No, I'm going to wait till it's close and then jump.' He looked at me in excitement. 'Lorries are nothing, man. This is a train.' 'You're crazy, man. Do you want to get killed?' 'Just like on the beaches at Normandy!' Teddy shouted, and walked out into the middle of the tracks.

'We can fill the bottles again at the dump,' I said. 'There's a tap there with good water, my dad told me.' 'OK,' Chris said. 'That will be a good place to rest, anyway.' 'What about food?' Teddy asked suddenly. 'I bet nobody remembered to bring something to eat. I know I didn't.' Chris stopped. 'God! I didn't either. Gordie?' I shook my head, feeling really stupid. 'Vern?'

For a moment I was too surprised to move, unable to believe such amazing stupidity. Then I grabbed him, pulled him to the top of the bank, and pushed him over the edge. I jumped after him and he hit me in the stomach as I landed. I got a knee into his chest at the same time and he fell. Then we were locked together, rolling over and over, hitting and scratching each other. 'You little worm!' Teddy was screaming. 'Don't you act big with me! I'll kill you!' 'Teddy!' I shouted back. 'No one must know we're here. Don't you understand, you stupid pussy?' Eventually, Chris and Vern separated us. Chris held Teddy until he became calm and just stood there, his glasses bent and hanging off one ear. 'You're a pussy, Lachance,' Teddy said. 'He was just trying to do the right thing, man,' Chris said 'Come on, you guys,' Vern said. 'Let's go.'

Chapter 10 Milo and Chopper

I kept putting one foot in front of the other, trying to look calm, trying to look as if I belonged here, with a paper bag down the front of my shirt, walking towards the fence between the dump and the railway tracks.

Words mean different things to different people. To me summer is always going to mean running down the road to the Florida Market with coins jumping in my pocket and the sun flying my brains. The word brings a picture to my mind of railway tracks running off into the distance. There were also favourite songs and films, games to play, grass to cut, sports to play and teams to support.

Chapter 10 Milo and Chopper

I was about fifty feet from the fence and just beginning to think that everything was going to be all right when I heard Milo shout, 'Hey, you! Get away from that fence! Get out of here!'

I started running for the fence with a wild shout. Vern, Teddy and Chris appeared on the other side of the fence and stared through it.

And now I sit here trying to look through an IBM screen and see that time, and I can almost feel the thin, brown boy buried in this 34-year-old body, and I can almost hear the sounds I heard then. But all of that summer is contained in the picture of Gordon Lachance running down the road to the Florida Market with the coins in his pocket and the sweat running down his back.

'You come back here!' Milo screamed. 'Come back here or I'll send my dog after you!' That only made me run even faster for the fence. Teddy started to laugh his crazy laugh — eee-eee-eee. 'Go, Gordie! Go!' Vern shouted.

After I had bought the food I walked fast back to the dump. I put the bag of food inside my shirt and climbed over the gate. I was halfway through the dump, towards the back where I had left the others, when I saw something I didn't like: Milo Pressman's car was parked beside his office building. If Milo saw me, I was going to be in a world of pain. Suddenly the other side of the dump seemed very far away. Why hadn't I gone round the outside of the fence? But I was too far into the dump now to want to turn round and go back.

And Milo screamed: 'Get him, Chopper! Go and get him!' I threw the bag over the fence and Vern caught it. Behind me, I could hear Chopper coming, shaking the earth, breathing fire and ice from his nose. I threw myself halfway up the fence with one jump, screaming. I reached the top in about three seconds and simply leapt off, without looking down to see what I might land on. What I almost landed on was Teddy, who was bent over with laughter. His glasses had fallen off and tears were streaming from his eyes. I turned round and got my first look at the famous Chopper.

Next

'WHAT? WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?' 'FAT-ASS!' Teddy screamed happily. 'You and your stupid dog!'

Instead of some enormous creature from hell with red eyes and cruel teeth, I was looking at an ordinary, black and white, middlesized dog. He was jumping up at the fence and trying to reach us. Teddy was walking up and down outside the fence, making Chopper even more angry.

'You little madman's son! I'll talk to your mother!' 'What did you call me?' It was Teddy's turn now. He had stopped jumping up and down and was looking at Milo strangely. Milo realized that he had found the right button and he pushed hard down on it. 'Your dad is crazy,' he said, grinning. 'Mad and up in Togus, that's what. Crazier than a rat in a pile of garbage. Crazy. It's not surprising you're behaving the way you are, with a madman for a father.' 'You little madman's son! I'll talk to your mother!' 'What did you call me?' It was Teddy's turn now. He had stopped jumping up and down and was looking at Milo strangely. Milo realized that he had found the right button and he pushed hard down on it. 'Your dad is crazy,' he said, grinning. 'Mad and up in Togus, that's what. Crazier than a rat in a pile of garbage. Crazy. It's not surprising you're behaving the way you are, with a madman for a father.'

'Kiss my ass, Chopper!' Teddy invited, and turned round to hit the fence with his ass. Chopper went crazy and leapt at the fence to accept Teddy's invitation, but Teddy moved away and all Chopper got was a hurt nose. Chris and Vern were lying on the bank, laughing so hard they could scarcely move.

And here came Milo Pressman. 'You boys stop being horrible to my dog! Stop it this second!'

'Bite it, Chopper! Bite it! Come and get me!' Teddy continued from the other side of the fence. Chopper went mad. He ran around in a big circle three times perhaps giving himself courage — and then threw himself with full force at the fence. He was doing maybe thirty miles an hour when he hit the fence. The fence seemed to stretch, and then Chopper fell back to the ground in a cloud of dust. He lay there for a moment before walking away with his tongue hanging out of one side of his mouth.

Teddy and Milo were nose to nose at the fence now. Vern and Chris had almost stopped laughing and begun to see the seriousness of the situation.

Milo was now really angry. His face turned dark red. 'I know you!' he shouted. 'You're Teddy Duchamp! I know all of you! I'll beat your ass for being cruel to my dog!' 'I'd like to see you try!' Teddy shouted back. 'Let's see you climb over this fence and get me, fat-ass!'

'Don't you say anything else about my dad. My dad was on the beaches at Normandy, you fat pussy.'

Yes, but where is he now, you ugly little four-eyed lump of puke. Up in Togus, isn't he?'

Next

'OK, that's enough,' said Teddy. 'Now I'm going to kill you.' He started to climb the fence. 'Come on and try, you dirty little rat.' Milo stepped back and stood there, waiting and grinning.

'I'll get you, you dirty-mouthed little rat. Wait till I get you to the police.' 'We heard what you said about his father,' I told him. 'We're all witnesses. And you sent your dog after me. That's against the law.' Milo looked uncertain. Before he could see how weak my argument was, I said, 'Come on, you guys. Let's go. Something smells bad around here.'

'No!' I shouted. I got to my feet, grabbed Teddy by his jeans and pulled him off the fence. 'Let me go!' Teddy shouted. 'Let me get him!' 'No, that's just what he wants,' I shouted in his ear. 'He wants to get you over there and beat you and take you to the police.' 'What?' Teddy turned his head round to look at me. 'You think you're so clever,' Milo said, approaching the fence again with his hands curled. 'Why don't you let him fight his own battles?'

'I can't wait to tell the police how you called a war hero a madman,' Chris called back over his shoulder as we left. 'What did you do in the war, Mr. Pressman?' 'That's none of your business,' Milo shouted back. 'You hurt my dog! Come back here!' But his voice was lower now and he seemed to be losing interest.

I looked back when we reached the top of the bank. Milo was standing there behind the fence, a big man with a dog sitting beside him. His fingers were holding the fence and I suddenly felt sorry for him. He looked exactly like a schoolboy locked in the school playground by mistake, calling for someone to let him out.

'Sure,' I said. 'A grown man against a boy!' 'I know you' Milo said. 'Your name's Lachance. And those guys are Chris Chambers and one of those stupid Tessio boys. I'm going to talk to your fathers.' He stood and waited for us to cry and say we were sorry or something. Chris made an O with his thumb and finger and pushed his tongue through it. Vern looked up at the sky. Teddy said, 'Come on, Gordie. Let's go before this guy makes me puke.'

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