“Lucy! Lucy!”
Lucy heard Terrance’s voice, but it came from far away. She was floating, floating above herself. Above Terrance. He was shaking her but she could no longer feel anything.
She was free of her body. Free.
Chapter 46
LUCY
There is no pain anymore.
There is no color. Only the silver of not-day, not-night.
There is loss.
There is desire.
There is no peace.
There is the Oriental girl, in her sad little dress. The want is naked in her clear, young eyes, and I would take her in my arms and comfort her, but there is no comfort here. No comfort anywhere.
There is no time for rest. As she turns her back on me, and moves through the silvered trees, I follow, not questioning how I am able.
There is Bliss House, standing straight and tall like a journey’s end. But it is not restful. It is silver against the silver sky, and shimmers before my eyes, its movement constant, like a breathing thing. Are we its breath?
There is the garden. The girl and I pass through its wall.
There is Randolph in the window above, and I feel nothing, but only see him staring into the darkness. He cannot see us. But, oh, he feels us. Oh, he feels us. His desire is black as tar. Black as the soil of hell. As black as my own.
There you are, Randolph.
There, behind the doors leading to the salon, are Amelia and Tamora. Mother and child, together. As the girl and I pass through its doors, Bliss House shudders. Above us, Randolph swallows, his ancient throat parched and weak, and he breathes on the glass. He is still watching, but we are all four inside the house.
There are others here, too. We are many. We are one.
There is no satisfaction for us here.
We only know desire, sense desire.
We are here, Randolph. We are all home.
ALSO BY LAURA BENEDICT
NOVELS
Charlotte’s Story
Bliss House
Devil’s Oven
Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts
Isabella Moon
ANTHOLOGIES
Surreal South ’11
Surreal South ’09
Surreal South: An Anthology of Short Fiction
THE ABANDONED HEART
Pegasus Books Ltd.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Laura Benedict
First Pegasus Books cloth edition October 2016
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without
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ISBN: 978-1-68177-229-5
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Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
The Abandoned Heart Page 38
