Authors: Gary; Devon

Lost (47 page)

Kneeling in the snow, Leona took her in her arms and held her. “I know,” she said. “Mamie, I know, I know â¦”

When at last they had stopped crying, Leona carried Mamie inside. With a wet washcloth, she bathed the child's face as she had long ago through sleepless nights at the hospital. Then she took her in her arms again and, holding her close, turned off the light and carried Mamie to her bed.

Lying in the dark, she smoothed the hair from Mamie's cheek. Outside on the empty road the wind scurried away, and little by little the motel room sank to deep silence. Time drifted from them in a slow, quiet stream. Mamie turned her head. “Sherman,” she murmured, “Sherman, Sherman.” In her longing, she saw him standing with the Chinaman at the foot of the bed, waiting to take her away. Then they were gone in the night.

So who's here? Mamie thought. She could see Leona's shadowy outline on the bed right next to her. Slowly she reached out and touched Leona's face and felt Leona's hand on hers. The dark stood still between them. “Yes, Mamie,” Leona said, “I'm here,” and she held her hand through the night, through their sleep.

Watched by the day flooding in. Day, with its trackless blue splendor.

About the Author

Gary Devon (1941â2007) grew up on the banks of the Ohio River in Indiana, a part of the country to which he later returned with his wife and sons. After graduating from the University of Evansville, he won a writing contest sponsored by the
New Yorker
and was awarded a fellowship to the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where he studied with Kurt Vonnegut and JosÃ© Donoso. His first novel,
Lost
, was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award. He wrote two other novels,
Bad Desire
and
Wedding Night
.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Amanda Shaffer

ISBN: 978-1-5040-3754-9

This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

180 Maiden Lane

New York, NY 10038

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