The mallet expressed that perfectly。 A soft end and a hard end。 A game of
finesse and aim； and a game of raw； bludgeoning power。
He swung the mallet through the air 。。。 whhhoooop。 He smiled a little at the
powerful； whistling sound it made。 Then he replaced it in the rack and turned to
his left。 What he saw there made him frown again。
The snowmobile sat almost in the middle of the equipment shed； a fairly new
one； and Jack didn't care for its looks at all。 Bombardier Skidoo was written on
the side of the engine cowling facing him in black letters which had been raked
backward； presumably to connote speed。 The protruding skis were also black。
There was black piping to the right and left of the cowling； what they would
call racing stripes on a sports car。 But the actual paintjob was a bright；
sneering yellow； and that was what he didn't like about it。 Sitting there in its
shaft of morning sun； yellow body and black piping； black skis and black
upholstered open cockpit； it looked like a monstrous mechanized wasp。 When it
was running it would sound like that too。 Whining and buzzing and ready to
sting。 But then； what else should it look like？ It wasn't flying under false
colors； at least。 Because after it had done its job； they were going to be
hurting plenty。 All of them。 By spring the Torrance family would be hurting so
badly that what those wasps had done to Danny's hand would look like a mother's
kisses。
He pulled his handkerchief from his back pocket； wiped his mouth with it； and
walked over to the Skidoo。 He stood looking down at it； the frown very deep now；
and stuffed his handkerchief back into his pocket。 Outside a sudden gust of wind
slammed against the equipment shed； making it rock and creak。 He looked out the
window and saw the gust carrying a sheet of sparkling snow crystals toward the
drifted…in rear of the hotel； whirling them high into the hard blue sky。
The wind dropped and he went back to looking at the machine。 It was a
disgusting thing； really。 You almost expected to see a long； limber stinger
protruding from the rear of it。 He had always disliked the goddam snowmobiles。
They shivered the cathedral silence of winter into a million rattling fragments。
They startled the wildlife。 They sent out huge and pollutive clouds of blue and
billowing oilsmoke behind them — cough； cough； gag； gag； let me breathe。 They
were perhaps the final grotesque toy of the unwinding fossil fuel age； given to
ten…year…olds for Christmas。
He remembered a newspaper article he had read in Stovington； a story datelined
someplace in Maine。 A kid on a snowmobile； barrel…assing up a road he'd never
traveled before at better than thirty miles an hour。 Night。 His headlight off。
There had been a heavy chain strung between two posts with a NO TRESPASSING sign
hung from the middle。 They said that in all probability the kid never saw it。
The moon might have gone behind a cloud。 The chain had decapitated him。 Reading
the story Jack had been almost glad； and now； looking down at this machine； the
feeling recurred。
（If it wasn't for Danny； I would take great pleasure in grabbing one of those
mallets； opening the cowling； and just pounding until）
He let his pent…up breath escape him in a long slow sigh。 Wendy was right。
e hell； high water； or the welfare line； Wendy was right。 Pounding this
machine to death would be the height of folly； no matter how pleasant an aspect
that folly made。 It would almost be tantamount to pounding his own son to death。
〃Fucking Luddite；〃 he said aloud。
He went to the back of the machine and unscrewed the gascap。 He found a
dipstick on one of the shelves that ran at chest…height around the walls and
slipped it in。 The last eighth of an inch came out wet。 Not very much； but
enough to see if the damn thing would run。 Later he could siphon more from the
Volks and the hotel truck。
He screwed the cap back on and opened the cowling。 No sparkplugs； no battery。
He went to the shelf again and began to poke along it； pushing aside
screwdrivers and adjustable wrenches； a one…lung carburetor that had been taken
out of an old lawnmower； plastic boxes of screws and nails and bolts of varying
sizes。 The shelf was thick and dark with old grease； and the years' accumulation
of dust had stuck to it like fur。 He didn't like touching it。
He found a small； oil…stained box with the abbreviation Skid。 laconically
marked on it in pencil。 He shook it and something rattled inside。 Plugs。 He held
one of them up to the light； trying to estimate the gap without hunting around
for the gapping tool。 Fuck it； he thought resentfully； and dropped the plug back
into the box。 If the gap's wrong； that's just too damn bad。 Tough fucking titty。
There was a stool behind the door。 He dragged it over； sat down； and installed
the four sparkplugs； then fitted the small rubber caps over each。 That done； he
let his fingers play briefly over the magneto。 They laughed when I sat down at
the piano。
Back to the shelves。 This time he couldn't find what he wanted； a small
battery。 A three… or four…cell。 There were socket wrenches； a case filled with
drills and drillbits； bags of lawn fertilizer and Vigoro for the flower beds；
but no snowmobile battery。 It didn't bother him in the slightest。 In fact； it
made him feel glad。 He was relieved。 I did my best； Captain； but I could not get
through。 That's fine； son。 I'm going to put you in for the Silver Star and the
Purple Snowmobile。 You're a credit to your regiment。 Thank you； sir。 I did try。
He began to whistle 〃Red River Valley〃 uptempo as he poked along the last two
or three feet of shelf。 The notes came out in little puffs of white smoke。 He
had made a plete circuit of the shed and the thing wasn't there。 Maybe
somebody had lifted it。 Maybe Watson had。 He laughed aloud。 The old office
bootleg trick。 A few paperclips； a couple of reams of paper； nobody will miss
this tablecloth or this Golden Regal place setting 。。。 and what about this
fine snowmobile battery？ Yes； that might e in handy。 Toss it in the sack。
White…collar crime； Baby。 Everybody has sticky fingers。 Under…the…jacket
discount； we used to call it when we were kids。
He walked back to the snowmobile and gave the side of it a good healthy kick
as he went by。 Well； that was the end of it。 He would just have to tell Wendy
sorry； baby； but —
There was a box sitting in the corner by the door。 The stool bad been right
over it。 Written on the top； in pencil； was the abbreviation Skid。
He looked at it； the smile drying up on his lips。 Look； sir； it's the cavalry。
Looks like your smoke signals must have worked after all。
It wasn't fair。
Goddammit； it just wasn't fair。
Something — luck； fate； providence — had been trying to save him。 Some other
luck； white luck。 And at the last moment bad old Jack Torrance luck had stepped
back in。 The lousy run of cards wasn't over yet。
Resentment； a gray； sullen wave of it； pushed up his throat。 His hands had
clenched into fists again。
（Not fair； goddammit； not fair！）
Why couldn't he have looked someplace else？ Anyplace！ Why hadn't he had a
crick in his neck or an itch in his nose or the need to blink？ Just one of those
little things。 He never would have seen it。
Well； he hadn't。 That was all。 It was an hallucination； no different from what
had happened yesterday outside that room on the second floor or the goddam hedge
menagerie。 A momentary strain； that was all。 Fancy； I thought I saw a snowmobile
battery in that corner。 Nothing there now。 bat fatigue； I guess； sir。 Sorry。
Keep your pecker up； son。 It happens to all of us sooner or later。
He yanked the door open almost hard enough to snap the hinges and pulled his
snowshoes inside。 They were clotted with snow and he slapped them down hard
enough on the floor to raise a cloud of it。 He put his left foot on the left
shoe 。。。 and paused。
Danny was out there； by the milk platform。 Trying to make a snowman； by the
looks。 Not much luck； the snow was too cold to stick together。 Still； he was
giving it the old college try； out there in the flashing morning； a speck of a
bundled…up boy above the brilliant snow and below the brilliant sky。 Wearing his
hat turned around backward like Carlton Fiske。
（What in the name of God were you thinking of？）
The answer came back with no pause。
（Me。 I was thinking of me。）
He suddenly remembered lying in bed the night before； lying there and suddenly
he had been contemplating the murder of his wife。
In that instant； kneeling there； everything came clear to him。 It was not just
Danny the Overlook was working on。 It was working on him； too。 It wasn't Danny
who was the weak link； it was him。 He was the vulnerable one； the one who could
be bent and twisted until something snapped。
（until i let go and sleep 。。。 and when i do that if i do that）
He looked up at the banks of windows and the sun threw back an almost blinding
glare from their many…paned surfaces but he looked anyway。 For the first time he
noticed how much they seemed like eyes。 They reflected away the sun and held
their own darkness within。 It was not Danny they were looking at。 It was him。
In those few seconds he understood everything。 There was a certain black…and…
white picture he remembered seeing as a child； in catechism class。 The nun had
presented it to them on an easel and called it a miracle of God。 The class had
looked at it blankly； seeing nothing but a jumble of whites and blacks；
senseless and patternless Then one of the children in the third row had gasped；
〃It's Jesus！〃 and that child had gone home with a brand…new Testament and also a
calendar because he had been first。 The others stared even harder； Jacky
Torrance among them。 One by one the other kids had given a similar gasp； one
little girl transported in near…ecstasy； crying out shrilly： 〃I see Him！ I see
Him！〃 She had also been rewarded with a Testament。 At last everyone had seen the
face of Jesus in the jumble of blacks and whites except Jacky。 He strained
harder and harder； scared now； part of him cynically thinking that everyone else
was simply putting on to please Sister Beatrice； part of him secretly convinced
that he wasn't seeing it because God had decided he was the worst sinner in the
class。 〃Don't you see it； Jacky？〃 Sister Beatrice had asked him in her sad；
sweet manner。 I see your tits； he had thought in vicious desperation。 He began
to shake his head； then faked excitement and said： 〃Yes； I do！ Wow！ It is Jesus！ 〃
And everyone in class had laughed and applauded him； making him feel
triumphant； ashamed； and scared。 Later； when everyone else had tumbled their way
up from the church basement and out onto the street he had lingered behind；
looking at the meaningless black…and…white jumble that Sister Beatrice had left
on the easel。 He hated it。 They had all made it up the way he had； even Sister
herself。 It was a big fake。 〃Shitfire…hellfire…shitfire；〃 he had whispered under
his breath； and as he turned to go he bad seen the face of Jesus fro