fLoOd--Part Twenty-Seven

Games People Play

tWeNtY-sEvEn

Brown has been relating all the happenings in the boat to his father (who, being dead, is an absolutely exceptional listener) ever since he was awakened, in the light of the moon, by Jones firing his gun. As the boat has been picking up speed and moving in a more and more reckless manner, Brown has begun to contemplate the possibility that he may soon be conversing with his father in a much more immediate and intimate fashion. He pauses for a moment in his description of Smith's tending to Davis and Wilkerson's tending of the plant, to imagine how he will look laid out in an ornate silver coffin. (Just for the funeral, of course; the coffin merely a rental as he'll be cremated in a plain pine box.) His eyes focus on the top hat which has narrowly escaped damage from all the commotion in the bottom of the boat. He leans over to retrieve it from the spot where it lies sheltered by one of Wilkerson's knees. The boat gives a lurch and he's thrown backward. He nearly over-balances but a hand slaps against his back and the continual music sounding from behind him is momentarily stilled. He turns his head and remarks Johnson giving him a salute with his muma to his forehead. Brown offers a weak smile in return and murmurs, "Much obliged." Johnson gives him a slight push to right him on his seat and then the music resumes. Brown looks before him to find the top hat lying serenely at his feet. He picks it up and dons it to determine the fit but finds it a little tight and likely to produce headaches. So he removes it and holds it for a moment, wondering if he should return it to the chaos in the center of the boat or simply toss it overboard. Suddenly, the music strays from its driving and racing rhythm into an airy fanciful melody, laced with whimsy and a touch of mischief. Brown is unaware of how receptive his moods are to Johnson's music and he assumes it's just a stray impulse that causes him to fasten the top hat onto his father's urn. Unexpectedly, it settles quite as though the two were made for each other (which seems highly unlikely to this author). Brown gives a sigh of satisfaction and resumes his descriptive narration.

"Smith seems to be having difficulty focusing his eyes. He seems unaware that he's abandoned his precious brick to fend for itself on the seat above him. It seems to be moving slowly towards the gentleman who's been transformed into a statue. The man hasn't moved a muscle since he pointed his gun at Smith, a duration of half an hour at the very least. I can't comprehend how he can possibly retain his seat with the boat racing as it is. And why are we moving so rapidly? We seem to have drifted into a current that is carrying us along at a great rate. But I don't recollect any place like that along our river. The brick is now traveling in the opposite direction but straying toward the edge. Smith is going to have it in his lap in a moment. This man sitting in front of me seems to have completed his horticultural task to his satisfaction. He's looking at the plant in the shoe and seems quite pleased. The plant is one of those one-stem affairs with leaves poking out here and there and reducing in size as the stem ascends. It's rather puny and in the moonlight I can't tell if its color is good or not. The collision with the Irishman can't have been beneficial but I daresay it was necessary. I'm inclined to think I might have tried the pot, or possibly one of the mugs, but I suppose time was of the essence and one often makes these choices without conscious thought. I'm tempted to think that one more dunking mightn't have harmed the boy. But in an unconscious state one can never be sure. And it would surely have been a shame for the blanket to be drenched. The Irishman had been muttering quite a bit before the attempt. It might have been of interest to be an auditor to his monologue. Surely he doesn't know the boy...Although we all know that stranger things have happened. And now the aquatic gardener is inspecting the other shoe. I'm sure he doesn't expect to come upon another plant. Could he be contemplating a matched pair?"