Hetton House

*image copied from Wikipedia

This is where Clayton Blaisedell, Jr. a.k.a. Blaze spent most of his childhood.

John was his best friend here.  So far, they've been through a lot together.  They became friends when John asked Blaze to save him from the bullies in exchange offered his help on his assignment and recitations, because Blaze is slow, especially in Arithmetic. "He had been able to get back the hang of adding two apples, but only with great effort, and a quarter of an apple plus half an apple was always going to be beyond him.  So far as he knew, apples only came in bites." You wouldn't believe how John thought of a way to get through with recitation through hand signals.  Believe me, I couldn't figure out how they did it and didn't spend time to figure it out.  At this point, I knew that somehow, Blaze got talent he only has to figure it out, to realize it.

Then, Blaze met George.  And his life was never the same.

Although George calls him stupid, I think he loves George more than anyone.  George reminds him of most of the things he forgot; until he died.  I think Blaze couldn't face this fact that's why George existed in his life all throughout.  I think he couldn't believe that he's capable of remembering and thinking because he depended on George on everything.  But so far, I know that Blaze has a talent, he just wasn't given a chance to discover it and be confident about it.

Probably to make George happy, he executed George's long-time plan of kidnapping Joe - the son of one of the richest man of their time.  I can't believe the tension and rush I felt as I read through how he was able to snatch Joe from their heavily guarded place.  At one point, when he got in the baby's room, my heart broke; but not for the baby.  My heart broke for Blaze that he was very amazed with the richness of the room of the baby.   That his childhood is trash compared to this infant's.

At this point, he's had the baby for only a few days.  But I feel that Blaze likes him.  I kinda feel sad that Blaze might be attached with the baby because he seems to bring him joy.  How long does this joy would last?  Would it be worth the $1 million ransom he is asking if he's going to be attached with the baby?

Probably not.

Probably yes.

As Wireman often  says to Edgar at the Big Pink, "Maybe si, maybe no."

BETWEEN THE LINES:

It was funny how little things could be so perfect and no one ever saw them.

It's funny, too - how your sense of things could change.

George is like the fox who couldn't reach the grapes and told everyone they are sour.

He knows the difference between what was dreams and what was real, but in the dark the difference seemed thinner.

One Last Time [?]

Edgar knew them, but not all the secrets.  He can only say what he saw, but everything might not be shown to him.

The north end of the Duma Key was never visited at least for the last 80 years.  He was the first to go there, after all those years, together with Jack and Wireman.  There the secrets were revealed.

Heron's Roost is what the place was called.  It was there that Elizabeth Eastlake spent some of her childhood until she had an accidental fall from a pony.  Not long after that accident, they moved to what they call Palacio De Assesinos (Palace of the Assasins) and forgot [or chose to?] forgot about Heron's roost.

After all, Nan Melda would be alive again on the last part of the story.  She took care of Elizabeth and her siblings until it was time for Elizabeth to leave the place.  Whether she is a hero or a villain, if it is up to you which side you are on.  I won't tell you either which side I went.

As in any story, death is inevitable.  For those who did go on the story, some of the deaths are unneeded.  They shouldn't have.  But isn't it the case for some of ours also?

For one last time[?], Edgar needs to draw.  He needs to draw again to complete everything.  Or is it to stop everything that's been happening?  His drawing is supposed to stop them.  But will it?  Did it do it for good?

It was never said that the story has ended.  Perse was put back to sleep down to some deep sleep.  But who will ever know that she will not wake again.  Because i believe they [Edgar, Jack and Wireman] never did extinguish its power.  When she ever did, if she ever did, I guess Stephen King, too, doesn't know.  At least not yet.

Modhesh

It's about time that Edgar take me o the secrets of all these.  I understand if it took a while.  There were a lot of things to consider.

But then, even if we have the chance to know it, he knows we will not know everything.  He repeatedly said that.  How much we are to know, we are still to find out.

On his first show - the opening night - Jack and Wireman were late.  At this point, Elizabeth was 'out,' and has been out for a while now.  I have never been so touched about how Wireman cried for Elizabeth's condition [she doesn't even remember their names.]  When late became even later, Edgar became worried but couldn't do anything.  He had so many guests from his 'other life' back home.

But they came.

And they came with a surprise.  Because they came with Elizabeth Eastlake; this wasn't part of the plan.  Everyboy at the studio was awed simply by her presence.  She is what Wireman calls 'The Daughter of the Godfather."  Mary Ire later called her, "Well-known art patron."  But is she?  Was she?

Just as her entrance came as a surprise, her exodus was even more surprising.

And I think her leaving was the genesis of an entourage of an even more powerful series of revelations.

And the death begins.

BETWEEN THE LINES

Pain is the biggest power of love.

The loss of memory isn't always the problem; sometimes - maybe even often - it's the solution.

The bravery is in the doing, not the showing.

Because forgetting isn't always involuntary. Sometimes it's willed.

*Modhesh is the arabic word for Surprise!

Subtle

If there is one thing I find always amazing with Stephen King's works, it should be the way he announces the 'going' of a person in such a subtle, unhurting but painful way.  I am sorry to be a spoiler, but I couldn't help but quote this, to be very clear on what I said.

I have wondered since then - I know it's morbid, but yes, I've wondered - if she would have smoked more of it if she had known it was to be her last.

It might sound trivial to you.  But read the book and you just might see what my whole point is.

Good Poem

Edgar was asked by Elizabeth Eastlake to read for him at the early part of the story.  Elizabeth has a book of good poems where Edgar would read to her [perhaps randomly].  One of the poems - and the only poem written on the book[so far] - was something written by Frank O'hara.  I am not really sure if this is the whole poem or only a part of it.  But I am sharing this because, as well as Edgar and Elizabeth, I was actually teary-eyed as Edgar read it to Elizabeth.

Have you forgotten what we were like then

when we were still first rate

and the day came fat with an apple in its mouth

'it's no use worrying about time

but we did have a few tricks up our sleeves

and turned some sharp corners

'the whole pasture looked like our meal

we didn't need speedometers

we could manage cocktails out of ice and water'

'I wouldn't want to be faster

or greener than now if you were with me O you

were the best of all my days.

American Primitive

This is what Mary Ire called Edgar Freemantle the very first time she saw his paintings.

Now that Edgar is having his first show, he quoted Mary Ire for what she said, but in a good way.  Something Edgar didn't think about; like it just came simultaneously while he was having his speech.  He didn't know how to start or what to say in his speech, because he is not a painter.  It just sort of came out.  And that was the start of it all.

He paints and paints and paints.  Sunsets.  Florida sunsets, Duma Key sunsets.

One night he was doing his work, Wireman Looks West.  But that night was not like any other, because it was raining.  There was a storm actually.  You would wonder how he finished this masterpiece, but he did.  Contrary to this, I read this part one hot, summer night.  And then, I woke up in the middle of the night to pee like I normally do.  But what also wasn't normal that early morning was that I suddenly remember the twins - Tessie and Laura, Elizabeth Eastlake's siblings.  Edgar saw [or he thought he did] them at the bottom of the stairs when he was to go down after finishing the painting.  That's why I remembered them.  I went like, "What if I saw them?"  But I didn't.  I didn't have a nightmare, too.  I was actually able to convince myself that I wouldn't have it because I don't even know how they look like.

Anyway, Elizabeth Eastlake is now in her other world.  Edgar [and I] at this point, wants to know more about her.  I wanted to talk about Elizabeth but didn't get the chance to until today.  In the beginning, I wasn't scared of her.  I still am not.  But I am intrigued with her past.  Is there anything that Edgar and I should know about?  It's not that she is hiding it from us.  It's just that there might be something that we need to know.

Edgar tried to ask Wireman but he wasn't very clear on it.  He says we should ask Mary Ire.  But does Mary know anything about the Eastlakes?  And if she does, how much does she know, if not all? I am pretty sure not all, but how much of it?  And for sure, Edgar and I have to find out a lot about the Eastlakes on our own.

Between The Lines:

Healing is a kind of revolt, and as I think I've said, all successful revolts begin in secret.

When it comes to things like pictures, it's always just someone's opinion.

Do the day and let the day do you.

A life without books is a thirsty life.

Never trust a person who prays in public.

When it comes to the past, we all stack the deck.  Tell too much and you find yourself telling the past you wished for.

Astounding

I just do not know how to describe what I feel right now.

I have been too busy recently that I couldn't make myself go online to update my blogs simultaneously.  And the very fact that I couldn't put off my reading SK's Duma Key.

A few nights ago, I was even nightmarish waking up at about 4.00 am.  I don't really know if the book has anything to do with this, but since I haven't had one in a while, I am actually seeing it this way.  Admittedly, some of his books really wakes me in the middle of the night or are into my dreams.

I am trying to find a way to relate the thing that happened without giving out spoilers, but I guess it is really hard.  My apologies if this post will contain some, but I guess you just have to take it as somewhat a preview of what the whole book is really all about.

I often get a response of, "Horror!" whenver I am asked about the book I am reading or my favorite author.  But as a matter of fact, it isn't just pure H.  What just happened that I had to stop and write about is how Stephen King makes friendships at odd times.  He has done this on many, if not all, of his books, but nothing is the same with the other.  Here in Duma Key, one thing brought them together, another thing made them stay together, and another one sealed the friendship.  This brought me back to his book, "IT,'' and I can still remember "Stuttering Bill.''

I got so emotional about Edgar's friendship with Wireman, and Wireman's friendship with Edgar.  Sometimes, I think that we never see how much we love our friend until this time comes that is neither deliberate nor intentional.  It just comes.  And it just stays, no matter what.

Contracoup

So... I didn't live up to what I said the other day.

I started with another book.  I really can't help it.  Seeing it on my things is really tempting.  Besides, I haven't read any book by him for quite a while now.  I really miss it.

The Duma Key.

I am not really sure what was the last book I read by him before this because it has been two years already.  Yeah, that long.  And when I got back, it wasn't his book that I started with.  It was deliberate though because I wanted to try another authors.

But reading 'him' again is really worth it.

Contracoup is a brain injury that can happen when your a moving object strikes your stationery head.  The funny thing is when I started reading the book with absolutely no clue about its story, I kinda wondered if this is another imagination by Stephen King.  Just like what he imagined in the book, "The Stand," which we SK people sometimes equate it for the H1N1 virus that struck the world just recently.  But  I checked it out online to find out if it really exist, and you can read more about it here.

Edgar suffered this as a result of the accident.  And since it happened, there were a lot of things he couldn't recall.  Everyday things in our lives he didn't seem to know the name.  He's healing though.  But his life is never the same because there were a lot he lost because of the accident.

Right now, he's at the Duma Keys.  His doctor said that going 'geographical' might do him some help.  And while at it, he went back to what he'd always wanted to do - draw.  So far, he has drawn only the beach.  Because he's there.  I wonder what else would he draw next.

*Image copied from Wikipedia

Break

I have several books in line.  I actually started with two more - The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.  But my eyes persistently complained.  I think they've been too tired... not only because of reading books, but also a lot more due to internet browsing - which I haven't done for quite a while before.

Let's see how long I will be able to take it before I get back to reading.

I feel it's just for a week because I can't wait.  I'm just giving my eyes a break they deserve.