american tragedy

Chapter 97 (3)
Chapter 246 (3)
But what does all this strongly imply? Death! Death! More than anything, it implies death.Either one chooses this path for oneself, or through hypnosis, or out of unspeakable weariness, and perhaps sinks in gleeful gratitude.Quietly...so hidden...so serene.Roberta is also applauding.Then, for the first time, he felt two strong, kind, sympathetic hands on his shoulders.What comfort these hands gave him! How warm! How strong! They seemed to be enough to bring him peace of mind.He likes the hands that give him encouragement and support.Don't leave your hands! May these hands stay here forever.The hands of this friend! Never in his life had he known such comforting, even tender hands, never.But somehow the feeling calmed him down, and he seemed to be freed from reality.

Of course, there is Roberta there, but by this time, she has turned into a shadow, or it can be said that she has turned into a thought, a form of illusion, not so much real as she is. is unreal.Although there are some colored and physical things on her body that show her existence, she still looks very ethereal...very ethereal...At this time, he once again felt helplessly lonely and helpless.Apparently, this was due to the fact that he had been drawn into this vision and then thrown aside.He felt very cold, and this wonderful magic made him shiver all over.

What is he here for?

What should he do?

Killed Roberta?

Oh no!

He lowered his head again, staring at the enchanting and menacing bottom of the blue-purple pond.He stared at it, and the pond seemed to change endlessly, turning into a big crystal ball.Something trembled in the crystal ball? A shape! It came closer and clearer... He recognized Roberta struggling, her white arms clawing at the water, swimming toward him. come over.

OMG! How scary!

What a horrible look on her face! My God! What was he thinking? Die! Kill!

He suddenly realized that the courage he had thought he was here to support him for so long was now fading.Then he consciously reassessed the depth of his character, hoping to restore his courage, but it was useless.

Git, git, git, ka... ah... ah... ah!

Git, git, git, ka... ah... ah... ah!

Git, git, git, ka... ah... ah... ah!
(Again, the uncanny cry of this ominous bird is always lingering in his ears. How cruel, how brutal! He woke up again from his trance, and realized that what he was facing now was real, and it could be said that is the place where the unreal, pressing questions and everything torments him.)
He has to face this! He has to!

Git, git, git, ka... ah... ah... ah!

Git, git, git, ka... ah... ah... ah!

Is this a sign, a warning, a protest or a reproach? The bird was the first thought of this unfortunate ruse.It's sitting on that dead tree now, the bastard.It flew to another tree.It's still a pine tree, the one slightly inward, singing all the way.God!

Then, involuntarily, he went ashore again.To show why he had the suitcase, he would now have to propose taking pictures of the beauty here, of Roberta, and possibly of himself, on the shore, on the lake.So she had to go aboard again, and his suitcase was not taken aboard, but placed securely and completely out of the damp.As soon as he got ashore, he pretended to be really choosing various special scenery, but he was thinking about which tree he should put his suitcase under so that he could take it when he came back. Now that things had happened, he had to come back right away, right away! They We will never go ashore together again.Never! Never! Though Roberta said disapprovingly that she was tired, and whether she thought they should go back at once, it must be after five o'clock, it must be.Clyde reassured her that they'd be leaving in a minute, and that he'd take a picture or two of her on the boat, with these pretty trees, and the island, and the black lake all around her and below her as the backdrop. .

His wet, damp, flustered hands.

And his dark, bright, flustered eyes, always looking away, but never looking at her.

Then out on the water again, about five hundred feet from the shore, the boat swung toward the middle of the lake.He just fiddled with the sturdy and heavy camera in his hand aimlessly.Then, here and now, I looked around in fear.Because, this moment... this moment... no matter what his own plans are, this is the moment he always wants to avoid, but is always pressed by it.And there was no one on the shore, no sound.No roads, no cabins, no smoke! And it was the moment that he, or something else, had been planning with him.This moment, now at once will decide his fate! It is time for action--a moment of life and death! Now, ah, all he has to do is suddenly and violently sideways to this side or that, jump up, jump to port or starboard , capsized the boat.If that doesn't help, shake the boat like hell, and if Roberta gets too talkative, hit her with a camera or a paddle, it can be done.It is quick and simple, as long as he can have such an idea at this time, it can be said that as long as he has no heart, he can swim away quickly afterwards, swimming to freedom, swimming to success, of course, swimming to Sandra and Happiness, swimming towards a more exciting and splendid life that he has never felt before.only……

Just why is he still waiting?

What happened to him?

why is he still waiting?

At this moment of destruction, will-courage-hatred-anger suddenly paralyzed.Roberta sat in the stern seat and stared at his face, which was distorted and discolored with panic, but weak, even deranged.This face did not suddenly become angry, ferocious, ferocious, but suddenly flustered. In short, it fully shows that the inner struggle is going on intensely. On the one hand, it is fear (this is a physiological confrontation with death). , a kind of resistance to violence enough to cause death), on the other hand, it is the desire to be cornered, eager to do it, to do it, to do it, but I am forcibly suppressing it.But at this moment, the struggle has not yet been decided. There are two forces, one forcing him to do it, and the other forcing him not to do it. The two forces are evenly divided.

At this moment, his eyes grew bigger and paler; his face, his body, and his hands were stiff and curled up. The dazed look became more and more ominous.In truth, however, it was not a portent of outrageous violence, but of imminent fainting, or convulsions.

Roberta suddenly realized how strange it all was, and felt a kind of irrational frenzy, or else a state of physical and psychological trance.What a strange, sad contrast it formed with the landscape here.Then she exclaimed, "What's the matter, Clyde, what's the matter with you? You look... so strange... What's the matter? I've never seen you like this before. What's the matter?" Then she stood up suddenly, Rather, leaning forward and crawling along the flat keel to get to him, because he looked as if he was going to fall toward the cabin, or fall to the side and fall into the water.

Clyde felt at once how badly he himself had failed, how cowardly and useless he was in such a situation; It can also be said that it is the power of hatred that hinders him from doing so.But all the time I was afraid, I didn't want to do it, I just wanted to say that he would never, never marry her; that even if she told him, he would never be with her, marry her; that he only loved Sandra , only wanting to be with her... But he couldn't even say these words, he was just angry, flustered, and staring.Then, when she crept up to him, tried to take his hand with one, and took the camera from him to put on the boat, he gave her a hard push, but even then he didn't What other intentions, just want to get rid of her, don't let her touch his body, don't listen to her entreaties, don't want her sympathy, don't want to see her face, forever and ever... God!

But (he was still holding on to the camera subconsciously), he pushed her too hard, not only did the camera hit her lips, nose, and chin, but it also pushed her back to the port side, and the hull was tilted at the water's edge.Then, frightened by her screams (partly because the boat tilted, and partly because of her broken nose and lip), he stood up, partly to help her or sit her up, partly to I want to apologize to her for this unintentional hurt.But as soon as he stood up, the boat capsized, and he and Roberta fell into the water immediately.And just as she fell into the water and came up for the first time, the boat capsized and the port side hit her on the head, her distorted, terrified face turned towards Clyde, who had thrown himself Steady.

She was in pain, scared, scared, and inexplicable.She, who was most afraid of water in her life, fell into the water again and was pushed by him unintentionally this time.

"Help! Help!"

"Oh, my God, I'm drowning, help me! Oh my God!"

"Clyde! Clyde!"

At this time, the voice sounded in his ears again.

"But you, in this critical moment, this... this... this is not what you expected? ... Now you see! Although you are timid and panicked, this... this... let it be so. An accident...an accident...a blow you made unintentionally will save you from doing things you want to do but dare not do! Since it was just an accident, there is no need for you to save her now, do you still want to save her? , Suffering those miserable failures? Haven't you suffered enough? Can you get out now? You can save her, but you don't have to! Look, she's struggling! She's fainted. She can't save herself, If you swim to her side now, she may drag you to death in panic and fear, but you don’t want to die. If you let her live, then from now on, you will be like the sun forever. Wait a minute, wait a few seconds! Wait a minute, ignore her poor cries for help, and...then...but, ah! Look. Well, she's sinking now, and you'll never see her again ...forever... And, your hat floats on the water, and as you can see, her veil is still on board. Let it go, doesn't it show that it was an accident?

Nothing else... a few ripples of water... how serene this strange sight.Then the lonely bird sang again.

Git, git, git, ka...ah...ah...ah!

Git, git, git, ka...ah...ah...ah!

Git, git, git, ka...ah...ah...ah!

The devilish bird sang on the dead branch—the strange bird.

Then with Roberta's cries for help still in his ears, and her eyes finally looking at him frantically, terrified, begging for help, Clyde swam powerlessly dazedly to the shore.Anyway, he didn't really murder her, no, absolutely not.Thank goodness for that! He didn't.But (climbing up to the shore, shaking the water off his clothes), did he kill, or did he not? Didn't he refuse to save her? If he would he might have rescued her, and she fell into the water, It's not entirely his fault, but it's his fault.But...but...

This evening, dark and quiet.In a secluded place deep in a hidden dense forest, alone, wet except for the suitcase, beside which Clyde stood, waiting and drying himself.During this time, however, he removed the unused camera tripod from the side of the suitcase, found a secluded dead tree in the woods, and hid the tripod.Did anyone see it? Did someone look around? Then he came back, but where should he go? He had to go west, then south.He must not get lost! But the non-stop, ear-piercing crow calls made people shudder.There is also that dimness, although the sky is full of stars.A young man was walking in a silent woods, wearing a straw hat on his head and holding a suitcase in his hand, he hurriedly and carefully... walked south.

(End of this chapter)