George Saunders - Lincoln in the Bardo

roger bevins iii

Mother, he whispered.

the reverend everly thomas

Mother says I may taste of the candy city Once I am up and about She has saved me a chocolate fish and a bee of honey Says I will someday command a regiment Live in a grand old house Marry some sweet & pretty thing Have little ones of my own Ha ha I like that All of us will meet in my grand old house and have a fine I will make the jolliest old lady, Mother says You boys will bring me cakes Round the clock While I just sit How fat I will be You boys must buy a cart and take turns wheeling me around ha ha

Mother has such a nice way of laughing

We are on the third stairstep Stairstep Number 3 That has three white roses on it Here is how it goes from Stairstep Number 1 to Stairstep Number 5 in number of white roses: 2, 3, 5, 2, 6

Mother comes in close Touches her nose to mine This is called “nee-nee” Which I find babyish But still I allow it from time to

Father comes along, says, Say, can I get in on this pile-up

He can

If Father puts his knees on Stairstep Number 2 and stretches he can reach with his fingers to Stairstep Number 12 He is that long Has done it Many times

No more pile-ups Unless I am strong

Therefore I know what I must Must stay Is not easy But I know honor Fix bayonets How to be brave Is not easy Remember Col. Ellis Killed by Rebs For bravely tearing down the Reb flag from a private I must stay If I wish to get Home When will I When may I

Never if weak

Maybe if strong.

willie lincoln

The boy’s eyes flew open.

roger bevins iii

Strange here, he said.

Not strange, said Mr. Bevins. Not really.

One gets used to it, said the Reverend.

If one belongs here, said Mr. Bevins.

Which you don’t, said the Reverend.

hans vollman

Just then three gelatinous orbs floated past, as if seeking someone.

the reverend everly thomas

And we realized that Mrs. Ellis had been the third of us to succumb.

roger bevins iii

The orbs were now empty; i.e., contained no daughters.

hans vollman

They paraded sourly by, seemed to glare at us, drifted away down the steep incline to the creek, became dimmer, finally vanished entirely.

the reverend everly thomas

Not strange at all, said Mr. Bevins, blushing slightly.

hans vollman

And there came down upon us a rain of hats.

the reverend everly thomas

Of all types.

roger bevins iii

Hats, laughter, crude jests, the sound of fart-noises made by mouths, from on high: these were the harbingers of the approach of the Three Bachelors.

the reverend everly thomas

Though only they among us could fly, we did not envy them.

hans vollman

Having never loved or been loved in that previous place, they were frozen here in a youthful state of perpetual emotional vacuity; interested only in freedom, profligacy, and high-jinks, railing against any limitation or commitment whatsoever.

the reverend everly thomas

Were all for fun and jollity; distrusted anything serious; lived only for their rollicks.

roger bevins iii

Their boisterous cries often resounding above our premises.

the reverend everly thomas

Some days it was just a steady rain of hats.

roger bevins iii

Of all types.

hans vollman

Of which they seemed to have an inexhaustible supply.

roger bevins iii

A derby, a tinsel-edged cocked, four nice feathered Scotch-caps dropped now in rapid succession, followed by the Bachelors themselves, who touched down gallantly on the roof of the white stone home, each tipping his own hat or cap as he did so.

By your leave, said Mr. Lippert. We seek a Respite.

Flying tires us, said Mr. Kane.

Though we love it, said Mr. Fuller.

Ye Gods, said Mr. Kane, catching sight of the boy.

He don’t look so pert, said Mr. Fuller.

I have been somewhat ill, the lad said, rousing himself.

I should say so, said Mr. Kane.

’Tis a bit ripe in this country, said Mr. Fuller, pinching his nose closed.

My father was here and has promised to return, the boy said. I am trying to last.

All best Wishes with that, said Mr. Lippert, raising an eyebrow.

Mind your leg there, kiddo, said Mr. Kane.

Distracted by our guests, we had been remiss: the boy’s left leg was now webbed to the roof by several stout new tendrils, each the width of a wrist.

Goodness, the boy said, blushing.

The labor required to get him free was not insignificant, roughly equivalent to that required to uproot a tangle of blackberry roots. He bore the considerable discomfort of that procedure with a soldierly fixity of mind for one so young, letting out only a stoic grunt at each tug, and then, exhausted, fell back into that earlier state of disassociated torpor.

This father of his, said Mr. Fuller in an undertone. Long-legged fellow?

Somewhat dolorous in aspect? said Mr. Lippert.

Tall, a bit raggedy-seeming? said Mr. Kane.

Yes, I said.

Just passed him, said Mr. Fuller.

I beg your pardon? I said.

Just passed him, said Mr. Kane.

Here? Mr. Vollman said incredulously. Still here?

Out near Bellingwether, Husband, Father, Shipwright, said Mr. Lippert.

Sitting all quiet-like, said Mr. Fuller.

Just passed him, said Mr. Kane.

the reverend everly thomas

Toodle-oo, said Mr. Fuller.

You will Excuse us, said Mr. Lippert. This is the time of night when we must rapidly Circumnavigate the entire Premises, hovering only inches away from that Dread fence, to see which of us may come the Closest, even while experiencing those nauseating Effects convey’d via Proximity to same.

hans vollman

And off they went, emitting a perfect major triad via fart-noises with their mouths, sending down, as if in farewell, a rain of celebratory hats: flared Tops, Turkish house caps; kepis of various colors; a flower-bedecked Straw, falling rather more slowly than the rest, a lovely thing, redolent of summer.

roger bevins iii

This revelation left us dumbstruck.

hans vollman

Strange that the gentleman had come here in the first place; stranger still that he lingered.

the reverend everly thomas

The Bachelors were not entirely trustworthy.

hans vollman

Terrified of boredom, they were prone to pranks.

roger bevins iii

Had once convinced Mrs. Tessenbaum she was manifesting in lingerie.

hans vollman

After which she spent several years cowering behind a tree.

roger bevins iii

Occasionally hid tiny Mrs. Blass’s dead-bird parts, twigs, pebbles, and motes.

the reverend everly thomas

Causing her to race frantically about the premises while they hovered above, encouraging her, with false suggestions, to leap over fallen branches and cross narrow rivulets, which did not seem narrow to her, poor thing, but like great rushing streams.

roger bevins iii

Any assertion by the Bachelors must therefore be regarded with suspicion.

hans vollman

Still, this was intriguing.

roger bevins iii

Merited further investigation.

hans vollman

I think not, the Reverend said sharply, as if intuiting our intention.

Then indicated, with a meaning glance, that he wished a confidential word.

roger bevins iii

We three sank through the roof, into the white stone home.

hans vollman

It was several degrees cooler there, and smelled of old leaves and mold.

roger bevins iii

And of the gentleman, slightly.

hans vollman

We are here by grace, the Reverend said. Our ability to abide far from assured. Therefore, we must conserve our strength, restricting our activities to only those which directly serve our central purpose. We would not wish, through profligate activity, to appear ungrateful for the mysterious blessing of our continued abiding. For we are here, but for how long, or by what special dispensation, it is not ours to—