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Back The Third Brother Save as PDF
Chapters (116)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by the Author
  3. The Third Brother
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. PART II
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67
  75. 68
  76. 69
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. 80
  88. 81
  89. 82
  90. 83
  91. 84
  92. 85
  93. 86
  94. 87
  95. 88
  96. PART III
  97. 89
  98. 90
  99. 91
  100. 92
  101. 93
  102. 94
  103. 95
  104. 96
  105. 97
  106. 98
  107. 99
  108. 100
  109. 101
  110. 102
  111. 103
  112. 104
  113. 105
  114. 106
  115. 107
  116. 108

“We’ll just get home and take it easy,” says Mike, thinking of the woman and her dog he saw earlier. Have some nice snacks, watch TV.

“I’m in good shape, Mike. I’m not crazy. You were worried this was going to make me crazy but it’s not.”

This is not how it sounds to Mike, but he says, “I wasn’t worried. I just didn’t want to you to be dead.”

“No, of course, I have to stop second-guessing myself like that. I just thought I should say something to put you at ease because I saw this one coming. Everyone did.”

But really no one did, thinks Mike.

They are walking fast, past a van on fire. Its roof is crushed by something blackened and unidentifiable. Lyle stops to watch it burn.

“This is unbelievable,” he says.

“We have to get out of here,” says Mike. He’s getting angry and is about to grab his brother and pull him along when he looks over to the burning van. They are too close to it, Mike realizes, as it explodes with a thick, cracking sound, blowing debris and ash up into the air.

Lyle is speaking to him, saying something, mouthing frantically in the hollow ringing, and Mike looks up and sees a gray cloud floating above them. Ashes float down slowly and lightly, as so much snow in a winter twilight. Mike turns back to Lyle and sees his brother, head upturned to the sky, catching them on his tongue.

82

Mike’s father visited his son at college the day after the Head of the Charles Regatta. They were walking along the road by the river. There had been masses of loitering spectators and hot food stands along the river, but now it seemed desolate. On the other side some two dozen seabirds were wheeling low and fighting over the refuse of an Italian sausage stand.

As Mike and his father turned to cross, a black minivan hit two of the birds. They had been pushed out into the road in the fracas over sausage buns in the ditch. Mike heard the pop of a breathing thing being run over by a car and saw that one of the birds had been pulled under a tire and crushed. The other one hadn’t been caught the same way. The minivan had only run over one side of it, and it lay in the road, broken but breathing. It cawed silently, looked more human than it should have. The bird could have been saying anything. This is what Mike thought, anyway.