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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

He is the one who assigned me this paper on faith. This paper is important somehow. Like it could make up for a bad semester, calm me down if I work hard on it. The work will save you, my father said. Which I believe, except it didn’t save him.

The paper will help me talk to this professor, at least. His name is Dr. Hunt, and it would be good to have him to talk to.

96

I went to a concert that night after Analect visited. The band was called The Square, and it was a duo of rappers over a rock band. They played on the top floor of a literary magazine building. It’s an old wood and brick place, and the magazine, called the Advocate, comes out quarterly, I think. Mostly messy-haired people get blasted there on cheap booze.

The Square was playing Christmas music. I was in the back of the room, smoking cigarettes out the window. It’s not good, but it’s mostly what I do now. I just smoke cigarettes all the time. I guess I’m at more than two packs a day. I also had what the literary people were calling jungle juice, cheap vodka and Kool-Aid, in my red plastic cup. “After all,” one of the editors said, “we all know that college is in the bottom of a Dixie cup.”

It seemed to me that the building could catch fire any time. The wooden dance floor creaked, and everyone was smoking, even as they danced. What starts a house fire? Fire departments have a special unit for investigating the causes of a fire. Usually they don’t figure it out exactly. It’s usually a mystery.

A family in a house. Their lamp falls over. Somewhere behind the walls a fuse blows. Wires cross, blue sparks fly. Someone leaves the oven on. A child plays with matches. A cigarette butt ignites the trash. Maybe they forget to put the candles out after dinner, because they drink two bottles of wine and run upstairs to bed. Maybe the weather gets so hot in the summer that the house just combusts. Maybe the floor gets too hot to stand on, like the sand you have to run across at the beach in the afternoon, and then bursts into flame. A fire of undetermined origin is what the investigators call it.

The investigators know some things, though. Twenty-five and a half percent of fires start in the kitchen; 15.7 percent in the bedroom; 8.6 percent in the living room, and 8.2 percent in the chimney. About thirteen people out of every million will die in a house fire this year. The leading causes, in order, are cooking, arson, heating, and careless smoking.

The band began playing “Carol of the Bells,” and the MCs started a call and response over the carol. The kids were drunk and screaming and dancing.

On, on they send on without end their joyful tone