Part 28 (1/2)

”Yes,” he said. ”G.o.d, yes.”

”This woman is a monster.”

Eddie began to cry.

The gunslinger wanted to comfort him, could not commit such a sacrilege (he remembered Jake too well), and walked off into the dark with his new fever burning and aching inside him.

6.

Much earlier on that night, while Odetta still slept, Eddie said he thought he might understand what was wrong with her. Might. Might. The gunslinger asked what he meant. The gunslinger asked what he meant.

”She could be a schizophrenic.”

Roland only shook his head. Eddie explained what he understood of schizophrenia, gleanings from such films as The Three Faces of Eve The Three Faces of Eve and various TV programs (mostly the soap operas he and Henry had often watched while stoned). Roland had nodded. Yes. The disease Eddie described sounded about right. A woman with two faces, one light and one dark. A face like the one the man in black had shown him on the fifth Tarot card. and various TV programs (mostly the soap operas he and Henry had often watched while stoned). Roland had nodded. Yes. The disease Eddie described sounded about right. A woman with two faces, one light and one dark. A face like the one the man in black had shown him on the fifth Tarot card.

”And they don't know-these schizophrenes-that they have another?”

”No,” Eddie said. ”But...” He trailed off, moodily watching the lobstrosities crawl and question, question and crawl.

”But what?”

”I'm no shrink,” Eddie said, ”so I don't really know-”

”Shrink? What is a What is a shrink? shrink?”

Eddie tapped his temple. ”A head-doctor. A doctor for your mind. They're really called psychiatrists.”

Roland nodded. He liked shrink shrink better. Because this Lady's mind was too large. Twice as large as it needed to be. better. Because this Lady's mind was too large. Twice as large as it needed to be.

”But I think schizos almost always know something something is wrong with them,” Eddie said. ”Because there are blanks. Maybe I'm wrong, but I always got the idea that they were usually two people who thought they had partial amnesia, because of the blank s.p.a.ces in their memories when the other personality was in control. is wrong with them,” Eddie said. ”Because there are blanks. Maybe I'm wrong, but I always got the idea that they were usually two people who thought they had partial amnesia, because of the blank s.p.a.ces in their memories when the other personality was in control. She She... she says she remembers everything. She really thinks really thinks she remembers everything.” she remembers everything.”

”I thought you said she didn't believe any of this was happening.”

”Yeah,” Eddie said, ”but forget that for now. I'm trying to say that, no matter what she believes, believes, what she what she remembers remembers goes right from her living room where she was sitting in her bathrobe watching the midnight news to here, with no break at all. She doesn't have any sense that some other person took over between then and when you grabbed her in Macy's. h.e.l.l, that might have been the next day or even goes right from her living room where she was sitting in her bathrobe watching the midnight news to here, with no break at all. She doesn't have any sense that some other person took over between then and when you grabbed her in Macy's. h.e.l.l, that might have been the next day or even weeks weeks later. I know it was still winter, because most of the shoppers in that store were wearing coats-” later. I know it was still winter, because most of the shoppers in that store were wearing coats-”

The gunslinger nodded. Eddie's perceptions were sharpening. That was good. He had missed the boots and scarves, the gloves sticking out of coat pockets, but it was still a start.

”-but otherwise it's impossible to tell how long Odetta was that other woman because she doesn't know. I think she's in a situation she's never been in before, and her way of protecting both sides is this story about getting cracked over the head.”

Roland nodded.

”And the rings. Seeing those really shook her up. She tried not to show it, but it showed, all right.”

Roland asked: ”If these two women don't know they exist in the same body, and if they don't even suspect that something may be wrong, if each has her own separate chain of memories, partly real but partly made up to fit the times the other is there, what are we to do with her? How are we even to live with her?”

Eddie had shrugged. ”Don't ask me. It's your problem. You're the one who says you need her. h.e.l.l, you risked your neck to bring her here.” Eddie thought about this for a minute, remembered squatting over Roland's body with Roland's knife held just above the gunslinger's throat, and laughed abruptly and without humor. LITERALLY risked your neck, man, LITERALLY risked your neck, man, he thought. he thought.

A silence fell between them. Odetta had by then been breathing quietly. As the gunslinger was about to reiterate his warning for Eddie to be on guard and announce (loud enough for the Lady to hear, if she was only shamming) that he was going to turn in, Eddie said the thing which lighted Roland's mind in a single sudden glare, the thing which made him understand at least part of what he needed so badly to know.

At the end, when they came through.

She had changed at the end.

And he had seen seen something, some something, some thing- thing- ”Tell you what,” Eddie said, moodily stirring the remains of the fire with a split claw from this night's kill, ”when you brought her through, I felt like I I was a schizo.” was a schizo.”

”Why?”

Eddie thought, then shrugged. It was too hard to explain, or maybe he was just too tired. ”It's not important.”

”Why?”

Eddie looked at Roland, saw he was asking a serious question for a serious reason-or thought he was-and took a minute to think back. ”It's really hard to describe, man. It was looking in that door. That's what freaked me out. When you see someone move in that door, it's like you're moving with them. You know what I'm talking about.”

Roland nodded.

”Well, I watched it like it was a movie-never mind, it's not important-until the very end. Then you turned her toward this this side of the doorway and for the first time side of the doorway and for the first time I was looking at myself. I was looking at myself. It was like...” He groped and could find nothing. ”I dunno. It should have been like looking in a mirror, I guess, but it wasn't, because... because it was like looking at another person. It was like being turned inside out. Like being in two places at the same time. s.h.i.+t, It was like...” He groped and could find nothing. ”I dunno. It should have been like looking in a mirror, I guess, but it wasn't, because... because it was like looking at another person. It was like being turned inside out. Like being in two places at the same time. s.h.i.+t, I I don't know.” don't know.”

But the gunslinger was thunderstruck. That That was what he had sensed as they came through; was what he had sensed as they came through; that that was what had happened to her, no, not just was what had happened to her, no, not just her, them: her, them: for a moment Detta and Odetta had looked at each other, not the way one would look at her reflection in a mirror but as for a moment Detta and Odetta had looked at each other, not the way one would look at her reflection in a mirror but as separate people; separate people; the mirror became a windowpane and for a moment Odetta had seen Detta and Detta had seen Odetta and had been equally horror-struck. the mirror became a windowpane and for a moment Odetta had seen Detta and Detta had seen Odetta and had been equally horror-struck.

They each know, the gunslinger thought grimly. the gunslinger thought grimly. They may not have known before, but they do now. They can try to hide it from themselves, but for a moment they saw, they knew, and that knowing must still be there. They may not have known before, but they do now. They can try to hide it from themselves, but for a moment they saw, they knew, and that knowing must still be there.

”Roland?”

”What?”

”Just wanted to make sure you hadn't gone to sleep with your eyes open. Because for a minute you looked like you were, you know, long ago and far away.”

”If so, I'm back now,” the gunslinger said. ”I'm going to turn in. Remember what I said, Eddie: be on your guard.”

”I'll watch,” Eddie said, but Roland knew that, sick or not, he would have to be the one to do the watching tonight.

Everything else had followed from that.

7.

Following the ruckus Eddie and Detta Walker eventually went to sleep again (she did not so much fall asleep as drop into an exhausted state of unconsciousness in her chair, lolling to one side against the restraining ropes).

The gunslinger, however, lay wakeful.