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- @BEGIN_FILE_ID.DIZ
- GROVE COUNTY.
- 1. THE QUARRY.
- TO HOLD HIS FISTS CLOSED
- @END_FILE_ID.DIZ
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- TIGHT, AS IF THE SKIN OF HIS PALMS HAD GROWN FAST TO THE STEEL HE CLASPED.
- TO KEEP HIS FEET STEADY, PRESSED DOWN HARD. THE FLAT ROCK AN UPWARD THRUST
- AGAINST HIS SOLES. NOT TO FEEL THE EXISTENCE OF HIS BODY, BUT ONLY A FEW
- CLOTS OF TENSION: HIS KNEES, HIS WRISTS, HIS SHOULDERS AND THE DRILL HE
- HELD. TO FEEL THE DRILL TREMBLING IN A LONG CONVULSIVE SHUDDER. TO FEEL
- THIS STOMACH TREMBLING, HIS LUNGS TREMBLING. THE STRAIGHT LINES OF THE
- STONE LEDGES BEFORE HIM DISSOLVING INTO JAGGED STREAKS OF TREMBLING. TO
- FEEL THE DRILL AND HIS BODY GATHER INTO THE SINGLE WILL OF PLEASURE. THAT
- A SHAFT OF STEEL MIGHT SINK SLOWLY INTO GRANITE. THIS WAS ALL OF LIFE FOR
- MACK, AS IT HAD BEEN IN THE DAYS OF THE TWO MONTHS BEHIND HIM.
- HE STOOD ON THE
- HOT STONE IN THE SUN. HIS FACE WAS SCORCHED TO BRONZE. HIS SHIRT STUCK IN
- LONG, DAMP PATCHES TO HIS BACK. THE QUARRY ROSE ABOUT HIM IN FLAT SHELVES
- BREAKING AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. IT WAS A WORLD WITHOUT CURVES, GRASS OR
- SOIL. A SIMPLIFIED WORLD OF STONE PLANES, SHARP EDGES AND ANGLES. THE
- STONE HAD NOT BEEN MADE BY PATIENT CENTURIES WELDING THE SEDIMENT OF WINDS
- AND TIDES. IT HAD COME FROM A MOLTEN MASS COOLING SLOWLY AT UNKNOWN
- DEPTHS. IT HAD BEEN FLUNG, FORCED OUT OF THE EARTH. AND IT STILL HELD THE
- SHAPE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THE VIOLENCE OF THE MAN ON ITS LEDGES.
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- HE LIKED THIS WORK. HE FELT AT TIMES AS IF IT WERE A MATCH OF
- WRESTLING BETWEEN HIS MUSCLES AND THE GRANITE. HE WAS VERY TIRED AT NIGHT.
- MACK LIKED THE EMPTINESS OF HIS BODY'S EXHAUSTION.
- EVERY EVENING HE WALKED THE TWO MILES FROM THE QUARRY TO THE
- LITTLE TOWN WHERE THE WORKERS LIVED. THE EARTH OF THE WOODS HE CROSSED
- WAS SOFT AND WARM UNDER HIS FEET. IT WAS STRANGE, AFTER A DAY SPENT ON THE
- GRANITE RIDGES. HE SMILED AS AT A NEW PLEASURE. EACH EVENING LOOKING DOWN
- TO WATCH HIS FEET CRUSHING A SURFACE THAT RESPONDED, GIVING WAY AND
- CONCEDED FAINT PRINTS TO BE LEFT BEHIND.
- THERE WAS A BATHROOM IN THE GARRET OF THE HOUSE WHERE HE ROOMED.
- THE PAINT HAD PEELED OFF THE FLOOR LONG AGO AND THE NAKED BOARDS WERE
- GRAY-WHITE. HE LAY IN THE TUB FOR A LONG TIME AND LET THE COOL WATER SOAK
- THE STONE DUST OUT OF HIS SKIN. HE LET HIS HEAD HANG BACK ON THE EDGE OF
- THE TUB, HIS EYES CLOSED. THE GREATNESS OF THE WEARINESS WAS ITS OWN
- RELIEF. IT ALLOWED NO SENSATION BUT THE SLOW PLEASURE OF THE TENSION
- LEAVING HIS MUSCLES. HIS MIND WANDERED TO THE MORNING WHEN HE MET A
- STRANGER ON THE PATH TO THE QUARRY.
- HE ATE HIS DINNER IN A KITCHEN, WITH OTHER QUARRY
- WORKERS, SITTING ALONE IN A CORNER. THE FUMES OF THE GREASE, CRACKLING
- ETERNALLY ON A VAST GAS STOVE, HID THE REST OF THE ROOM IN A STICKY HAZE.
- HE ATE LITTLE, HE DRANK A GREAT DEAL OF WATER. THE COOL GLITTERING LIQUID
- IN A CLEAN GLASS WAS INTOXICATION. HE WAS THINKING OF A PAST TIME WITH
- JOHN. THEY HAD NOT BEEN TOGETHER FOR TWO YEARS NOW. MACK WAS READY, BUT
- NOT LOOKING FOR ANOTHER FRIEND, SUCH AS JOHN.
- HE SLEPT IN A SMALL WOODEN CUBE UNDER THE
- ROOF. THE BOARDS OF THE CEILING SLANTED DOWN OVER HIS BED. WHEN IT RAINED,
- HE COULD HEAR THE BURST OF EACH DROP AGAINST THE ROOF. IT TOOK AN EFFORT
- TO REALIZE WHY HE COULD NOT FEEL THE RAIN BEATING AGAINST HIS BODY.
- SOMETIMES, AFTER DINNER, HE WOULD
- WALK INTO THE WOODS THAT BEGAN BEHIND THE HOUSE. HE WOULD STRETCH DOWN ON
- THE GROUND, ON HIS STOMACH, HIS ELBOWS PLANTED BEFORE HIM. HIS HANDS
- PROPPING HIS CHIN, AND HE WOULD WATCH THE PATTERNS OF VEINS ON THE GREEN
- BLADES OF GRASS UNDER HIS FACE. HE WOULD BLOW AT THEM AND WATCH THE BLADES
- OF GRASS TREMBLE, THEN STOP AGAIN. HE WOULD ROLL OVER ON HIS BACK AND LIE
- STILL, FEELING THE WARMTH OF THE EARTH UNDER HIM. FAR ABOVE, THE LEAVES
- WERE STILL GREEN, BUT IT WAS A THICK, COMPRESSED GREEN, AS IF THE COLOR
- WERE CONDENSED IN ONE LAST EFFORT BEFORE THE DUSK COMING TO DISSOLVE IT.
- THE LEAVES HUNG WITHOUT MOTION AGAINST THE SKY OF POLISHED LEMON YELLOW.
- ITS LUMINOUS PALLOR EMPHASIZED THAT ITS LIGHT WAS FAILING. MACK PRESSED
- HIS HIPS, HIS BACK INTO THE EARTH UNDER HIM. THE EARTH RESISTED, BUT THEN
- GAVE WAY. IT WAS A SILENT VICTORY. HE FELT A DIM SENSUOUS PLEASURE IN THE
- MUSCLES OF HIS LEGS. HE RESISTED THE DESIRE FOR SEX WITH A MAN -- THE MAN
- ON THE PATH. BUT IT WAS A LOOSING BATTLE FOR HE WOULD NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN.
- MACK SAT UP AND DID NOT MOVE FOR A
- LONG TIME. THEN HE SMILED, A SLOW SMILE WHICH LIT UP HIS FACE. A SMILE
- SAVED FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL. HE THOUGHT OF HIS DAYS GONE BY, OF HIS DESIRE,
- OF WHAT HE SHOULD BE DOING AND PERHAPS NEVER DOING AGAIN. HE WATCHED THE
- PAIN'S UNSUMMONED APPEARANCE WITH A COLD DETACHED CURIOSITY. SAYING TO
- HIMSELF: "WELL HERE IT IS AGAIN." HE WAITED TO SEE HOW LONG IT WOULD LAST.
- IT GAVE HIM A STRANGE, HARD PLEASURE TO WATCH HIS OWN FIGHT AGAINST IT.
- THEN HE SMILED IN CONTEMPT OF HIMSELF, AT HIS OWN SUFFERING. HE DID NOT
- REALIZE THAT HE SMILED AT HIS OWN AGONY. SUCH MOMENTS WERE RARE. BUT WHEN
- THEY CAME, HE FELT AS HE DID IN THE QUARRY: THAT HE HAD TO DRILL THROUGH
- GRANITE, THAT HE HAD TO DRIVE A WEDGE, BLASTING THE THING WITHIN HIM WHICH
- PERSISTED IN CALLING UP HIS DESIRE.
- TONIGHT MACK GAVE INTO HIS DESIRES
- THERE IN THE GRASS, AND RETURNED TO THE HOUSE HE SHARED WITH THE OTHERS.
- MACK WOULD NOT BE WALKING THIS WAY TO WORK ON MONDAY AND GIVE UP HOPE OF
- SEEING THE MAN ON THE PATH AGAIN. THIS WOULD BE HIS LAST NIGHT WITH THE
- OTHER QUARRY WORKERS. HE HAD FOUND A ROOM IN ANOTHER TOWN, AND WAS MOVING
- INTO MRS. KEATING'S ROOMING HOUSE.
-