Chapter 4 big house

The night the stars disappeared from the sky, I was twelve and the twins were thirteen. It was October, a few weeks before Halloween, and the Rawdons were throwing a party that only grown-ups could attend, and we three little ghosts were driven to the basement.The Lawton family's big house, we all call it the big house. Being locked up in the basement is not a punishment at all.To Diane and Jason, that wasn't punishment, because they liked to spend their days in the basement.For me, of course not.Their father had declared long ago that in their home there was a clear line between where the grown-ups belonged and where the children belonged.However, we have a top-of-the-line video game console here, with movie discs, and even a pool table, and it's out of grown-ups' hands.Except for Mrs. Chu Luo, no grown-ups will come here.She is the usual banquet server in this house.Every hour or so, she'd come downstairs to desert, avoid the side dishes, and tell us the latest gossip at the party (a guy from Hewlett-Packard made a public embarrassment to a Post columnist's wife; a par. Senator gets drunk in his study).The sound system upstairs played earth-shattering dance music, like the heartbeat of a giant monster, penetrating the ceiling of the basement.Jason said that we lack nothing, but the lack of tranquility and the view of the sky.

Tranquil and sky landscape.With Jason's temper, he wanted both. Diane and Jason were born just a few minutes apart, but it was clear that they were fraternal siblings, not identical twins that were printed from the same mold.No one would ever call them twins except their mom.Jason once said that a bipolar sperm divides and invades two eggs with completely opposite properties, and they are the products of this process.Diane was about the same as Jason, with an astonishingly high IQ, but she wasn't as fond of juggling jargon as Jason was.She described the two of them as: two different prisoners who had escaped from the same cell.

Both of them awe me equally. At the age of thirteen, Jason was not only frighteningly smart, but also physically strong.Although it is not the muscular type, but it is full of physical strength, and it is a constant victor in the track and field.At that time, he was nearly six feet tall, thin and long, and looked a little dull. Fortunately, his innocent smile with his mouth crooked made him look less dull.Back then, he had blond hair as hard as wire. Diane was five inches shorter than him, fat only when compared with her brother, and darker.Her face was crystal clear, with freckles around her eyes, and what appeared to be a hooded jumper put the upper part of her face in shadow.She once joked about herself: My raccoon mask.What I like most about Diane is her smile.At my age, these little things about her had obviously begun to fascinate me, although I didn't quite understand why.She rarely smiles, but has a bright smile.Some people say her teeth are too protruding, and she thinks so, but I don't.So, she developed a habit of covering her mouth when she laughed.I love making her laugh, but it's her big smile that I secretly long for.

Last week, Jason's dad gave him a very expensive pair of binoculars.Throughout the afternoon, he was so excited that he couldn't calm down for a second, playing with the telescope non-stop.There was a framed poster of a travel scene on the TV, and he aimed at it, pretending he could peek at Cancun, Mexico, from the suburbs of Washington.Later, he finally stood up and said: We should go to the sky. No, it's cold outside.Diane answered without hesitation. But the weather is fine.This week, the weather did not clear until this evening.Also, it's just a little cooler outside. The lawn is frozen this morning.

That's frost.He retorted. It's already midnight. It's Friday night. We are not allowed to leave the basement. We're just not allowed to disturb their party.No one said we couldn't go out.If you are afraid of getting caught, don't worry, no one will see. I'm not afraid of getting caught. Then what are you afraid of? I'm afraid that my feet will be frozen into ice cubes outside, and I still have to listen to your endless chatter. Jason turned to look at me.How's it going, Tyler?do you want to see the sky When the twins disagreed, they kept trying to make me the referee, which made me uncomfortable.No matter how I answer, I am not human inside and out.If I'm on the same side as Jason, it seems like I'm snubbing Diane; but if I'm always on Diane's side, it looks like, uh, pretty obvious.So I said: I don't know, Jay, it's pretty cold out there

It was Diane who helped me out.She put a hand on my shoulder and said: It's okay, it's better to go out to get some fresh air, it's better than listening to him complaining endlessly here. So we grabbed our coats in the basement hallway and slipped out the back door. The nickname we gave the big house is actually a bit of an exaggeration, it's not that big.However, in this middle-to-high-class community, it is still a bit larger than ordinary houses and occupies a relatively large area.Behind the house was a large, manicured lawn that undulated like waves.Beyond that, the meadow was blocked by a wild pine forest.The woods are like a border, and the other end is next to a little dirty creek.Jason chose a star-gazing spot between the house and the woods.

Since October, the weather has been very comfortable and pleasant. It was not until yesterday that a cold front invaded and drove away the warm autumn tiger.Dai Jian put on a show, hugging her ribs and shaking, but in fact she just wanted to impress Jason.The wind at night was a bit chilly, but not unbearably cold.The sky was crystal clear.The lawn is fairly dry, although there may be another frost early tomorrow morning.The sky was cloudless and there was no moon in sight.The big house was so brightly lit that it looked like a steamship on the Mississippi.The golden light from the window looks like a tiger's eyes, scanning the lawn outside.However, according to past experience, if you stand under the shade of a tree at such a night, you will disappear completely like being sucked into a black hole, and it is absolutely impossible to see it from the house.

Jason lay on his back on the grass and raised his binoculars to the sky. I sat cross-legged next to Diane and watched her pull a cigarette from her coat pocket, which she probably stole from her mother. (Carol Lawton is a cardiologist. Although she claims to have quit smoking, there are still several packs of cigarettes hidden in the dresser, desk, and kitchen drawer. This is what my mother told me).She put the cigarette to her mouth and lit it with a translucent red lighter, and the flame looked extremely bright in the surrounding darkness.She exhaled a puff of smoke, which spiraled upward and disappeared into the darkness.

She found me looking at her.Want to have a bite? Jason said: He's only twelve years old, he's had enough trouble, he doesn't want to get lung cancer again. I said: Of course I want to.This is a great opportunity to show heroism. Diane happily handed me the cigarette.I tried to take a breath, and finally held back without choking. She took the cigarette back.Be careful not to get addicted. Jason asked me: Taylor, do you understand stars? I took a deep breath of the cold, clean, smoke-free air.Of course I understand. I don't mean the shit you see in cheap sci-fi.Can you name any random star?

I blushed.Hopefully it's dark enough here that he won't see it.Arcturus, I say, Centaurus, Sirius, Polaris Jason asked: Which star is the home star of the Klingons in "Star Trek"? less nasty.Diane said. Both twins are smart beyond their years.I'm not stupid, but not enough for their genius group.We all know this.They went to schools for gifted and gifted children, and I shared a bus with other people to go to public schools.There are many obvious differences between us and this is one of them.They lived in the big house, and my mother and I lived in the small house on the far east side of the courtyard of the big house.Their parents were pursuing their careers, and my mom helped clean their house.We know that difference, but we just have a weird way of not taking it seriously.

Jason said: Well, can you show me where the North Star is? Polaris, the star of the north.I used to read stories about the Civil War and black slaves in books.There is a song about runaway niggers: ∮ When the sun begins to return and the quails make their first crows, Follow the gourd. The old man is waiting for you, he will lead you to freedom, As long as you follow the gourd. ☆ When the sun begins to return, it means that after the winter solstice, quail will go to the south to spend the winter.The wine ladle is the Big Dipper.The tail of the dipper handle points to the North Star, pointing north, which is the direction of freedom.I found the Big Dipper and waved to it hopefully. You see, I'll just say it.Diane to Jason.It seemed they weren't afraid of me knowing that they had argued about me and that I had proved Diane right. Jason didn't say anything.Not bad.Do you know what a comet is? Know. Want to see it? I nodded and lay down beside him.After taking a puff of Diane's cigarette, there was still a bitter, bitter taste in my mouth, and I felt a little regretful.Jason showed me how to put my elbows on the ground, and then let me hold the telescope up to my eyes and adjust the focus.The stars faded into a fuzzy oval, and then into countless fine points of light, far more than could be seen with the naked eye.I swung the binoculars back and forth until I found, or thought I did, the spot of light that Jason had pointed out to me.The comet looked like a nodule, glowing faintly with phosphorescence against the cool, dark sky. Comet Jason began to speak. I know that a comet flies toward the sun like a dusty snowball. You can say that if you want.His tone was a little disdainful.Do you know where comets come from, Tyler?They come from the outer reaches of the solar system.Surrounding the solar system is an icy cloud, like a spherical halo, starting from the orbit of Pluto and expanding outwards, reaching one-fifth of the distance to the nearest star in the solar system.Comets are born from there.The distant depths of space are so cold that you can't even imagine. I nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable.I have read enough science fiction to appreciate the indescribable vastness of the night sky.That kind of vastness is sometimes what I like to imagine.It's just that at certain inappropriate moments at night, when the house is quiet, thinking about those things can feel a little oppressive. Diane?Jason asked, do you want to see it? is it necessary? Of course not necessary.You can sit there smoking your lungs if you like, talking nonsense. less sloppy.She put out the cigarette in the grass and held out her hand.I handed her the binoculars. Please be careful with that one.Xiaojie treasures his binoculars very much.It also smells of plastic film and styrofoam packaging. She adjusted the focus and looked up into the sky.She was quiet for a while, then said: Look at the stars with this thing, do you know what I see? What? Still the same stars. Use your imagination.He sounded really pissed off. Why would I need a telescope if I could use my imagination? I mean, have you ever wondered what you're looking at. oh!she says.After a pause, he said again: Oh!jason i see see what? I thought about it, it was God!He has a long white beard!He holds a sign in his hand!It says Jason is dead! very funny.If you don't know how to use a telescope, then return it to me. He held out his hand, but she ignored him.She sat up straight and aimed the binoculars at the windows of the big house. The banquet started before this evening.My mother had told me before that Rawdon's dinner parties were where corporate tycoons spent a lot of money on bullshit.However, my mother is very good at adding vinegar and oil, so you must discount what she says.Most of the guests, Jason told me, were up-and-coming aerospace figures or political staffers.They were not old faces in the local social circle in Washington, but upstarts from the west with a background in the arms industry.Edward.Lawton is Jason and Diane's dad, and he throws one of these parties every three or four months. Diane stuck her eyes behind the two oval-shaped eyepieces of the telescope, and said, "It's an old trick. On the first floor, drink and dance. Now, there are few dancers. The more you drink, the more you drink."It seems that the kitchen is about to close. I think the waiters are ready to go home.The curtains of the study were drawn.Edward was in the library with some guests.likes and dislikes!Someone is smoking a cigar. Jason said: Don't pretend to be disgusting over there, you can't lie, Marlboro girl. As she continued to look through every window that could be seen inside, Jason ran up to me.He muttered: Let her appreciate the universe, but she would rather peek at what other people are doing at the banquet. I don't know how to answer.As always, Jason had a lot to say and always sounded wise and bright.That's not something I can say. Diane said: My room, I didn't see anyone, thank God.There is no one in Jason's room, but there is a loft magazine hidden under the mattress This pair of binoculars is great, but not that great. Carol and Edward's room was also empty.that room How about it? Diane suddenly fell silent.She sat motionless, her eyes still pressed against the binoculars. Diane?I asked. She still doesn't speak.After a while, she started shaking, turned around and threw the binoculars back to Jason.Jason yelled, seemingly unaware that Diane saw something that upset her.i was about to ask how she was At this time, the stars disappeared. ☆ Nothing earth-shattering. Those who witnessed it happen, usually say so.Nothing earth-shattering.really not.Let me tell you as an eyewitness: when Diane and Jason were bickering, I kept looking at the sky.It was just a strange and dazzling glare, which flashed for a moment, and the afterimage of the stars left a visual remnant of green cold light in the eyes.I blinked.Jason asked: What is that?Lightning?Diane didn't say a word. Jason.I called him, still blinking. what?Diane, I swear to God, if you smash the glass on it Shut up!Diane said. I said: stop arguing!You see, what did the stars do? Both of them looked up to the sky. ☆ Of the three of us, only Diane was willing to believe that the stars had really gone out, blown out like candles by the wind.That's impossible, Jason insisted: the light of those stars traveled a long distance to reach the earth.Fifty light years, one hundred light years, or one hundred million light years, the distance depends on which star it comes from.So, of course, it is impossible for those stars to stop shining at the same time.This order of disappearance is simultaneous to the naked eye of human beings, it seems to be artificially designed, it is too precise to be like this.Anyway, I want to emphasize that the sun is also a star, and it still shines, at least on the other side of the earth, isn't it? of course.If not, Jason said, we'd be freezing to death before tomorrow morning. So, logically, those stars are still shining, we just can't see them.They didn't disappear, they were just obscured, like a solar eclipse.That's right, the sky suddenly turned black like ebony wood, but that was just a mysterious phenomenon, not the end of the world. However, another angle of Jason's reasoning still lingers in my imagination.What if the sun does disappear?I have a picture in my mind: in the endless darkness, the snow falls, and then, maybe, the air will be frozen by a strange snow, so that all human civilization is buried in the breath we breathe below the air.So assuming the stars are just obscured like a solar eclipse, that's fine, oh, definitely better.But what is it covered up? Well, obviously something big, something fast.Tyler, did you see it with your own eyes, did the stars disappear all at once, or did it seem like something was flying across the sky? I told him that it looked as if the stars flickered for a moment and then went out all at once. fuck the stars.Diane said suddenly.I was taken aback. Fuck that wasn't something she would normally say.However, Xiaojie and I, who are in double digits, often talk about it.This summer, many things have changed. Jason could hear the unease in her voice.He said: "I don't think there's anything to be afraid of.Although he himself was clearly disturbed. Diane frowned.She said: I am so cold. So we decided to go back to the big house and see if CNN or CNBC picked up the story.As we walked across the lawn, the sky looked formidable, terribly black, ethereal yet incredibly heavy, darker than any sky I'd ever seen. ☆ We must tell Edward.Jason said. You go and tell him.Diane said. Diane and Jason did not call their parents, but called them by their first names because Carol thought that such a tutor was ahead of the times.However, the actual situation is much more complicated.Carol doted on the children, but didn't spend a lot of time taking care of the twins' daily life, while Edward was meticulously cultivating his heir, and that heir, of course, was Jason.Jason adored his dad, Diane was afraid of his dad. By the end of the Rawdons' party, everyone was drunk, and I wasn't stupid enough to show myself on the grown-ups' turf.So Diane and I hid behind the door, out of the way of the gunfire.Jason found his dad in an adjoining room.We couldn't hear what they were saying in it, but we couldn't mistake Edward's tone, the angry, impatient, impatient tone.When Jason returned to the basement, his face was flushed and he was almost crying.After I said goodbye to them, I headed for the back door. When I got to the porch, Diane caught up with me.She grabbed my wrist, as if holding us together.She said: Taylor, it's going to come out, isn't it?I mean the sun, tomorrow morning.I know it's stupid to ask, but the sun will come out, right? Her voice sounded very downcast.I started talking to her innocuously, like if it didn't come out, we wouldn't be alive.However, her anxiety also aroused my doubts.What exactly are we seeing?What does that mean?Apparently Jason's dad doesn't believe what he's saying about something major happening in the sky tonight, so maybe we're just worrying and scaring ourselves.But what if the end of the world does come and only we know about it? We'll be fine.I said. A few strands of soft hair hid her face, and her eyes stared at me through the thin slits of hair.Do you really believe it? I forced a smile.Ninety percent. Still, you won't sleep today, you'll stay up until tomorrow morning, right? Probably, maybe.I knew in my heart that I would not want to sleep. She gestured for a phone call.Can I call you later? Of course good. I probably won't sleep either.But in case I fall asleep, can you call me as soon as the sun comes out tomorrow?Such a request seems a bit silly. I said I will. It's a deal? It's a deal.I was flattered and secretly excited that she would ask me so. ☆ My mother and I live in a small bungalow made of fish scale boards, which feels pretty good.The house is located at the far end of the east side of the Rowton family compound.On both sides of the walkway at the front door, there is a small rose garden surrounded by pine hedges.After autumn, the roses still bloomed very lushly, and they gradually withered until the weather became cold recently.On this cloudless, moonless, and starless night, the lights on the porch looked extraordinarily warm, like a beacon in the dark. I quietly entered the house.Mom has already closed the room to sleep.The small living room was tidied up, except for an empty wine glass still on the coffee table.She doesn't drink from Monday to Friday, except for a whiskey or two on weekends.She once said that she had committed only two crimes, one of which was drinking on a Saturday night (I asked her what the other was once, and she looked at me for a while, then said: Your father. I didn’t force what did she say). I slumped on the couch and read for nearly an hour, until Diane called.As soon as she opened her mouth, she asked me: Have you turned on the TV? Is there a need? Don't turn it on, there's nothing on the TV. Well, you know what, it's already two o'clock in the morning. You misunderstood me, I mean the tv channels are gone, only some commercials on cable TV, but nothing else.Do you know why this is happening, Tyler? That means all the satellites in orbit disappeared along with the stars.Communication satellites, weather satellites, military satellites, navigation satellites, all satellites lose their function in an instant.But I'm not sure, so of course I can't explain it to Diane that way.Any reason is possible. Kind of scary. Should be nothing to worry about. Hope not.I'm glad you haven't slept yet. An hour later, she called again to tell me more.She said the internet was also down.Cable TV began to report that morning flights at Reagan Airport and some small local airports have been cancelled, reminding everyone to call first. But all night I saw jets flying.From the window of my room, I saw the night lights of those planes, flying very fast like stars.That must be a military plane.Possibly another terrorist. Jason was listening to the radio in his room.He tuned to stations in Boston and New York.He told me that someone on the radio talked about military action and the closure of the airport, but there was no mention of terrorists.Also, no one mentioned the stars. Someone must have noticed. Even if they noticed, they didn't say anything.Maybe they had orders not to leak it.Nor did they speak of the sunrise. Why do they say it?The sun should come out soon, after a while, how long are you talking about?an hour?So, the sun is rising over the sea.Off the Atlantic Ocean, there must be a ship seeing the sun.We will see soon. I hope so.Her voice sounded scared and embarrassed.Hope you are right. Don't worry. I love your voice, Tyler.did i tell youYour voice sounds very secure. Even if what I said was all nonsense? However, hearing her praise, my heart still stirred up, so much so that I wouldn't want her to know.After she hung up the phone, I kept thinking about it.I kept repeating what she said in my head, savoring the warm feeling her words evoked.I pondered the meaning of her words.Diane was a year older and far more worldly than I was, so why did I suddenly have an urge to protect her, why did I yearn to be closer to her, to stroke her face and tell her everything was fine?I want to solve the mystery, the urgency, the anxiety, just as I want to know what the sky is all about. ☆ At four fifty, she called again.At that time, I was drowsy and almost fell asleep, and I didn't change my clothes.Very humiliating.I quickly took the phone out of my shirt pocket.Hello? it's me.It's still dark, Tyler. I glanced out the window, yes, it was still dark outside.Then I looked at the alarm clock next to the bed.Diane, it's not yet time for sunrise. Are you asleep? No. Humph, I know you're asleep.So happy.It was still dark and cold.I've looked at the thermometer outside the kitchen window.Thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit.Is it normal to be so cold? It was just as cold yesterday morning.Is anyone else in your family awake? Jason shuts himself in his room and listens to the radio.Me, uh, my parents, uh, I guess they were too tired from the banquet and were still trying to catch up on sleep.Is your mother awake? Not so early, not so early on weekends.I glanced out the window a little nervously.Logically speaking, the sky should be a little bright at this time, even if there is only a little light, it will make people feel more at ease. You didn't wake her up? What did you wake her up for, Diane?Turn the stars back? I think so too.She paused, then said: Taylor What's wrong? what's the first thing you remember What are you talking about, do you mean today? No, I mean, the first thing you remember in your life.I know it's stupid to ask, but if we could talk about something else for five or ten minutes instead of talking about the sky, I'd be in a better mood. first thing i rememberI thought for a bit, it was back in L.A., before we moved East.At that time, my father was still alive, in Edward.Lawton's company went to work.Their company is just getting started, in Sacramento, California.The apartment we stayed in had big white curtains in the room.The first thing I really remember is watching those curtains blowing around in the wind.I remember that day the sun was very bright, the windows were open, and there was a gust of wind blowing in gently.Unexpectedly, such memories are suddenly a bit bitter, as if looking at the gradually receding coastline, the last glimpse.and you? The first thing Diane remembered was from Sacramento.However, her memory is very different from mine.Edward took the two children to visit the factory.At the time, Edward took Diane along, even though Jason's role was already recognized as the heir apparent.Diane was overwhelmed by what she saw: huge columns pierced with holes in the floor, scrolls the size of houses wrapped with extremely thin aluminum fibers, and the constant deafening noise.Everything was so huge that Diane expected to see some fairy-tale giant chained to the wall, her father's prisoner. That's not a good memory.She said she felt almost lost, forgotten, abandoned in a vast and terrifying mechanical world. We chatted about the past for a while.Then Diane said: Look at the sky. I look out the window.A gleam of light had already appeared on the western horizon, turning the boundless darkness into a deep blue. I don't want to admit that I was relieved. It seems you are right.She suddenly brightened up.She said: The sun is finally coming out. Of course, that is not the original sun.It was a fake sun, a sun so delicately imitated.But, we didn't know it at the time.