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Show 13 Except for the weekends when his father took him to the doctors or for the perfunctory walks in the park, the boy spent his time in the basement. He found more things there: a mattress just his size, so that he could sit on it, or lie down when he wanted; lengths of wire and dials from the furnace, and screws for putting things together; and then, after a while, books from the library: How to Build Model Boats. How to Make Wire Animals. The boy never took the books out of the basement, and when they were due at the library they disappeared, and were replaced with others. One day when he went back upstairs to find something for lunch, two men were waiting by the elevator. Down the hall he could see the apartment door standing open, his father there, and-his mother! Urgently, he pushed the elevator button for the basement, but the two men held the door open. "Is this the boy?" they called. The father and the mother walked quickly down the hall, in unison. "Yes," said the father. The boy stared at the mother. She moved toward him, pushed her arms around him. The boy knew she would cook liver in the evening. "Give her a kiss," ordered the father. "Your mother will be staying here." The two men smiled, just slightly, then disappeared into the elevator. The boy knew he had no choice, and had his lips make a kissing noise on her cheek. "You see," said the father to the mother, "he doesn't talk." |