第38部分(第3/7 頁)

y　the　dimmest　awareness　that　God　and　all　His　heavenly　host　were　watching　us　in　our　Bakelite　houses　through　our　ivy…glass　windows。

I　slept　a　little　as　the　day　began　to　lighten　…　two　hours；　I　guess；　maybe　three；　and　I　slept　the　way　I　always　sleep　these　days　here　in　Georgia　Pines　and　hardly　ever　did　then；　in　thin　little　licks。　What　I　went　to　sleep　thinking　about　was　the　churches　youth。　The　names　changed；　depending　on　the　whims　of　my　mother　and　her　sisters；　but　they　were　all　really　the　same；　all　The　First　Backwoods　Church　of　Praise　Jesus；　The　Lord　Is　Mighty。　In　the　shadow　of　those　blunt；　square　steeples；　the　concept　of　atonement　came　up　as　regularly　as　the　toll　of　the　bell　which　called　the　faithful　to　worship。　Only　God　could　forgive　sins；　could　and　did；　washing　them　away　in　the　agonal　blood　of　His　crucified　Son；　but　that　did　not　change　the　responsibility　of　His　children　to　atone　for　those　sins　（and　even　their　simple　errors　of　judgement）　whenever　possible。　Atonement　was　powerful；　it　was　the　lock　on　the　door　you　closed　against　the　past。

I　fell　asleep　thinking　of　piney…woods　atonement；　and　Eduard　Delacroix　on　fire　as　he　rode　the　lightning；　and　Melinda　Moores；　and　my　big　boy　with　the　endlessly　weeping　eyes。　These　thoughts　twisted　their　way　into　a　dream。　In　it；　John　Coffey　was　sitting　on　a　riverbank　and　bawling　his　inarticulate　mooncalf's　grief　up　at　the　early…summer　sky　while　on　the　other　bank　a　freight…train　stormed　endlessly　toward　a　rusty　trestle　spanning　the　Trapingus。　In　the　crook　of　each　arm　the　black　man　held　the　body　of　a　naked；　blonde…haired　girlchild。　His　fists；　huge　brown　rocks　at　the　ends　of　those　arms'　were　closed。　All　around　him　crickets　chirred　and　noseeums　flocked；　the　day　hummed　with　heat。　In　my　dream　I　went　to　him；　knelt　before　him；　and　took　his