CHAPTER TWO

There was a question Paul wanted to ask. The question was, 'Why am I not in a hospital?' But by the time his mind was clear enough to form the question, he already knew better than to ask it. For two weeks Paul drifted on the tide of pain. When the tide was out he was aware of the woman sitting beside his bed. More often than not she had one of his books - his Misery¹ books - open on her lap. She told him she had read them all many times and could hardly wait for the publication of Misery's Child. 2 He soon learned that it was Annie Wilkes who controlled the tides. She was giving him regular doses of a pain-killing drug called Novril. When Paul was conscious more than he was unconscious or asleep, he knew that Novril was a powerful drug: he knew because he could no longer live without it. She was giving him two tablets every four hours and, by the time three or three-and-a-half hours had passed, his body was screaming for the relief which only the drug could bring. The most important thing he learned, however, during these first few weeks when the tide of pain rolled in and out was that Annie Wilkes was insane. Some part of his mind knew this even before he opened his eyes. Everybody in the world has a centre. Whatever mood a person is in, whatever clothes he or she is wearing, we recognize that person because he or she has a solid basis. Even if we haven't seen someone for many years, we can still recognize him: something inside him is permanent and the same as it always was and always will be. All a person's other qualities turn round this centre. Annie Wilkes occasionally lost her centre. For periods of time which could last only a few seconds or longer, there was nothing solid in her. Everything about her was in motion, with no basis on which to rest. It was as if a hole opened up inside her and swallowed every human quality she possessed². She seemed to have no memory of these times. In contrast, however, her body was very solid and strong, especially for a middle-aged³ woman. At first Paul was only aware that something was wrong with her, without knowing exactly what. His first direct experience of the hole came during a seemingly ordinary conversation. Annie was, as usual, going on about how proud she was to have Paul Sheldon - the Paul Sheldon - in her own home. 'I knew your face,' she said, 'but it was only when I looked in your wallet that I was sure it was you.' 'Where is my wallet, by the way?' asked Paul. 3 I kept it safe for you,' she answered. Her smile suddenly turned into a narrow suspiciousness which Paul didn't like: it was like discovering something rotten in a field of summer flowers. 'Why do you ask?' she went on. 'Do you think I'd steal something from it? Is that what you think, Mister Man?' As she was speaking, the hole became wider and wider, blacker and blacker. In the space of a few seconds she was spitting words out viciously instead of politely. It was sudden, shocking, violent. 'No, no,' said Paul, disguising his shock. 'It's just a habit of mine to know the whereabouts of my wallet.' Just as suddenly as it had opened, the hole in Annie closed up again and the smile returned to her face. But from then on Paul was careful about what he said or did. So he didn't ask about hospital, and he didn't ask to ring his daughter and his agent on the phone. In any case he wasn't worried. His car would be found soon. Even if his car was covered with snow for weeks or months, he was a world-famous writer and people would be looking for him. But there were still plenty of questions which Paul could ask. So he gradually found out that he was in the guest-room on Annie's small farm. Annie kept two cows, some chickens - and a pig called Misery! Her nearest neighbours, the Roydmans, were 'some miles away', which meant that the town of Sidewinder was even further away. The Roydmans never visited, because - according to Annie - they didn't like her. As she said this Paul caught another quick flash of that darkness, that gap. Day after day Paul listened for visitors, but no one came. Day after day he listened for the phone, but it never rang. He began to doubt that there was one in the house. He was completely helpless; he could not move his legs at all. All information about her neighbours and the town had to be squeezed out of Annie without making her suspicious. It was easier to get her to talk about the day of the storm. 'I was in town,' she smiled, 'talking to Tony at the shop. In 4 fact I was asking him about the publication date of Misery's Child. He told me a big storm was going to strike, so I decided⁴ to make my way home, although my car can manage any amount of snow. I saw your car upside down in the stream bed. I dragged you out of the wreck⁵ and I could see straight away that your legs were a mess.' She had pulled back the blankets the day before to show him his legs. They were broken and twisted, covered in strange lumps and bruises⁶. His left knee was swollen⁷ up to twice its normal size. She told him that both legs were broken in about seven or eight places and that they would take months to heal. She had tied splints firmly and cleanly on to both legs. She seemed to know what she was doing and to have an endless supply of medicine. Paul swam in and out of consciousness, riding on waves of drugged half-pain, as Annie continued with her story. 'It was a struggle getting you to the car, I can tell you. I'm strong, but the snow was waist deep. You were unconscious, which was a good thing. I got you home and put you on the bed. Then you screamed, and I knew you were going to live. Dying men don't scream. But twice over the next few days you nearly died - once when I was putting your splints on and once you just nearly slipped away. I had to take emergency steps.' She blushed at the memory, and Paul too remembered. He remembered that her breath smelled foul⁸, as if something had died inside her. 'Now you must rest, Paul,' she said, getting up off her bedside chair to leave the room. 'You must regain⁹ your strength.' The pain,' said Paul. 'My legs hurt.' 'Of course they do. Don't be a baby. You can have some medicine in an hour.' 'Now, please. I need it now.' He felt ashamed to beg, but his need for the drug made him do it. 'No,' she said firmly. 'In an hour.' Then, as she was leaving 5 She had tied splints firmly and cleanly on to both legs. the room, she turned back towards him and said: 'You owe me your life, Paul. I hope you remember that. I hope you'll keep it in mind.' Then she left.

1 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

2 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

3 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

6 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

8 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

9 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。