Carol - Orpheus descending CAROL: I used to be what they call a Christ-bitten reformer. You now what that is!

- A ind of benign e"hibitionist...I deli#ered stump speeches$ wrote letters of protest about the gradual massacre of the coloured ma%ority in the country. I thought it was wrong for pellagra and slow star#ation to cut them down when the cotton crop failed from army worm or boll wee#il or too much rain in summer. I wanted to$ tried to$ put up free clinics$ I s&uandered the money my mother left me on it. And when that 'illie (c)ee thing came along * he was sent to the chair for ha#ing improper relations with a white whore * +,er #oice is li e a passionate incantation.- I made a fuss about it. I put on a potato sac and set out for the capital on foot. .his was in winter. I wal ed barefoot in this burlap sac to deli#er a personal protest to the go#ernor of the state. Oh$ I suppose it was partly e"hibitionism on my part$ but it wasn/t completely e"hibitionism0 there was something else in it$ too. You now how far I got! 1i" miles out of town * hooted$ %eered at$ e#en spit on2 - e#ery step of the way * and then arrested2 )uess what for! Lewd #agrancy2 3hhuh$ that was the charge$ 4lewd #agrancy$5 because they said that potato sac I had on was not a respectable garment...'ell$ all that was a pretty long time ago$ and now I/m not a reformer anymore. I/m %ust a 4lewd #agrant.5 And I/m showing the 41.O.6.1.5 how lewd a 4lewd #agrant5 can be if she puts her whole heart into it li e I do mine2 All right. I/#e told you my story$ the story of an e"hibitionist. 7ow I want you to do something for me. .a e me out to Cyprus ,ill in my car. And we/ll hear the dead people tal . .hey do tal there. .hey chatter together li e birds on Cyprus ,ill$ but all they say is one word and that one word is 4li#e$5 they say$ 4Li#e$ li#e$ li#e$ li#e$ li#e25 It/s all they/#e learned$ it/s the only ad#ice they can gi#e. - 8ust li#e.... +1he opens the door.- 1imple2 - a #ery simple instruction... Ruth$ .he 9ffect of )amma Rays on (an-in-the-(oon (arigolds :;aul <indel= R3.,: ,e called me out of sewing class yesterday * I remember because my blouse wasn>t all buttoned * and he wanted to now why .illie>s out of school so much. I wish you>d go bac to ?ools. I li ed ?ools better. I told him you were ill$ and he wanted to now what ind$ so I told him you had leprosy. You should ha#e seen his face. ,e was so cute. And I told him you had ringworm and gangrene. And I told him you had what (other>s last patient had...whatchamacallit! ;soriasis! Yeah. 1omething li e that. And then I told him to go loo in the history and then he>d find out. 'hene#er they go loo up the history then they don>t bother me anymore @cause they thin I>m craAy. And I told him the disease you had was fatal and there wasn>t much hope for you. .he history is %ust a little folder with the story of our li#es in it$ that>s all. I read the whole thing last term when (iss ,anley dragged me into the record room because I didn>t want to climb the ropes in gym and I told her my s ull was growing. Lower2 ,igher2 I wish you>d ma e up your mind. If you>d switch bac to ?ools it might be worth it$ but ugh2 .hese are awful. You now$ I really did thin my s ull was growing. 9ither that or a tumor. 1o she dragged me out of gym class$ and she thought I couldn>t read upside down while she was sitting opposite me with the history. 6ut I could. Oh$ it says you>re di#orced and that I went craAy...and my father too a heart attac at 1tar La e...and now you>re a widow. And it says that I e"aggerate and tell stories and that I>m afraid of death and ha#e nightmares...and all that stuff.