ix months after a crane crushes his pickup
truck and his body, self-made millionaire Edgar
Freemantle launches into a new lifeHis wife
asked for a divorce after he stabbed her with a
plastic knife and tried to strangle her one-handed
(he lost his arm and for a time his rational brain
in the accident)He divides his wealth into four
equal parts for his wife, his two daughters and
himself and leaves Minnesota for Duma Key, a
stunningly beautiful, eerily remote stretch of the
Florida coast where he has rented a houseAll of
the land on Duma Key, and the few houses, are
owned by Elizabeth Eastlake, an octogenarian whose
tragic and mysterious past unfolds perilously
When Edgar begins to paint, his formidable talent
seems to come from someplace outside him, and the
paintings, many of them, have a power devil wears prada chanel necklace that cannot
be controlled
Soon the ghosts of Elizabeth's childhood return,
and the damage of which they are capable is truly
terrifying
Like Lisey's Story, this is a novel about the
tenacity of love and the perils of creativityIts
supernatural elements will have King fans reeling
3
DUMA KEY
By Stephen King
Copyright (c) 2008 by Stephen King
For Barbara Ann and Jimmy
Memory
- GEORGE SANTAYANA
Life is more than love and pleasure,
I came here to dig for treasure
If you want to play you gotta pay
You know it's always been that way,
We all came to dig for treasure
- SHARK PUPPY
4
How to Draw a Picture (I)
Start with a blank surfaceIt doesn't have to be
paper or canvas, but I feel it should be whiteWe
call it white because we need a word, but its true
name is nothingBlack is the absence of light,
but big black bag white is the absence of memory, the color of
can't remember
How do we remember to remember? That's a question
I've asked myself often since my time on Duma Key,
often in the small hours of the morning, looking
up into the absence of light, remembering absent
friendsSometimes in those little hours I think
about the horizonYou have to establish the
horizonYou have to mark the whiteA simple
enough act, you might say, but any act that remakes
the world is heroicOr so I've come to
believe
Imagine a little girl, hardly more than a baby
She fell from a carriage almost ninety years ago,
struck her head on a stone, and forgot everything
Not just her name; everything! And then one day
she recalled just enough to pick up a pencil and
make that first hesitant mark across the whiteA
5
horizon-line, sureBut replica omega seamaster planet ocean also a slot for blackness
to pour through
Still, imagine that small hand lifting the
penciland then marking the white
Imagine the courage of that first effort to reestablish
the world by picturing itI will always
love that little girl, in spite of all she has
cost me
Pictures are magic, as you know
1 - My Other Life
i
My name is Edgar FreemantleI used to be a big
deal in the building and contracting business
This was in Minnesota, in my other lifeI learned
that my-other-life thing from WiremanI want to
tell you about Wireman, but first let's get
through the Minnesota part
Gotta say it: I was a genuine American-boy success
thereWorked my way up in the company where I
started, and when I couldn't work my way any
higher there, I went out and started my ownThe
boss of the company I left laughed at me, omega watch orange said I'd
6
be broke in a yearI think that's what most
bosses say when some hot young pocket-rocket goes
off on his own
For me, everything worked out
Paul boomed, The Freemantle Company boomedWhen
things tightened up, I never tried to play big
But I did play my hunches, and most played out
wellBy the time I was fifty, Pam and I were
worth forty million dollarsAnd we were still
tightWe had two girls, and at the end of our
particular Golden Age, Ilse was at Brown and
Melinda was teaching in France, as part of a
foreign exchange programAt the time things went
wrong, my wife and I were planning to go and visit
her
I had an accident at a job siteIt was pretty
simple; when a pickup truck, even a Dodge Ram with
all the bells and whistles, argues with a twelvestory
crane, the pickup is going to lose bolsas louis every
tim

And that went for Lin, tooHer
survival skills were better, but she was flying
home from France yet again, and that told me
somethingI'd go, I'd make nice, and I
would be sure to pack Reba, just in case one of my
rages swept over meThey were abating, but of
course on Duma Key there was really nothing to
rage against except for my periodic forgetfulness
and shitty limpI called the charter service I'd
used for the last fifteen years and confirmed a
Learjet, Sarasota to MSP International, leaving at
nine o'clock AM on the twenty-fourth of December
I called Jack, who said he'd be happy to drive me
to Dolphin Aviation and pick me up again on the
118
twenty-eighthAnd then, just when I had all of my
ducks in a row, Pam called to tell me the whole
thing vintage chanel jewelry was off
vi
Pam's father was a retired MarineHe and his wife
had relocated to Palm Desert, California, in the
last year of the twentieth century, settling in
one of those gated communities where there's one
token African-American couple and four token
Jewish couplesChildren and vegetarians are not
allowedResidents must vote Republican and own
small dogs with rhinestone collars, stupid eyes,
and names that end in iTaffi is good, Cassi is
better, and something like Rififi is the total
shitPam's father had been diagnosed with rectal
cancerIt didn't surprise mePut a bunch of
white assholes together and you're going to find
that going around
I did not say this to my wife, who started off
strong and then broke down in tears"He's started
the chemo, but Momma cheap chanel purses says it might already have
metasoh, whatever that fucking word
119
is, I sound like you!" And then, still sniffing
but sounding shocked and humbled: "I'm sorry,
Eddie, that was terrible
"No, it wasn't," I said"It wasn't terrible at
allAnd the word is metastasizedAnyway, they're doing the surgery
to take out the main tumor tonight She was
starting to cry again"I can't believe this is
happening to my Dad
"Take it easy," I said"They do miracles these
days
Either she didn't consider me a miracle or didn't
want to go there"Anyway, Christmas here is off And the truth? I was glad
"I'm flying out to Palm tomorrowIlse is coming
Friday, Melinda on the twentieth
considering the fact that you and my father never
really saw eye to eye
Considering the fact chanel logo earrings that we had once almost come
to blows after my father-in-law had referred to
the Democrats as "the Commiecrats," I thought that
was putting it mildlyI said, "If you're thinking
I don't want to join you and the girls for
120
Christmas in Palm Desert, you're correctYou'll
be helping financially, and I hope your folks will
understand that I had something to do with that-"
"I hardly think this is the time to drag your
goddam checkbook into the discussion!"
And the anger was back, just like thatJack,
almost out of his stinking little boxI wanted to
say Why don't you go fuck yourself, you loudmouth
bitchAt least partly because it
would have come out loudmouf birch or maybe
broadmouth lurch
"Eddie?" She sounded truculent, more than ready to
get into it if I prada clutch wanted to
"I'm not dragging my checkbook into anything," I
said, carefully listening to each wordThey came
out all right"I'm just saying
that my face at your father's bedside would not be
likely to speed his recovery For a moment the
anger - the fury - almost added that I hadn't seen
his face at mine, eitherOnce more I managed to
stop the words, but by then I was sweating"What will
you do for Christmas, Eddie?"
121
Paint the sunset, I thought
"I believe that if I'm a good boy, I may be
invited to Christmas dinner with Jack Cantori and
his family," I said, believing no such thing
"Jack's the young fellow who works for meAre you still
forgetting things?"
"I don't know, I can't remember," I said
"Laughter's the best medicineI read it in
Reader's new omega watches Diges

As they approached, the men finished adjusting the piece, and one of them loaded the long slim shell into the breechThey became silent, stiffened, as Cummings approached, standing about awkwardly, their hands behind their backs, uncertain whether to come completely to attention"At ease, men," Cummings said
"All set, DiVecchio?" one of them asked
The General looked at DiVecchio, a short squat man with his sleeves rolled up, and a tangle of black hair covering his foreheadCity-runt, the General thought with a mixture of condescension and contempt
One of them giggled roughly out of embarrassment and constraintThey were all conscious of him, terribly conscious, he realized, like youths outside a cigarette store, ill at ease because a woman was talking to themIf I had just walked by, they would have muttered, perhaps gucci men wallet even jeered at meIt gave him an odd sharp pleasure almost thrilling
"I think I'll fire the gun, Captain," he said
The cannoneers stared at himOne of them was humming to himself"You men mind if I fire the gun?" the General asked pleasantly
"Huh?" DiVecchio asked
The General walked over to the position of No1 man outside the trails by the elevating mechanism, and grasped the lanyardIt was a foot-length of cord with a knob at the end"How many seconds, Captain?"
"Fire in five seconds, sir The Captain had looked at his watch nervously
The knob of the lanyard hefted pleasantly in the General's palmHe stared at the complicated obscured mechanism of the breech and the carriage springs, his mind hovering delicately between anxiety and excitementAutomatically he had posed his body in a relaxed confident posture; it was gucci backpack instinctive with him to appear unconcerned whenever he was doing something unfamiliarThe mass of the gun, however, troubled him; he had not fired an artillery piece since West Point, and he was remembering not the noise nor the concussion, but a time in World War I when he had been under an artillery barrage for two hoursIt had been the most powerful single fear of his life, and an echo of it now was rebounding through his mindJust before he fired he could see it all, the sharp detumescent roar of the gun, the long soaring plunge of the shell through the night sky, its downward whistle, and the moments of complete and primordial terror for the Japanese at the other end when it landedAn odd ecstasy stirred his limbs for a moment, was gone before he was quite aware of it
The General pulled the lanyard
The muzzle blast chanel jewelry deafened him momentarily, left him shaken and numb by its unaccustomed forceHe felt rather than saw the great twenty-foot flambeau of flame that discharged from the muzzle, heard dumbly the long billowing murmurs of the discharge through the dark closeted aisles of the jungleThe balloon tires, the trails were still vibrating gently from the recoil
It had all taken a fraction of a secondEven the backward blast of wind had passed him, roiled his hair and closed his eyes before he was conscious of itThe General was recovering his sense-impressions by degrees, clutching at them in the wake of the explosion like a man chasing his hat in a galeHe took a breath, smiled, heard himself say in an even voice, "I wouldn't like to be at the other end He noticed the cannoneers, the Captain, after he spokeHe had said it because a gucci g watch part of his mind always considered the objective situation; consciously he had been unaware of the men about him as he talkedHe strode away slowly, drawing the Captain with him
"Artillery is a bit more impressive at night," he murmuredHis poise was addled slightlyHe would not have said this to a stranger if he were still not absorbed in the impact of firing the howitzer
"I know what you mean, sirI always get a kick out of firing the battery at night
Then it was all rightCummings realized he had almost made a slip"Your battery seems in good order, Captain
But he was not listeningThe General was paying attention to the silent rhapsodic swoop of the shell, was following it in his mind's eyeHow long did it take? Perhaps half a minute? His ears were alerted for the sound of its explosion
"I never quite get over it, omega ladies watch s

"They probably have enough to do without that, it's pretty far behind their lines
The haze was dissolving, and Croft squinted through the field glasses into the distance"I wouldn't say, LootenantThat pass is narrow enough for a platoon to hold it till hell freezes over"Course we got to find that out The sun was beginning to outline the contours of the hillsThe shadows in the hollows and draws were considerably lighter
"There's not a damn thing else we can do," Hearn murmuredAlready he could sense the antipathy between Croft and himself"With any luck we'll be able to bivouac behind the Jap lines tonight, and then tomorrow we can scout the Jap rear
Croft was doubtfulHis instincts, his authentic hermes experience, told him that the pass would be dangerous, probably futile, and yet there was no alternativeThey could climb Mount Anaka, but Hearn would never hear of that"Ain't nothin' else to do, I suppose But he felt disturbedThe more he looked at the mountain
"Let's start," Hearn said
They went down again to the men in the hollow, put on their packs, and began to marchHearn alternated with Brown and Croft in leading the platoon, while Martinez acted as point and scouted ahead, almost always thirty or forty yards in front of themThe grass was slick from the night's dew, and the men slipped frequently as they moved downhill, panted hoarsely as they toiled up an ascending slopeHearn, however, quilted chanel purse was feeling goodHis body had reacted from the preceding day's march, and was stronger now, the waste burned out of himHe had awakened with stiff muscles and a sore shoulder, but rested and cheerfulThis morning his legs were firm, and he sensed greater reserves of enduranceAs they crossed the first ridge-line, he hefted his pack higher on his broad shoulders, and turned up his face to the sun for an instantEverything smelled fine, and the grass had the sweet fresh odor of early morning"Okay, men, let's hit it," he called to them cheerfully as they passed byHe had dropped back from the point, and he moved from man to man, slowing his stride or increasing it in order to keep pace with louis vuitton miroir them
"How's it going today, Wyman, you feel any better?"
Wyman noddedI'm sorry I pooped out yesterday
"Hell, we all were bushed, it'll be better today He clapped Wyman on the shoulder and dropped back to Ridges
"Lot of country, heh, boy?"
"Yeah, Lootenant, always enough country
He walked for a while beside Wilson, kidding him"Still fertilizing the ground, boy?"
"Yeah, Ah lost mah petcock, ain't nothin' to hold it in now
Hearn nudged him in the ribs"Next break we're gonna cut a plug for you
It was easy, it was swellHe hardly knew why he was doing it, but it gave him a great deal of pleasureHe had suspended all judgments, scarcely cared now about the patrolThey would probably be chanel 2.55 bag successful today, and by tomorrow night they would be ready to start backIn a few days the patrol would be over, and they would be in bivouac
He thought of Cummings, an felt a sour hatred, had no desire suddenly for the patrol to endHis mood was spoiled momentarilyWhatever they accomplished would be for Cummings's benefitIf you ever traced anything out to the end, you found yourself in troubleThe trick was to keep putting one foot in front of the other"Okay, men, let's keep moving," he said quietly, as they filed past him on a slope
And there were other problemsAs never before he would have to keep his eyes open, absorb things, learn in a few days the lessons Croft had acquired over months and black fendi spy bag y

The only important thing was to get back soon
He came to the rear of the grove with the T trail, and paused outside it, listeningHe could hear nothing for a few seconds, and, impatient, he entered and crept up along the stemThe dead man was lying undisturbed by the machine gunMartinez looked past him, started to tiptoe around him, and noticed a wrist watch on his armHe paused, stared at it for two full seconds while he debated whether to remove itHe turned to go and then moved back again and knelt beside himThe hand was still warmHe fumbled with the catch, and dropped the hand in a sudden discharge of disgust and terrorHe couldn't bear the thought of remaining in the grove any longer
Instead of turning left at the trail and following it out of the grove into the shadow, he stepped past chanel white bag the machine gun into the clearing, and crept from rock to rock until he reached the protection of the cliffHe stared back a last time at the grove and then continued on down the pass
As he moved along he was bothered by a double sense of disappointment and frustrationHe had turned back before he had to, and this bothered himInstinctively, he was wondering how to change the story so that he would satisfy CroftBut more directly, more painfully, he was thinking with regret how easy it would have been to have taken the wrist watchNow that he was out of the grove, he was disgusted with himself for having been afraid to lingerHe thought of the things he could have doneBesides the watch he could have retrieved the knife (he had forgotten about it when he looked at the soldier) or he could have prada bags online jammed the machine gun by putting a handful of dirt in the boltHe thought with amusement of how their faces would have looked, and realized with a shock how terrified they would be when they discovered the dead manGoddam, good ol' Martinez, hoping that Croft would say the same thing
In less than an hour he reached the platoon again, and gave his account to CroftThe only change he made was to say that there was no way to slip by the second bivouac"You had to kill that Jap, huh?"
"Yes
Croft shook his headThat'll stir 'em up from here to Jap headquarters He thought for a moment, and said pensively, "I don't know, you never can say what's gonna come out"Goddam, no think of that He was too tired now to feel any deep regret, but as he lay down on his bedding he wondered how many more mistakes he dolce and gabbana knock off would discover in the next few days"Goddam, tired," he said to rouse Croft's sympathy
"Yeah, I guess you had a rough go Croft laid his hand on Martinez's shoulder, gripped it fiercely"Don't say a damn word to the LootenantYou went clear through the pass without seeing a damn thing, y' understand?"
Martinez was puzzled
"That's it, you're a good boy, Japbait
Martinez smiled lazilyIn three minutes he was asleep



8

HEARN woke up feeling quite rested the next morningHe twisted around in his blankets and watched the sun rising over the eastern hills, which were becoming distinct now, seeming to rise like rocks from waterEverywhere the dawn mists were settling in the hollows and valleys, and he felt as if he could see a great distance, almost to the eastern end of the island a chanel wallet hundred miles away
About him the others also were awakening; Croft and Goldstein were rolling their blankets, and one or two of them were returning from the weedsHearn sat up, stretched his toes inside his shoes, and debated idly for a minute or two whether to change his socksHe had taken another pair, which now also were soiled, and he shrugged and then decided it was not worth the troubleInstead, he began putting on his leggings
Red was muttering near him"When is the goddam Army gonna learn another way to make leggings?" He was struggling with a lace which had shrunk during the night
"I've heard they've got a high shoe coming in soon like a paratrooper's bootIt'll do away with leggings
Red rubbed his chinHe had not shaved since the patrol had begun and his beard was blond and rather cartier tank louis cartier splotchy