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The sister righted the child's chair。 Whether she choked back any of her own sickness； or felt dizzy； or whether she had seen as bad or worse before and treated it as just something to be coped with； I don't know； but she finally pulled things together； calling for help on the telephone and getting Eric stiffly out of his corner。 She put him in a seat； covered the child's head with a towel； and forted the workman。 She had removed the spoon from the open skull of the smiling infant。 Eric had stuck it there； perhaps thinking in that first instant of his mania to spoon out what he saw。
Flies had got into the ward； presumably when the air…conditioning had been faulty earlier。 They had got underneath the stainless steel of the child's skull…cap and deposited their eggs there。 What Eric saw when he lifted that plate up； what he saw with all that weight of human suffering above； with all that mighty spread of closed…in； heat…struck darkened city all around； what he saw with his own skull splitting； was a slowly writhing nest of fat maggots； swimming in their bined digestive juices as they consumed the brain of the child 。
In fact； Eric appeared to recover from what happened。 He was sedated； he spent a couple of nights in the hospital as a patient； then a few days resting in his room in the residence。 He went back to his studies within the week； and attended classes as normal。 A few people knew something had happened； and they saw that Eric was quieter； but that was all。 My father and I didn't know anything except that he'd been off from his classes for a short while because of a migraine。
Later we heard Eric started drinking a lot； missing classes； turning up at the wrong ones； shouting in his sleep and waking other people on his floor of the residence； taking drugs； missing exams and practical classes。。。。 In the end the University had to suggest he took the rest of the year off because he had missed so much work。 Eric took it badly； he got all his books and piled them up in the corridor outside his tutor's room and set light to them。 He was lucky they didn't prosecute him； but the University authorities took a lenient view of the smoke and the slight damage to their ancient wood panelling； and Eric came back to the island。
But not to me。 He refused to have anything to do with me； and kept himself locked in his room； listening to his records very loudly and hardly ever going out except to the town； where he was quickly banned from all four pubs for starting fights and shouting and swearing at people。 When he did notice me he would stare at me with his huge eyes； or tap his nose and wink slyly。 His eyes had grown dark…set and were underlined by bags； and his nose seemed to twitch a lot； too。 Once he picked me up and gave me a kiss on the lips which really made me frightened。
My father grew almost as unmunicative as Eric。 He settled into a morose existence of long walks and dour； introspective silences。 He started smoking cigarettes； virtually chain…smoking for a while。 For a month or so the house was hell to be in； and I went out a lot； or stayed in my room and watched television。
Then Eric took to frightening small boys from the town； first by throwing worms at them； then by stuffing worms down their shirts as they came back from school。 Some of the parents； a teacher and Diggs came to the island to see my father once Eric started trying to force the kids to eat the worms and handfuls of maggots。 I sat sweating in my room while they met in the lounge underneath； the parents shouting at my father。 Eric was talked to by the doctor； by Diggs； even by a social worker from Inverness； but he didn't say much； he just sat smiling and sometimes mentioned how much protein there was in worms。 Once he came back to the house all battered and bleeding； and my father and I assumed some of the bigger boys or a few of the parents had caught him and beaten him。
Apparently dogs had been disappearing from the town for a couple of weeks before some children saw my brother pouring a can of petrol over a little Yorkshire terrier and setting fire to it。 Their parents believed them and went looking for Eric； to find him doing the same thing with an old mongrel he had tempted with aniseed balls sweeties； and caught。 They chased him through the woods behind the town but lost him。
Diggs came to the island again that evening to tell us he had e to arrest Eric for disturbing the peace。 He waited until quite late； only accepting a couple of the whiskies my father offered him； but Eric did not return。 Diggs left； and my father waited up； but still Eric didn't show。 It was three days and five dogs later before he came back； haggard and unwashed and smelling of petrol and smoke； his clothes all torn and his face lean and filthy。 My father heard him e in early in the morning； raid the fridge； gulp down several meals at once； and stamp upstairs to bed。
My father crept down to the phone and called Diggs； who arrived before breakfast。 Eric must have heard or seen something； though； because he went out through his room window and down the drainpipe to the ground； and made off with Diggs's bike。 It was another week and two more dogs before he was finally caught； siphoning petrol from somebody's car in the street。 They broke his jaw in the process of making their citizen's arrest； and this time Eric didn't get away。
A few months later he was certified insane。 He had had all sorts of tests； tried to escape countless times； assaulted male nurses and social workers and doctors； and threatened all of them with legal action and assassination。 He was moved to gradually more and more long…term and secure institutions as his tests and threats and struggles continued。 My father and I heard that he quieted down a lot once he settled into the hospital to the south of Glasgow and no longer made his escape attempts； but looking back he was probably just trying…successfully； it would seem…to lull his keepers into a false sense of security。
And now he was making his way back to see us。
I swept my binoculars slowly across the land in front and beneath me； from north to south； from haze to haze； across the town and the roads and the railway and the fields and the sands； and I wondered if under my gaze at any point came the place where Eric was now； if he had got this far already。 I felt he was close。 I didn't have any good reason； but he had had the time； the call of last night sounded clearer than the others he had made； and。。。 I just felt it。 He might be here now； lying up waiting for night before he moved； or skulking through the woods or through the whin bushes or within the hollows of the dunes； heading for the house or looking for dogs。
I walked along the ridge of hills； then came down a few miles south of the town； down through the ranks of conifers where distant buzz…saws sounded and the dark masses of the trees were shady and quiet。 I went across the railway line and over a few fields of swaying barley； across the road and over the rough sheep…pasture to the sands。
My feet were sore and my legs ached slightly as I walked alo