A houseboat. Finegan Fine

Finegan and Joey are walking away from the pawnshop, followed closely

by the man in his Sunday best who has several video games in his hands.

Finegan turns on his heel to address the man, still fascinated by the

mass delusion ongoing in this town. Finegan nods to the pile of video

games he is clutching.

Can’t eat those.

Finegan is now walking alongside the man, who is trying out the

pawnshopman’s sales pitch on Finegan, as he must now go home and face

the little lady.

These are worth more, overall. Growth item. Low

price now but the value of these babies will

skyrocket!

Finegan asks,

So when are the crews expected to arrive?

The man in his Sunday best says,

We ain’t heard, but that’s cause they’re real

busy.

Finegan is still engaging the man in his Sunday best in conversation as

they approach his home, having never encountered a mass delusion

before. The path is along a path worn into the yard, which is no longer

mowed. Joey has now caught the fascination too, and realizes what

Finegan is trying to do with his polite questions. Joey is walking

along beside Finegan, straining to hear every word.

The home where the man in his Sunday best and his missus live has

collapsed, the roof falling into the center of the home, the beams

having broken during the quakes. But an entry into one wing has been

arranged through a window, a piece of rug placed over the windowsill to

soften the slide in and out. The porch of the small home is sloping but

the roof is holding.

The missus is wearing a cotton dress and slip-on shoes, sitting on a

stool in the yard, plucking a chicken. She has her long hair piled on

top of her head and pinned with hairpins, out of the way of her work.

The missus is gutting the chicken, pulling the entrails out into a

bucket between her knees where she has also placed the feathers. She

tosses the plucked chicken into a roasting pan to her side, and digs

around in the entrails for the heart, liver, and kidneys of the

chicken, also to be roasted. As the threesome approach, she looks up.

The man in his Sunday best says,

Another bargain, my dear! I’ll just put these

away with the rest of our treasure.

96

At this, he sprints for the padded window frame, and putting one leg

inside he slips through to escape any questions from the missus.

Finegan and Joey are left to introduce themselves but no need as the

missus starts talking.

Oh Lord. More junk.

The missus swings on the stool so she is facing the roasting pan and a

pot with some dressing, and begins to stuff the dressing into the

chicken. It’s evident that she does the work around the place while her

husband dreams on about the recovery to come. Finegan is in the midst

of motioning toward the window where her husband disappeared, ready to

speak and has his mouth open, but is interrupted again. The missus sits

up straight, catching her breath, and brushes away a strand of hair

that has escaped the pins.

At least it keeps them busy. We had some that

just withered away, couldn’t take the loss.

She nods in the direction of the padded window where her husband

disappeared as she bends to finish stuffing her chicken.

He thinks he’s got gains.

Just then the man in his Sunday best appears in the padded window,

slinging one leg out and turning to pull the rest of his body through.

He has a chalkboard in his hand and holds it up with an ecstatic look

on his face.

Maw, best ever!

______________________________

The pawnshopman walks up to his shop and opens the door with a key.

A crowd of a half dozen people has formed outside the pawnshop, all

carrying clothing or small boxes or electronics in their hands. Some

are dressed in casual clothes, others wearing their Sunday best. The

pawnshopman says,

Open for business!

Finegan and Joey are walking down the middle of the street, past this

congregation, heads turned to watch the drama.

The crowd is bargaining with each other while waiting for their turn in

the pawnshop. One woman holds up a sequined dress, holding it out to

her side for display, trying to sell it to a man who is holding a box.

Another man has mounted antlers of a deer that he is holding in front

of him. He is approaching first one and then another in the crowd, but

they turn their backs on him.

As Finegan and Joey are leaving the business district they pass a man

carrying a large picture frame, devoid of a picture, toward the

pawnshop, followed by a woman carrying a large iridescent vase.

97

______________________________

Finegan and Joey are returning to the houseboat, moored near the

business district of the town. They are walking up the gangplank,