The Lanyard Read Online Free Page B

mother was saying what she did."
    "".
    "Remember I told you? How we said that place must have belonged to a doctor, once?"
    The boy folded his arms. He felt the car shifting beneath him into the outside lane.
    "You don't even want to hear about it?"
    "I don't care."
    "It's nothing bad..."
    Outside, a broken down house had somehow snuck into the mid-distance. It had sides that sloped into the top -- the way roofs were designed to let rain come off them -- but it wasn't just the roof sloping; the whole house had fallen in on itself. The boy gazed at it for a while through the glass. When it was clear his father wasn't going to say anything else until he gave some sort of response, he looked over, just for a moment, and that was enough.
    "It said there was a study that found when people answered questions they did better if they didn't make eye contact... Said it must use less brain power, not trying to read facial expression, or whatever. That's kind of good, right?"
    "I guess."
    The boy felt his chair growing in size to swallow him. He wanted to reach down and turn the handle on the side, fold the seat forward to snap closed around him. The words now started to take hold; he could imagine them spreading through his head like dye in a river, poisoning his soul, his hope. He couldn't read faces? Was that it? Was that why he was strange? He was strange, wasn't he? But strange compared to what exactly, he fought back inside himself, a rare energy starting to well up from within... maybe he didn't want to read faces, didn't need to.
    There were no other faces.
    "I don't want you to think it's ever a criticism of you," his father said.
    "Sure."
    "Come on, don't be like that."
    "I'm not."
    "Don't get defensive."
    "How else am I meant to get when you're picking on me for nothing."
    "I'm not. You just think I am..."
    "Maybe I can't help that, either?"
    "".
    "Forget it."
    The boy started poking around in the recess under his seat to get out of the conversation. Down there were some maps spread across the floor with green and brown and blue colours, intermingled with the red boxes of grid lines and the letters and numbers on the side. He kicked at them with his foot, lifted up one side and then hid his toe beneath it like a blanket.
    "I know I'm not making this any better, but I just wanted to say that whatever is going on, it's no bad thing either way."
    "I said, it's fine."
    "I'm not trying to be condescending. I know you've had it pretty rough... Who's to say what causes this or that. Some book?"
    "Just tell me where we're going," the boy said.
    "North."
    "North?"
    "I'm not completely certain of the way."
    He sighed. "How far is it?"
    "I'd say a few hours. I'm hoping I remember it when we get near."
    "A few hours?"
    "There's a place where the bottom of two mountain ranges come together. And then we'll turn off and follow above a dried up river to what was a national park. A place we can leave the car before we go on foot."
    "On foot?"
    "Yeah. On foot. To camp. How else would we?"
    "I don't know..."
    "It'll only be for a couple of miles. Won't be too bad."
    "We don't have to go to the same exact spot do we?"
    "Huh?"
    "The same spot as you and your Dad?"
    "Oh no, not the exact spot, but close, I hope. You'll like it. Near. I also wanted to show you something when we get to higher land, when it gets a bit darker."
    "Is that a surprise too?"
    "Just easier to explain when you see it."
    The boy rolled his eyes.
    "Like the time you showed me how to work the power saw?"
    "Yeah, something like that..."
    "It didn't end well."
    "I know."
    The boy laughed. "Mom was so mad."
    "Right... So how about you just enjoy the ride."
    "I can do that."
    "And remember: I want you to be you. I don't want to change you. That isn't what this trip is about..."
    "Dad! You just said..."
    "I know, but it's important..."
    "Ok."
    "It's about bonding, quality time. You and me. It's about teaching you things for when you become a man, for when you become your own man,