Hearts in Atlantis

by Stephen King

“He wants to be with you,” an unspeakable voice crooned. “I think we’ll bring him, Ted. He has no natural ability as a Breaker, but still . . . all things serve the King, you know.” The unspeakable fingers caressed again. “All things serve the Beam,” Ted said in a dry, correcting voice. His teacher’s voice. “Not for much longer,” the low man said, and laughed. The sound of it loosened Bobby’s bowels. “Bring him,” said another voice. It held a note of command. They did all sound sort of alike, but this was the one he had spoken to on the phone; Bobby was sure. “No!” Ted said. His hands tightened on Bobby’s back. “He stays here!” “Who are you to give us orders?” the low man in charge asked. “How proud you have grown during your little time of freedom, Ted! How haughty! Yet soon you’ll be back in the same room where you have spent so many years, with the others, and if I say the boy comes, then the boy comes.” “If you bring him, you’ll have to go on taking what you need from me,” Ted said. His voice was very quiet but very strong. Bobby hugged him as tight as he could and shut his eyes. He didn’t want to look at the low men, not ever again. The worst thing about them was that their touch was like Ted’s, in a way: it opened a window. But who would want to look through such a window? Who would want to see the tall, red-lipped scissor-shapes as they really were? Who would want to see the owner of that red Eye? “You’re a Breaker, Ted. You were made for it, born to it. And if we t...