THE LONG VALLEY

• THE LONG VALLEY
• Publications - GRAMMATA 1981
• Author - JOHN STEINBECK
• Pages - 269
• The pages are intact and have no notes.

... Jim dipped his hand in the trough and stirred the moon, breaking it into swirling streams of light. He wet his forehead with his wet hands and stood up. This time he wasn't moving as quietly, but he tiptoed through the kitchen and stood at the bedroom door. Yelka moved her arm and opened her eyes slightly. Then, her eyes opened wide and stared, then gleamed, wet. Jim looked into her eyes; his face was expressionless. A small tear ran from Yelka's nose and settled in the hollow of her upper lip. She also looked at him intently. Jim cocked the rifle; the metallic sound echoed throughout the house. The man in bed tossed restlessly in his sleep. Jim's hands trembled. He raised the gun to his shoulder and held it tight to stop it from shaking. Through the sight, he saw the small white square between the man's eyebrows and hair. The front sight wavered for a moment and then became still. The rifle shot tore through the air. Jim, still looking down the barrel, saw the entire bed shake from the impact. A small, black, bloodless hole opened in the man's forehead. But behind it, the hollow mark took brains and bone and spilled them onto the pillow...