Of Mice and Men


     The men were laughing loudly. The sound of their voices faded in Lennie’s ears as he gazed upon the shocking scene before him.  In Lennie’s big blue eyes fear prevailed. He crouched down, and he looked around grimly and started, for the first time after those terrifying moments, to return to reality. The sound of the men outside the barn playing at throwing horseshoes, started to become louder and louder as Lennie realized what he had done.
"George'll be mad ... ain't gonna let me tend the rabbits ...o no ... o no ... I done a bad thing, a real bad thing.  What can I do ... what did George say ... o ye ... he says to go hide in the ... ehm ... o ye ... hide in the brush till he comes ... ye, he said jes’ that...".
With a quick and silent movement he stood up, and ran out of the barn, throwing the puppy on the ground.  Candy entered the room calling out,
"Crooks ... Crooks! The boss wants you to go help ... O God."
Then as fast as he could, Candy rushed out of the barn.  A moment later Curley was there too.
"What do you want you old cra-z- , what happened to her?"
Candy didn't reply.
"I said ... What happened to her?"  Now Curley was shouting.
Candy's voice was a whisper ...
"... Dead...".
 
     Curley bent down over his wife.  He looked at her.  For the first time in his life Curley's eyes didn't transmit fear or rage. He looked at her with caring eyes, as those of a young lover. He looked at his wife with love. Candy thought that a tear might, for once come rolling down Curley's cheek, but it did not.  Instead, the eyes remained emotionless as always, as hard as a rock. A sudden shock shook Candy from his thoughts.  It was Curley, who had grabbed him and started to shake him.
"Who did this? Who? I'll kill that mad man with my own hands!"
"Calm down now, will you Curley...", said Candy with trembling voice.
With that Curley went out of the barn, giving his wife a last loving look, and he went to call the other men.

    Candy saw all his hopes and dreams slowly disappearing. He could hear Curley telling all the workers to get their guns, if they had them, so that they could go and track Lennie down. In his mind he saw George organising the farm, their barn and Lennie finally with the rabbits, all the co-workers, their animals, their five acres, and him finally with a family. He saw everything he had wished for come to an end.
 
     "So men...let's get to work...I wanna find him before tomorra ... is that clear ... I want revenge!"
"Yes Curley!", exclaimed Carlson.
"All you men get on those horses ... he probably went into the forest."
George's heart started to beat very fast. He had to make a decision ... and quickly too.
"Slim?"
"Ye George?"
"Got an extra gun? I need to ... do ... You know .... Lennie .... Don't want anyone to do … other then me”.
"Crooks got one ... Go get it ... He's not comin’ anyways".
"Slim ... thanks."
And with that he ran off to Crooks’ room.  It was quiet, all dark, and cold. In the back of the room there was a lit candle, that had to light the small room, and near the candle there was Crooks, who was reading an old book. George read out the title.
"A Farewell to Arms ... nice book ... hey, you gotta---",
"15",
"15 what?"
"15th time ... I read this book 15 times."
"Good ... Hey you got a gun?"
"Sure do...".
"Give it then."
"What for?"
"I just want it ... Gimme it."
"Don't cha think, jes’ ‘cos I'm a negro tha’ you can deprive me of my goods ... I earned these things jes’ like you ... so tell me ... What cha need it for?"
"Lennie".
"The big guy? The one that's nuts about rabbits?"
"Ye him".
"What’d he do?"
"He killed Curley's wife ... I gotta find him before Curley does and … Now gimme it! It's none of your business."
Crooks ignored that last comment.
"Weren't you guys friends?"
"That's why I need it ... Gimme it!"
"Ok ok, ... sure son ... Gimme jes’ one second ... I'll be right back with it ...".

     Crooks took the candle in his hand and left George in total darkness. In that small room, without windows, the flame couldn't light it completely. In the darkness there was a little bit of light, and there was Crooks’ old face, full of wrinkles. Crooks got a container from under a pile of boxes, and from that container he took a medium size gun, and he looked at George. Even in that pale light George could see the expression in Crooks’ eyes. He could see all his thoughts in those deep, dark, nearly black eyes. He could see the sadness of Crooks in leaving the gun.
"This, this is the gun. My grandfather won it in a bet, and he gave it to my father, and my father gave it to me."
George looked at him, and he thought, 'He's jus’ an old man ... A crazy poor old man”.  In the end he decided.
"You keep your gun."
And with that he ran out of the room.

      "Where am I?"  Lennie was going round and round in the forest, without recognizing the right place.
"Where's the brush? Why can't I rememba...?"
"Lennie... Lennie...", a voice called out.
"Who's there?" said Lennie fearfully.
"S'pose you can't remembe’ an old friend?" It was a woman's voice. Then he saw her. She was young and very pretty, and she wore a red silky dress and black shoes. Her hair was straight and shiny.
"Curley's wife!" whispered Lennie.
"I've got a name you know!" came the reply.
"But ... I don’t know your name", said Lennie.
"My name is Veronica."
"Oh ...Veronica...".
"Do you think you can remembe’ it?"
"I sure can!"
"Veronica."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry... But you were shoutin’ ... an’ George'll be mad".
"He won't ... don't worry, Lennie I'll be right beside you".
"Ok ... but he won't let me tend the rabbits". 
"You can't think of nothing else but the rabbits can you!"
"I like sof’ things ... Jus’ like your hair".
"I know you do ... but now Lennie, follow me".


Veronica led Lennie to a place which was very familiar to him. There was a river, which flowed down a hillside bank. There were mountains, there were sycamore trees and there was a blossoming spring air.
"Veronica! The brush!" said Lennie.
She giggled happily.
"It's the one Lennie ... Someone is comin’ ... quick hide!"
"An’ where are you gonna hide?"said Lennie.
"Don't you worry for me Lennie, I'll be fine", she replied.
"Bye Veronica."
With that last glance at Lennie, Veronica turned away and vanished.

     On the other side of the forest, Curley and his men were still searching for Lennie, and then came Slim, riding a black horse, through the trees.
"Slim. You found him?"asked Curley.
"No Curley, I'm sorry", said Slim.
"For what!" Curley replied.
"For your wife", added Slim.
Curley gave Slim a mean look, but quickly looked away.
"You men continue your search! We gotta find him!" shouted Curley.

    "Where is tha' crazy guy,” said George as he approached the river.  Then he started to remember. He remembered that just a couple of weeks before, when he and Lennie were there, in that place, near the river, they had talked of their dream. The farm, the rabbits.
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong to no place ... With us it ain't like that. We got a future”, and then Lennie would say, "but not us George ... tell him ‘bout us ... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you".
"Tha' crazy guy”, George said, laughing. Then he called out,
"Lennie! Come out! I'm here! We gotta run off before they find us! Com’on! Lennie, Lennieeee!"

     "Hi Lennie. Are you waiting for George?"
Lennie looked around, and then he saw him.
"Yes, I am waiting for George . . . You know he told tha’ if I got in any trouble I should come here in the brush till he comes."
"O... what bad thing did you do?"
"I hurt ... by accident ... Veronica."
"Who's Veronica?"
"The girl in th’ red dress!"
"Who's she? O, I see ... Curley's wife".
"Yes her."
"George's not here yet."
"Ye ... but he'll come."
"How do you know?"
"I'm sure he will."

     "Lennie! You mad man, come out!"
George's heart was pounding faster and faster every second as he called,
"Lennie!"
Then he heard a gun shot. One only.  One shot. The sound wasn't very far away. George started to run. His heart was pulsing harder and harder in his chest. First he went right, then left, and then he fell. He had tripped over something. He stood up and his clothes were full of blood. He looked down, and there lay Lennie, with a bullet in the left side of his chest, the side where his heart was.
"Oh my God! Lennie."
He felt his legs wobble. He fell down on his knees.
"I ...".
Then George looked around and saw the river, the hill side and the mountains.
"I was in the wrong place, and you were right. We could’ve run off together like in Weed ... We would have had to hide and then have to find another ranch on which we would have worked.  I had it all set up ... But then...",
"Hi George."
George stood up.
"Crooks ... You?" George said as he pointed at Lennie's body.
"Why?"
"Why, you’re asking me? Why ... Can't you understand?"
"What ... No I can't explain."
"He was disabled and all of you accepted him! I was more intelligent, I was the brightest, I was just better! But still you excluded me! You called me 'the nigger', to insult me.  For jealousy ‘bout me? Or for what?"
"I don't care about you. I care about the other guys.  Maybe now I killed him they might as well accept me."

     George remained there, silent. He didn't dare to speak. He just stood there. He heard some noises. He knew that Curley and the workers were coming as they had heard the sound of the shot ….. the perfect shot.
"George you got him!" cried Slim as he was approaching.
"No, I shot him," Crooks said.
Everyone stared at him. Everyone thought he just was an old negro, useless, but now all the eyes of those many workers, and Curley's too, were filled with admiration for him.
"Nice shot, wow Crooks", was Carlson's reply.
"Thanks", said Crooks.
"Tonight", Curley exclaimed, "Crooks will change home! In the Bunk House! Let's go back and celebrate at Susy's!"
All of them went happily, but not George or Slim.
"George ... Com’on ... Let's go", Slim said, "Com’on".
 
     George and Slim walked home in complete silence, while the others were singing joyfully.  The soft breeze rustled gently through the leaves and seemed to restore peace and tranquillity to the forest, cancelling the last few tragic scenes.


Camilla 8C



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