sk.cujo-第6部分

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　lighted。　George　is　sitting　at　a　plain　kitchen　table　with　a　checked　tablecloth。　Gracie　takes　a　Sharp　Pound　Cake　（or　Cheese　Cake　or　Crumb　Cake）　from　the　freezer　of　their　old　refrigerator　and　sets　it　on　the　table。　They　are　both　still　in　their　evening　clothes。　They　smile　into　each　other's　eyes　with　warmth　and　love　and　understanding；　two　people　who　are　utterly　in　sync　with　each　other。　Fade　to　these　words；　on　black：　SOMETIMES　ALL　YOU　WANT　IS　A　SHARP　CAKE。　Not　a　word　spoken　in　the　entire　spot。That　one　had　won　a　Clio。　
As　had　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor'；　hailed　in　the　trades　as　'the　most　responsible　advertisement　ever　produced　for　children's　programming。'　Vic　and　Roger　had　considered　it　their　crowning　achievement　。。。　but　now　it　was　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　who　had　e　back　to　haunt　them。
Played　by　a　character　actor　in　late　middle　age；　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　was　a　low…key　and　daringly　adult　advertisement　in　a　sea　of　animated　kiddie…vid　ads　selling　bubble　gum；　adventure　toys；　dolls；　action　figures　。。。　and　rival　cereals。
The　ad　faded　in　on　a　deserted　fourth…　or　fifth…grade　classroom；　a　scene　Saturday…morning　viewers　of　The　Bugs　Bunny/Roadrunner　Hour　and　The　Drac　Pack　could　readily　identify　with。　The　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　was　wearing　a　suit；　a　V…necked　sweater；　and　a　shirt　open　at　the　collar。　Both　in　looks　and　in　speech　he　was　mildly　authoritarian；　Vic　and　Roger　had　talked　to　some　forty　teachers　and　half　a　dozen　child　psychiatrists　and　had　discovered　that　this　was　the　sort　of　parental　role　model　that　the　majority　of　kids　feel　most　fortable　with；　and　the　sort　that　so　few　actually　have　in　their　homes。
The　Cereal　Professor　was　sitting　on　a　teacher's　desk；　hinting　at　some　informality　…　the　soul　of　a　real　pal　hidden　somewhere　beneath　that　gray…green　tweed；　the　young　viewer　might　assume　…　but　he　spoke　slowly　and　gravely。　He　did　not　mand。　He　did　not　talk　down。　He　did　not　wheedle。　He　did　not　cajole　or　extol。　He　spoke　to　the　millions　of　T…shirted；　cereal…slurping；　cartoon…watching　Saturday…morning　viewers　as　though　they　were　real　people。
'Good　morning；　children；'　the　Professor　said　quietly。　'This　is　a　mercial　for　cereal。　Listen　to　me　carefully；　please。　I　know　a　lot　about　cereals；　because　I'm　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor。　Sharp　Cereals　…　Twinkles；　Cocoa　Bears；　Bran…　16；　and　Sharp　All…Grain　Blend　…　are　the　best…tasting　cereals　in　America。　And　they're　good　for　you。'　A　beat　of　silence；　and　then　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　grinned　。。。　and　when　he　grinned；　you　knew　there　was　the　soul　of　a　real　pal　in　there。　'Believe　me；　because　I　know。　Your　mom　knows；　I　just　thought　you'd　like　to　know　too。'
A　young　man　came　into　the　ad　at　that　point；　and　he　handed　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　a　bowl　of　Twinkles　or　Cocoa　Bears　or　whatever。　The　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　dug　in；　then　looked　straight　into　every　living　room　in　the　country　and　said。。　'Nope；　nothing　wrong　here。'
Old　man　Sharp　hadn't　cared　for　that　last　line；　or　the　idea　that　anything　could　be　wrong　with　one　of　his　cereals。　Eventually　Vic　and　Roger　had　worn　him　down；　but　not　with　rational　arguments。　Making　ads　was　not　a　rational　business。　You　often　did　what　felt　right；　but　that　didn't　mean　you　could　understand　why　it　felt　right。　Both　Vic　and　Roger　felt　that　the　Professor's　final　line　had　a　power　which　was　both　simple　and　enormous。　ing　from　the　Cereal　Professor；　it　was　the　final；　total　fort；　a　plete　security　blanket。　I'll　never　hurt　you；　it　implied。　In　a　world　where　parents　get　divorced；　where　older　kids　sometimes　beat　the　shit　out　of　you　for　no　rational　reason；　where　the　rival　Little　League　team　sometimes　racks　the　crap　out　of　your　pitching；　where　the　good　guys　don't　always　win　like　they　do　on　TV；　where　you　don't　always　get　invited　to　the　good　birthday　party；　in　a　world　where　so　much　goes　wrong；　there　will　always　be　Twinkles　and　Cocoa　Bears　and　All…Grain　Blend；　and　they'll　always　taste　good。　'Nope；　nothing　wrong　here。'
With　a　little　help　from　Sharp's　son　（later　on；　Roger　said；　you　would　have　believed　the　kid　thought　the　ad　up　and　wrote　it　himself）；　the　Cereal　Professor　concept　was　approved　and　saturated　Saturday…morning　TV；　plus　such　weekly　syndicated　programs　as　Star　Blazers；　U。S。　of　Archie；　Hogan's　Heroes；　and　Gilligan's　Island。　Sharp　Cereals　surged　even　more　powerfully　than　the　rest　of　the　Sharp　line；　and　the　Cereal　Professor　became　an　American　institution。　His　tag　line；　'Nope；　nothing　wrong　here；'　became　one　of　those　national　catch　phrases；　meaning　roughly　the　same　thing　as　'Stay　cool'　and　'No　sweat'。
When　Vic　and　Roger　decided　to　go　their　own　way；　they　had　observed　strict　protocol　and　had　not　gone　to　any　of　their　previous　clients　until　their　connections　with　the　Ellison　Agency　were　formally　…　and　amicably　…　severed。　Their　first　six　months　in　Portland　had　been　a　scary；　pressure…cooker　time　for　all　of　them。　Vic　and　Donna's　boy；　Tad；　was　only　a　year　old。　Donna；　who　missed　New　York　badly；　was　by　turns　sullen；　petulant；　and　just　plain　scared。　Roger　had　an　old　ulcer　…　a　battle　scar　from　his　years　in　the　Big　Apple　advertising　wars　…and　when　he　and　Althea　lost　the　baby　the　ulcer　had　flared　up　again；　turning　him　into　a　closet　Gelusil　chugger。　Althea　bounced　back　as　well　as　possible　under　the　circumstances；　Vic　thought；　it　was　Donna　who　pointed　out　to　him　that　placid　Althea's　single　weak　drink　before　dinner　had　turned　into　two　before　and　three　after。　The　two　couples　had　vacationed　in　Maine；　separately　and　together；　but　neither　Vic　nor　Roger　had　realized　how　many　doors　are　initially　closed　to　folks　who　have　moved　in；　as　Mainers　say；　from　'outta　state'。
They　would　indeed　have　gone　under；　as　Roger　pointed　out；　if　Sharp　hadn't　decided　to　stay　with　them。　And　at　the　pany's　Cleveland　headquarters；　positions　had　done　an　ironic　flip…flop。　Now　it　was　the　old　man　who　wanted　to　stick　with　Vic　and　Roger　and　it　was　the　kid　（by　this　time　forty　years　old）　who　wanted　to　jettison　them；　arguing　with　some　logic　that　it　would　be　madness　to　hand　their　account　over　to　a　two…bit　ad　agency　six　hundred　miles　north　of　the　New　York　pulsebeat。　The　fact　that　Ad　Worx　was　affiliated　with　a　New　York　market…analysis　firm　cut　zero　ice　with　the　kid；　as　it　had　cut　zero　ice　with　the　other　firms　for　which　they　had　put　together　campaigns　in　the　past　few　years。
'If　loyalty　was　toilet　paper；'　Roger　had　said　bitterly；　'we'd　be　hard…pressed　to　wipe　our　asses；　old　buddy。'
But　Sharp　had　e　along；　providing　the　margin　they　had　so　desperately　needed。　'We　made　do　with　an　ad　agency　here　in　town　for　forty　years；'　old　man　Sharp　said；　'and　if　those　two　boys　want　to　move　out　of　that　Christless　city；　they're　just　showing　good　old　mon　sense。'
That　was　that。　The　old　man　had　spoken。　The　kid　shut　up。　And　for　the　last　two　and　a　half　years；　the　Cookie　Sharpshooter　had　gone　on　shooting；　George　and　Gracie　had　gone　on　eating　Sharp　Cakes　in　their　cold…water　flat；　and　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　had　gone　on　telling　kids　that　there　was　nothing　wrong　here。　Actual　spot　production　was　handled　by　a　small　independent　studior。　in　Boston；　the　New　York　market…analysis　firm　went　on　doing　its　thing　petently；　and　three　or　four　times　a　year　either　Vic　or　Roger　flew　to　Cleveland　to　confer　with　Carroll　Sharp　and　his　kid　…　said　kid　now　going　decidedly　gray　around　the　temples。　All　the　rest　of　the　client…agency　intercourse　was　handled　by　the　U。S。　Post　Office　and　Ma　Bell。　The　process　was　perhaps　strange；　certainly　cumbersome；　but　it　seemed　to　work　fine。
Then　along　came　Red　Razberry　Zingers。
Vic　and　Roger　had　known　about　Zingers　for　some　time；　of　course；　although　it　had　only　gone　on　the　general　market　some　two　months　ago；　in　April　of　1980。　Most　of　the　Sharp　cereals　were　lightly　sweetened　or　not　sweetened　at　all。　All…Grain　Blend；　Sharp's　entry　in　the　'natural'　cereal　arena；　had　been　quite　successful。　Red　Razberry　Zingers；　however；　was　aimed　at　a　segment　of　the　market　with　a　sweeter　tooth：　at　those　prepared…cereal　caters　who　bought　such　cereals　as　Count　Chocula；　Frankenberry；　Lucky　Charms；　and　similar　pre…sweetened　breakfast　foods　which　were　somewhere　in　the　twilight　zone　between　cereal　and　candy。
In　the　late　summer　and　early　fall　of　1979；　Zingers　had　been　successfully　test…marketed　in　Boise；　Idaho；　Scranton；　Pennsylvania；　and　in　Roger's　adopted　Maine　hometown　of　Bridgton。　Roger　had　told　Vic　with　a　shudder　that　he　wouldn't　let　the　twins　near　it　with　a　ten…foot　pole　（although　he　had　been　pleased　when　Althea　told　him　the　kids　had　clamored　for　it　when　they　saw　it　shelved　at　Gigeure's　Market）。　'It's　got　more　sugar　than　whole　grain　in　it；　and　it　looks　like　the　side　of　a　firebarn。'
Vic　had　nodded　and　replied　innocently　enough；　with　no　sense　of　prophecy；　'The　first　time　I　looked　in　one　of　those　boxes；　I　thought　it　was　full　of　blood。'
'So　what　do　you　think？'　Roger　repeated。　He　had　made　it　halfway　through　his　sandwich　as　Vic　reviewed　the　dismal　train　of　events　in　his　mind。　He　was　being　more　and　more　sure　that　in　Cleveland　old　man　Sharp　and　his　aging　kid　were　looking　again　to　shoot　the　messenger　for　the　message。
'Guess　we　better　try。'
Roger　clapped　him　on　the　shoulder。　'My　man；'　he　said。　'Now　eat　up。'
But　Vic　wasn't　hungry。
The　two　of　them　had　been　invited　to　Cleveland　to　attend　an　'emergency　meeting'　that　was　to　be　held　three　weeks　after　the　Fourth　of　July　…　a　good　many　of　the　Sharp　regional　sales　managers　and　executives　were　vacationing；　and　it　would　take　at　least　that　long　to　get　them　all　together。　One　of　the　items　on　the　agenda　had　to　do　directly　with　Ad　Worx：　'an　assessment　of　the　association　to　this　point；'　the　letter　had　said。　Which　meant；　Vic　assumed；　that　the　kid　was　using　the　Zingers　debacle　to　dump　them　at　last。
About　three　weeks　after　Red　Razberry　Zingers　went
national；　enthusiastically　…　if　gravely　…　pitched　by　the　Sharp　Cereal　Professor　（'Nope；　nothing　wrong　here'）；　the　first　mother　had　taken　her　little　one　to　the　hospital；　nearly　hysterical　and　sure　the　child　was　bleeding　internally。　The　little　girl；　victim　of　nothing　more　serious　than　a　low…grade　virus；　had　thrown　up　what　her　mother　had　first　believed　to　be　a　huge　amount　of　blood。
Nope；　nothing　wrong　here。
That　had　been　in　Iowa　City；　Iowa。　The　following　day　there　had　been　seven　more　cases。　The　day　after；　twenty…four。　In　all　cases　the　parents　of　children　afflicted　with　vomiting　or　diarrhea；　had　rushed　the　kids　to　the　hospital；　believing　them