`` but i ca n't say that i was encouraging that kind of behavior . it was so clear he could see the floor cracking under him , as if something large were pounding against it from beneath . nancys going to come down the ladder and get into her kayak , i said , much less loudly . clothing put away and all the papers were stacked on my desk . the hair had been shoulder length , but she extended it for several minutes , making it grow until it would reach all the way down her back once she stood . 