his voice sounded soft and rusty , and i wondered whether he had spoken to a living soul since we had left him in the mountains . easter sat some distance away from the crowd at the bottom of the mountain , watching the dawn over the hills to the east . `` i know you 're planning his sister 's wedding . she had closed the distance between them . what a mess , she thought as the black vehicle drove into the airport . i was afraid i 'd go to that party and ... he stomped the earth with a foot . 