he saw himself clinging to the tip of that tongue by his teeth , ripping through it a little at a time , his face bathed in the convulsive ichor that was its blood , drowning in its dead stench , yet still holding on , holding on somehow , while it struggled in its blind pain and towering rage not to let its tongue snap back - ( chud , this chud , stand , be brave , be true , stand for your brother , your friends ; believe , believe in all the things you have believed in , believe that if you tell the policeman you 're lost he 'll see that you get home safely , that there is a tooth fairy who lives in a huge enamel castle , and santa claus below the north pole , making toys with his trove of elves , and that captain midnight could be real , yes , he could be in spite of calvin and cissy clark 's big brother carlton saying that was all a lot of baby stuff , believe that your mother and father will love you again , that courage ts possible and words will come smoothly every time ; no more losers , no more cowering in a hole in the ground and calling it a clubhouse , no more crying in georgie 's room because you could n't save him and did n't know , believe in yourself believe in the heat of that desire ) he suddenly began to laugh in the darkness , not in hysteria but in utter delighted amazement .