noon
According to what I 'd been told , if someone did n't do something about me right now , I 'd lose the end joint of my finger . Nobody came to ease my pain , nor to ease my mind . They left me strictly alone . I spent the time from noon until three o'clock examining my fingertip as I 'd not examined it before . It was rock hard , but strangely flexible if I could exert enough pressure on the flesh . It still moved with the flexing of my hands . The fingernail itself was like a chip of chilled steel .