The Shining

Outside, Hallorann tells Danny that he has the ability his grandmother called “The shining” (79), and that Danny has the strongest “shine” he has ever seen. Danny tells him about Mrs. Brant and the thought he heard. Hallorann laughs. Then, as an experiment, he asks Danny to think at him with as much force as possible. Danny thinks, “Hi Dick!” (81) as if he is flexing a muscle, and Hallorann twitches like he has been shocked. Danny says he can tell what other people are thinking, but only if it is loud or intense. When he tells Hallorann about Tony, he realizes that the cook is asking these questions because he is worried about Danny and his family.

Danny says Tony has been giving him nightmares about the Overlook, and Hallorann commiserates. Hallorann then tells him about the strongest shine he ever experienced. He was in the Army in 1955, stationed in Germany. He smelled oranges all afternoon, which usually signaled that a vision was coming. The mess hall kitchen exploded when a railway car jumped the tracks. Hallorann immediately knew that his brother Carl had died on the train. When he told his mother on the phone, she already knew, even though that was impossible.