Hello, Universe

Virgil gazes anxiously down into the well. It’s so dark he can’t see the bottom, but he thinks about one of Lola’s folk tales. A huge bird named Pah devours villagers by darkening the sky with his giant wings. Virgil is terrified of the dark as he looks down the well: “The inky blackness gaped up at him, like the throat of a hungry beast. It smelled musty and dank and deathly” (121).

Virgil notices a ladder built into the side of the well. Rather than summoning help, he decides to descend and rescue Gulliver. Shaking with terror as he climbs down, he realizes that the ladder doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom. He will have to jump. He lands without hurting himself, but his phone is crushed by the impact. After making sure that Gulliver is alright, Virgil realizes he can’t reach the ladder anymore. Now both of them are trapped.

Chet continues searching the woods for snakes with no success. He’s about to give up when he hears a noise. Creeping into the undergrowth, he sees Valencia advancing with a bowl in her hands. Chet has always been suspicious of the deaf girl. He makes loud animal sounds to get her attention, but she doesn’t react.