Chapters 5 and 6, Life on Earth and Door Number Two Summary and Analysis

Lucy creates a "kingdom" near the garage in what she calls "a small island of grass between the sea of driveway asphalt and the front walk of cement." Here, she uses her stuffed animals and imagination to fill some of the long hours. Lucy leaves the animals outdoors at night despite the fact that her mother thinks they would be better cared for inside. Lucy says that she loves to listen to the stormy weather, knowing her animals are outside as animals were meant to be. She takes comfort in the fact that they're outside, even if she's too sick to get out of bed. On Fridays, she feels sad that she can't be as brave as her mother wants. When she's alone, she tries...