Chapter Twenty-One Summary

Eugene tells the reader about a former student of his who, when he had been a little boy, was taken by his nanny to a department store in a big city. The nanny is not supposed to take the boy away from home on such an errand without first asking permission of his parents. However, because she has personal business to attend at the department store and does not want to ask off for that reason, she instead takes the boy without asking. At the department store, he and his nanny get stuck in an elevator that malfunctions. They are stuck for a long time. The nanny panics, afraid everyone will discover her error in judgment because she broke protocol with the boy. A voice tells them to remain calm and under no circumstances should they try to crawl out, since...