Chapter 17 Summary

In the spring, Julius is in the park picnicking with some of his friends. Julius notices how one season gives away to another by plants and flower life dying, while something else blooms. Julius also thinks about how he thrives in the sunnier months and withdraws in the cold, winter ones. The crowd in the park watches as four people parachute out of a plane above and land in the park. The police come to arrest the parachutists with the crowd booing at them. Julius also thinks back to his boyhood when he once saved a boy from drowning in the lake.

The group launches into a discussion about killer African bees and how something is killing the bee population in masses. Julius then starts to talk about the plagues of humans, such as wars and diseases. His friend's girlfriend, Lise-Anne, interrupts Julius...