Chapter 23 Summary

At home Wanda is on the porch. Wanda is upset that no one bothered to tell her Charlie was missing. She had to learn about it on the radio. Sara tells her everything that happened and points to where Aunt Willie and Charlie are on a neighbor's porch eating watermelon. Wanda goes over to check on them, and Sara goes into the house to have a sandwich.

The phone rings, and it is Sara's father calling to see if Charlie has been found. When he learns he has, Sara's father decides he will not come home as Sara had thought he would. While talking to him, Sara has an epiphany about life as a set of stairs that are different for everyone. Sara sees herself as having just taken a big step out of the dark and her father as standing still. Sara...