Book 2 Chapter 8: The Root of Desire ● In Room 208 ● Passing Through the Wall (Pgs. 241-247) Summary

Toru remembers a dream which begins with his brother-in-law's face on a television screen in a hotel lobby. The faceless man appears once again and informs him that the time is still not right and that he should not be in the hotel. Seeing a room service tray Toru decides to follow the waiter who is delivering the tray. Following the waiter through a long corridor, the man whistles the overture from Rossini's "The Thieving Magpie" before reaching Room 208. Toru tells the unknown woman that he is trying to find Kumiko. The woman says that each time he fails to discover her identity, Kumiko moves farther and farther away from him. Someone knocks on the door and...