Summary

In Part VIII, Joe studied himself in the mirror. He moved it so he could see “the whole room” (59). He looked “nothing like Kit and Whizzy and the Brit Basher” (59). The room was empty. Lying on the mattress, Joe was horrified to discover his dobber was missing. He searched everywhere without success.

Frantic, Joe ran outside calling for Treacle Walker. Worried about Joe being in the sun, Treacle Walker suggested going inside. When he asked Joe what was wrong, Joe struggled to explain. So many things had gone wrong recently. Treacle Walker had been talking about senseless things. Joe’s eye had been hurt. The doctor had told him he could not “see proper” (61). The man at the bog had appeared out of nowhere. The characters from his book had jumped out of the frames and disappeared, and Kit was in danger...