Chapter 6: Oasis Summary and Analysis

Antoine's chapter on the oases that served him opens with the story of a family in Paraguay who took him in for a night. They lived in a house that was once beautiful and regal and has since become charming in its age, broken-down, and very clean. The couple had two daughters. The daughters disappeared and reappeared at random moments due to the age and secret passageways in the house. He was certain the daughters spent their time away feeding and otherwise tending to their array of animals. He notes being charmed by the place and the family but was in fear of being judged too harshly by the little girls. He sits at the table in this fear until the girls announce that the motion he feels under the table, brushing up against his legs, is a collection...