Summary

Chapter 5 (The Past - 1979) – On the first Saturday of summer, Larry looks forward to not going to school and to starting a high school in the fall where he thinks he won’t be bullied. His father tells him to cut the lawn, which Larry realizes will take at least half the day, but starts it right away so he can get it over with. As he mows, he reflects on how much time he’d spent with Silas during the spring (including chasing and capturing snakes).

After the lawn is done, Larry goes over to the cabin in the woods, where he watches Silas pitch baseballs into a tree and later takes him over to see if they can catch Cindy Walker sunbathing. At the Walker place, they see Carl (Larry’s father) and Cecil (Cindy’s stepfather) try to take off her...