Summary

Chapter 9 (The Past) – Narration at the beginning of this chapter describes how, in the early days of Ina’s being afflicted with Alzheimer’s, she never noticed things disappearing from the barn, or the traces of someone being there: but Larry, narration also reveals, did notice, but kept everything a secret from his mother. Narration also reveals that eventually, Larry discovered that the intruder was a young, skinny, blond boy whom Larry scared away one day while wearing the zombie mask. A few years later, narration reveals, a young man named Wallace Stringfellow came to visit Larry, and Larry recognized him immediately as the young man he scared years before. Wallace claims to be a cable TV salesman, but Larry soon figures out that he’s not. On a subsequent visit, Wallace eventually confesses that he’s not a cable TV salesman; that he...