Part Two: Outwards and Downward: The Lure of Branches, Resource Room, Mad Menu, The Last Ball Game, To the Ends of the Earth: Chapters 18 - 25 Summary

Outside Cory's childhood home is a massive, two hundred year old tree. One afternoon, an overwhelming desire to climb that tree overtakes him. Even though he's never been much of a tree-climber before, he can't stop moving until he reaches the top. For the first half of the climb, Cory's body refuses to obey his brain. It jerks and shakes and squeaks, constantly threatening to throw him from the tree. Cory looks down to see that he's much higher than he expected, which fills him with dread and a desire to keep climbing. He climbs...