Basil Bebbington

Basil Bebbington is the main character of the short story. When Basil is in high school, he is neither skilled socially nor athletically. Despite these deficiencies, Basil manages to graduate, attend technical college, and find a job in optometry afterwards. After Basil turns 22 and after his parents move to Tampa, Florida, Basil starts to worry that he is not experiencing enough in life. He is not dating, is not happy, and has no adventure. Desperate to reinvent himself, Basil applies for and secures a job as an optics technician on a volcano in Hawaii.

On his first day at the volcano observatory, Basil is excited and overwhelmed. Muriel MacDonald, a young and beautiful woman his age, introduces him to the job and the observatory. She and Basil will trade shifts each week. When she leaves, Basil is convinced he is in love.

Over the course of the...