"Wooden Bones" is a tale of images conflicting with reality. For instance, Liz's first impression of the family farm is a mistake: "Staying here was going to be like living in a junkyard." Liz is mistaken about what the farm can do; a big clue for readers is the profession of her uncle, a renovator. When Liz feels "Abandoned just like the rusted machinery and outbuildings up on the hill," she needs what the broken buildings around her need: renovation. Thus when she first sees the fiddler's barn, she sees a wreck on a hill. Later, when she seeks out the light, she sees a wondrous place: An oil lamp lit row upon row of wooden carnival horses, all leaning against each other along one side of the barn. Their polished finish gleamed in the lamplight, heads cocked as though they were listening to...