Pages 188 - 204 Summary

Desperate to reconcile his feelings between life and death, Douglas seeks wisdom from a wax tarot card witch at the arcade. This wax figure has been around forever, at least since Grandfather was a boy. At a recent matinee with his brother and friends, he felt the death of a screen cowboy as if he had really died. He has even formed the last words of his journal entry in his mind - I, DOUGLAS SPAULDING, SOME DAY MUST DIE. Tom and the other boys were oblivious to his plight after the matinee. This wax tarot reader, he hopes, will shed new light on the situation. Part of her attraction is her predictability, like the rest of the arcade, mechanical operations that have been there forever.

At first the witch doesn't work and the arcade manager, Mr. Black, thumps the machine...