Summary

The narrator found Hanny asleep underneath his bed, surrounded by drawings of Else. One of the drawings showed Hanny and Else with a baby standing between them, and the narrator decided that Hanny must think Else’s baby is his. He stated that Hanny would not remember what would happen at the shrine tomorrow until they arrived there. “I knew what they would make him do at the shrine tomorrow but he wouldn’t understand even if I tried to warn him" (197). He also stated that he would be forced to keep Hanny calm throughout the ordeal.

He recalled that last year, Hanny was forced to drink a mug of holy water. As he choked on the water, he emitted a noise, but was not able to speak beyond that. The group felt that Hanny’s speech was possible if they prayed harder.

The...