The Thief Of Always

A suspicious Harvey returns to the House after his fall into the lake, and “the House trie[s] so hard to please him […] that he almost [forgets] about the accident entirely” (65). Beneath the nightly Christmas tree is a brand-new bike that surpasses the one he lost two years earlier. Parrots and monkeys adorn the treehouse, the living room grate comes alive with flames that look like battling heroes and dragons, and mechanized acrobats perform on the lawn.

One day, Rictus’s brother Jive appears suddenly on the stairs and asks if Harvey misses his parents. Harvey says no, although privately he feels moments of homesickness. Jive offers to help Harvey get revenge on Wendell for his Halloween trick and suggests that the boy fly at Wendell like a vampire. Jive promises to help Harvey do this if the boy meets him on the roof.

Minutes later, they’re both standing atop the House. With them is Marr, Jive’s huge, slovenly, toothless sister, who vaguely resembles a giant slug. She puts her hands on Harvey’s face as if reshaping it. Enjoying the game, Harvey suggests fangs and bat ears and “crazy eyes” and wings.