SKELLIG TIMELINE
Chapter 26
Mina and Michael are looking at a book of dinosaurs and she is
talking about how people think dinosaurs evolved into birds. She
explains how hollow and light their bones are. Michael listens
quietly. He thinks of the baby and Skellig, and Mina whispers that
evolution continues and that they are extraordinary. Then Michael
hears some snickers and hears Leakey and Coot.
Chapter 27
Michael joins Leakey and Coot playing football, but is hopeless at
it. Leakey and Coot tease Michael, and Mina. They say that she
changed Michael. Michael walks away and wishes things were the
same, but then he wishes that the boys would go away. The boys
follow him and he says the baby is sick… Coot kicks the ball against
the garage boards and Michael suddenly tells him to stop. Coot
becomes annoyed and they almost fight. They hear a crack in the
garage, and dust begins to fall. Michael says he will get his dad.
Chapter 28
Dad nails some boards across the garage and puts up a sign that
says “Danger.” Dad says it was nice meeting Leakey and Coot.
After dad leaves Leakey and Coot start teasing Michael again
about Mina, and they are surprised to know that Mina doesn’t go
to school and she thinks that one doesn't really learn there.
Michael defends this and says the world is full of amazing things
and he’s seen them. The boys notice Mina in the tree and call her
“Monkey girl.”
Chapter 29
When Leakey and Coot are gone, Mina looks coldly down at Michael
and quotes Blake saying he is glad that he never went to school to
be flogged and be a fool. Michael says that school children don't
get flogged and his friends aren’t fools - and Mina isn't special.
Mina retorts that his friends hate her, and they annoy her, and
they know nothing about her… They sort of have a fight. Mina tells
Michael to go. He heads straight back into the garden to try to
hold back his tears.
Chapter 30
The owls wake Michael up in the middle of the night. He can see
nothing, but he thinks of Skellig… He imagines Skellig reaching
into the baby case and helping his sister fly - they are both joyful.
Michael wakes up and gets ready for the cold weather. Outside, he
sees Whisper and heads towards Mina’s empty house. She is
sitting there and they look at each other. They apologies to each
other and pledge their friendship to each other. They smile and
almost drift off to sleep, but eventually they go inside the house.
Chapter 31
Mina and Michael go inside the house. It is hard to see without a
flashlight. Skellig is not there, but his things are. They are both
worried and gasping. Mina says “stay calm, and listen deeply.”
Finally they hear him breathe. They follow it up the attic. There
Skellig sits before the window frame, with his wings open wide. An
owl flies in and drops something for Skellig. Another owl does the
same, and the first does it again. Mina realizes they are feeding
him. Skellig calls the both of them closer. Michael can see how
strong Skellig now seems. They hold hands and turn about a dance.
Each face goes from dark to light… It seems like he has his own
wings and Mina has wings, and they rise up over the old house on
Crow Road. Then it is over, and Skellig tells them to go home.
Michael asks how this is possible; Skellig replies that it is the owls
and the angels, and that they must remember this night. The two
children leave and Michael feels an immense joy. He laughs about
his wings and tries to catch his breath. As he nears his own house,
though, he sees a very worried Dad rush toward him. Mina quickly
says they were sleepwalking.
Chapter 32
Back at school, Rasputin welcomes Michael. Leakey and Coot still
tease him about Mina. In science class, Rasputin says they are
moving on to the human body, and he opens up a poster of the
insides of a man. He has them feel their heartbeats. Michael sees
Leakey looking at him, and he knows he wants to be friends again.
At lunch, Michael plays football as hard as he can and does very
well. They have Miss Clarts for reading and writing next. Michael
writes a story about a boy exploring abandoned houses who finds a
tramp who happens to have wings growing from him. The boy feeds
him and he becomes strong. He has a friend named Kara, and the
man teaches them both how to fly. Miss Clarts has tears in her
eyes; she tells Michael he has a real gift and he should keep
practicing. Right after this, though, the secretary comes in and
tells Miss Clarts that they need to see Michael because his dad is
on the phone. Michael knows it is the baby. Dad says that he and
Mum need to go talk to the doctors about a procedure. Michael
will stay with Mina and her mother. Dad says that Michael is
brave, but Michael trembles and knows he is not.
Chapter 33
At Mina’s, the two children paint pictures. Mina paints Skellig, and
Michael asks what would happen if her mother saw. She shrugs and
says it could be anything; William Blake always saw angels and
spirits.
Mrs. McKee pulls out a book of Blake drawings and says it would be
nice to see some of these beings. She then ruffles the children’s
hair and says it is enough to have these angels here. Michael
thinks of the baby, and then wishes he could see Mina’s wings
again. Mina whispers that she went to see Skellig again; she came
for Michael first, but his dad said he was at school. Skellig asked
her why Michael abandoned him for school, Mina said he did not
abandon him and that he loves him. Michael whispers that he does
indeed love him. Mina adds that she told Skellig that Michael was
worried about the baby, and Skellig said Michael must keep coming
to see him. After a moment, Mina also confides that Skellig says
he is going away soon but does not know when or why. Michael’s
hands tremble. He grabs more paper and draws Skellig flapping
across the sky.
Chapter 34
Michael spends the evening at Mina’s.
Chapter 35
All evening, the children sit at the table and draw. Michael draws
his family, Mina, Skellig, Ernie, and more. The more he draws, the
freer he feels. He draws the baby over and over again, feeling
their connection. He draws the world as the baby might see it, and
then he draws Skellig there at the ward. Mina looks at his
drawings and marvels that he is getting bolder—he couldn’t have
done these before. He shrugs and says it is practice. Night falls
and they wait for a phone call. Mrs. McKee and Mina sing, and Mina
laughs that she will get Michael to join in someday soon. Mina
shows Michael an owl pellet and the bones of a small animal inside.
She whispers that it is one she found near Skellig. They are both
incredulous and wonder what he is. Finally, Dad calls and says that
the baby is fine and tomorrow they are going to operate on her
heart. He is still talking, but Michael has dropped the phone in
shock.
Chapter 36
Mina and Michael sit outside, waiting for Dad’s car headlights to
shine into the dark. Michael asks what it means that Skellig eats
living things and makes pellets like owls. Mina shrugs that she does
not know—she does not know why her father died, nor why his
sister is sick, but sometimes it is okay not to know everything. You
have to see and you have to imagine. They talk about what baby
blackbirds must dream about. Michael holds his hand to his chest
and thinks about his baby sister and her heart. He closes his eyes
and feels Whisper’s claws, wishing he was alone like Skellig. Mina
calls him brave. Dad pulls up, and fear floods Michael.
Chapter 37
It is a long, seemingly endless night. Dad and Michael fight over
whether or not Michael should go to school. Finally, they hug and
cry. Dad says Michael can go with Mina and he will come and get
him when the operation is over.
Mina and Michael go into her garden. She admonishes Whisper
about scaring a bird. Michael isn’t sure what they are doing there,
but she explains that the fledglings are starting their life outside
the nest because they can’t fly. They are nearly alone and their
parents have to bring them food. It is very dangerous for the
fledglings. Their parents come back and forth all day and the next
with food. Mina sighs that cats or crows might get them. Dad
comes out to say goodbye and looks at the fledglings with them.
He says they are lovely, and he looks deep into Michael's eyes. He
tells his son to keep believing.
Chapter 38
Mina’s mother brings tea and talks of the goddess Persephone and
the life that springs up amid death. Michael wonders if this is just
a myth, but she tells him to look around. Michael imagines
Persephone working her way through the earth, struggling, and
enduring. Michael and Mina go for a walk. He feels like he is in a
dream state. They arrive at the abandoned house, looking forward
to seeing Skellig, but they can’t find him anywhere. Michael is
shaken—he cannot feel the baby’s heart anymore. He sees
blackness, then nothing.
Chapter 39
Michael comes to and murmurs for Mina not to call Dr. Death. She
assures him she will not. He is distressed because he can only feel
his heartbeat, not his sister’s. This makes him think she is dead,
though Mina tries to tell him that he does not know that. She
helps him up and they look for Skellig. As they do, Mina confides
that William Blake used to faint sometimes because the soul could
leap out of the body and then leap back in. Sometimes it happened
when a person had fear or pain—or even too much joy. Michael’s
body feels heavy and his mouth dry. They walk back to Mina’s
house, and Michael expands as if Skellig has gone away forever.
Chapter 40
Mina’s mother opens a pomegranate and they share it. Michael
dreams of Skellig lying about, and the children watch the
blackbird parents feed their young. Michael is still worried
because the baby's heart is not with his. Mrs. Dando cycles by
with more work and comments for Michael. Miss Clarts has a note
saying for Michael to write a story like the one he wrote last time.
Michael closes his eyes and wants to imagine nothing. Skellig is
gone, the baby is dead, and the world is cold and terrible. Dad
drives up, parks, and comes over to Michael. He says, “It’s over,
son.”
