Eggs

The children talk for a long time to keep away their fears. Primrose finally confesses that she wants to go to Philadelphia to see the Waving Man and ask him why he waves. She also asks David how long he has known that the photo wasn’t of her father. David tells her about the flea market and about his grandmother’s explanation. Primrose wants to know if David would have revealed the secret sometime when he was angry at her. David doesn’t know.

David tells Primrose about the sunrise he was supposed to see with his mother, but Primrose already knows, as he has told her and John many times. David also confesses his belief that following rules will bring his mother back. He says that Primrose will think this idea is stupid, and he admits that his belief might be stupid. He also asks about the possibility of not being good enough for his mother to return. He grows upset and starts punching himself for making so many mistakes in his life. Primrose struggles to answer his questions, but she distracts him by offering him the last malt ball.

When the moon comes out, Primrose asks David to read Veronica to her. She gets comfortable with her head in his lap. When he finishes the first story, she is asleep with a smile on her face. David notices that her arms are bruised from his punches.

He continues to read until the moonlight disappears, and when he stops reading, Primrose wakes up. David explains that the moon went away, but he lies and says it has returned. Instead of reading, he makes up the rest of the story, then creates more stories. He also tells his favorite story, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and then tells every other story he knows.

The last story he tells is his own. He tells a story about a boy named David who lost his mother and tries to follow every rule, thinking it would bring her home. He tells about David meeting Primrose, who breaks all the rules. He talks about their mothers and admits that he misses his mother’s love. However, he is beginning to learn that love can be found in other places and other people. He is glad because he doesn’t think that following the rules will bring his mother back. David falls asleep, cuddling with Primrose.

Primrose shakes David awake, and at first, he thinks that she is his mother. Primrose woke up earlier to explore and found something she wants to show him. The sun is not yet up. She leads David around the bend, where the river is wide and straight. There are several bridges and a dam, and as David looks at the skyscrapers in the distance, the sky begins to turn pink.

Primrose leads David out onto the dam, dismissing his concerns about the time. As the sky turns orange, he shouts that she knows he can’t see the sunrise. Primrose says that he does not have to look if he doesn’t want to. He closes his eyes and allows her to lead him by the hand, trusting her as he trusted his mother during the blackout.

Primrose stops moving and faces the sunrise, expressing awe at the sight. She reminds David that he doesn’t have to look, but when she lets go of his hand, he opens his eyes and finally sees the beauty of the sunrise, which floods the world with orange and yellow like a broken egg yolk. He knows that Primrose tricked him, but he is not angry this time. He clings to her and sobs into her shirt. She gently reminds him that she isn’t his mother. David knows.

A police officer finds David and Primrose on the dam. People have been looking for David and Primrose since last night. The officer gives them snacks and drinks as he drives them home, and they tell their tale of survival. As they approach the police station, a crowd of people waits nearby, hoping to see the return of the missing children. David takes a moment to show Primrose his memento and even offers to let her hold it for the day, but Primrose tells him to keep it. She is satisfied with having seen it. They reminisce over the fact that David read her to sleep.

David and Primrose are greeted by a large crowd, including Refrigerator John, David’s grandmother, David’s father, and Primrose’s mother. Primrose is surprised to see her mother.

David and his grandmother make a list of people to invite to David’s 10th birthday party, which is now two weeks away. David eats his carrot while he lists names, and his grandmother writes them down. He wants to invite the policeman who saved them. He is running out of people to invite besides Primrose and Refrigerator John, so at his grandmother’s request, he invites Tim (the kid with the yo-yo) and Primrose’s mother.

David’s father returns home and acts playful with David. David’s father is spending more time at home these days, and tonight, they plan to go see a ball game. David’s grandmother is happy, and it doesn’t bother David anymore to see her happy.

After the baseball game, David dozes off on the ride home. He feels strange about turning 10. He sometimes wishes that he could go back to being eight, when his mother was still alive, but he knows that this is impossible. He’ll turn 10 and 11 and 12 one day. David feels the turtle in his pocket. He still misses his mother calling him Davey, but he is comforted by the people in his life who love and care about him.

A few days later, David has a question for Primrose. Instead of sneaking out to see her at night, he waits for the next day to visit her. He finds Primrose moving her things back into the main house. As he helps her move the beanbag chair, he asks her if they’re ever going to go back to Philadelphia so that Primrose can talk to the Waving Man. Primrose replies that she figured out the answer to her question on her own; he waves to people because they wave back.