Rainy awakens still in the hallway, which she realizes is in Maxine’s imagination. Maxine offers her a drink and explains that she wrote herself into Rainy’s story as “Medda Baker” for metafictional effect. Rainy confronts Maxine about her tragic backstory, wondering why her mother had to die, but Maxine defends her authorial choices as necessary for creating conflict. Maxine conjures Koshka to comfort Rainy but refuses to reveal the March Hare’s identity, insisting that the story must be told in order.

Maxine recounts her own origin story: She was an orphan who idolized Nancy Drew. Her early attempts to write stories about a similar detective failed. Her purpose as a writer was galvanized in 1973 when she read about a school board burning copies of Slaughterhouse-Five and the students who tried to save the books. This inspired her to create Rainy March, a hero who protects books. Maxine explains that Rainy is a “traveling angel,” a type of character who cannot fundamentally change but exerts change upon the world around her. She then shows Rainy a vision in a mirror of an old, frail woman dying—Maxine’s real-world self. Maxine reveals that The March Hare Mystery is the unfinished final book in the Book Witch series, and she can’t finish it. She gives Rainy a mission: find her chosen successor, a writer named Jessa Charming, and convince her to finish the story. The March Hare, Maxine reveals, is a pun for the “March Heir,” referring to Jessa.

Maxine explains that Rainy can enter the real world through any of the mirrors, which all lead to places in Santa Barbara, California, Maxine’s hometown. Once there, Rainy will be physically real, and if she fails her mission, she will be stranded. Maxine gives Rainy her umbrella but warns that it will have no magical properties. She instructs Rainy to find her husband, Anthony, for help.

Maxine reveals that by the time Rainy arrives, she herself will already be dead. They share an emotional goodbye, agreeing to wave at each other as they depart to give one another courage for their respective journeys into life and death. Maxine steps through a mirror and vanishes. Rainy chooses a mirror that looks out into a familiar setting and falls through it into the real world.

Rainy lands hard in the women’s restroom of the Santa Barbara Public Library, bruising her knees and bending her umbrella. She is shocked to discover that in the real world, pain persists, and objects can break. A woman dressed in black, who has an umbrella tattooed on her wrist, commends Rainy on her “cosplay” and kindly fixes her umbrella. The woman is emotional because Maxine Blake’s funeral is going on in the library.

In the library lobby, Rainy sees posters celebrating Maxine’s life and work. She learns that her own series is a massive success with a measurable “Book Witch effect” on classic book sales (235). Another poster reveals that Duke was introduced into the series in 1999, more than 25 years ago. A librarian tells Rainy that the Duke of Chicago is a character Maxine invented; his own book series does not exist. Finally, Rainy sees a widely published tribute cartoon, depicting her mourning at Maxine’s grave.

Rainy enters the library’s main atrium, where the funeral is in progress. The woman from the restroom, who introduces herself as Frankie, has saved her a seat. Onstage are Maxine’s husband, Anthony, and the red-haired writer Rainy saw in the mirror, who is identified as mystery author Jessa Charming.

The library director speaks first, followed by Jessa, who delivers a heartfelt eulogy. Jessa explains how a Rainy March novel inspired her to read classic literature and eventually become a writer herself, even choosing a pen name, “Charming,” as an anagram of “Marching.” She demonstrates Maxine’s impact by having the attendees share how many of them became writers or librarians because of the series.

Finally, Anthony gives a eulogy, sharing the story of Maxine’s traumatic childhood as an orphan. He recounts how a young Maxine risked her life by reading a Nancy Drew book to another orphan dying of scarlet fever, an act of compassion that permanently damaged her own heart. He tries to end with an Emily Dickinson poem but breaks down, and Rainy finishes the line for him from the audience.

After the eulogies, four librarians act as honorary pallbearers, carrying a box of Maxine’s ashes and symbols of her life’s work. Outside, hundreds of mourners form an honor guard, opening black umbrellas in tribute as the funeral party exits. As Anthony passes, Rainy delivers a final message from Maxine to him: “You were her favorite story” (249). Recognizing who she is, Anthony invites Rainy into his limousine to go to the cemetery.

In the car, they formally introduce themselves. Anthony shares with Rainy the real-world inspirations for her name and hometown. He then reveals the end of Maxine’s story: After she contracted scarlet fever from the dying girl, her own books, writing, and possessions were burned to prevent contagion. Later, in the hospital, her love for Nancy Drew was so strong that the character manifested to comfort her, implying that Maxine was also a Book Witch.

At the cemetery, as the family gathers, Rainy says a final goodbye to her creator by speaking Maxine’s two favorite words: “Pencils down.”

After the service, Rainy finds Jessa Charming on a nearby cliff overlooking the ocean. Rainy reveals her identity and explains that Maxine sent her to ask Jessa to finish The March Hare Mystery. Jessa is stunned but believes her. She still refuses, feeling she is unworthy of succeeding her idol, Maxine. Jessa, who has read what Maxine had written of the book, reveals that Rainy’s own idealization of her mother is what blinds her to the mystery’s solution.

Rainy insists that Jessa must complete the book. Quoting a line from Through the Looking-Glass, Rainy makes a pact: “[I]f you believe in me, I’ll believe in you” (258). She assures Jessa that Maxine also believed in her.

Jessa finally agrees, and Rainy asks her to start writing immediately so that she can return to her book. As Jessa takes out a notebook to begin writing, Rainy says goodbye. Jessa promises to write an ending in which Rainy forgets their meeting. Instead of wishing her luck, Rainy tells her, “Pencils up.” She then rejoins Anthony, and just as she spots the actor LeVar Burton at the gravesite, she is pulled back into her own story.