The Chalk Box Kid

Gregory is drawn to Ivy, a shy, quiet girl in his class. Gregory thinks she is “wonderful” (23), but he is not sure why he feels this way. Ivy is an artist, like Gregory; during their art class he tells her how much he likes her pictures. She does not respond verbally, but she touches the picture of a castle he is working on; he is unsure if that means she likes it or not. Ivy is the bright spot at school, whereas the other students are still giving Gregory a hard time.

At home, Gregory is still struggling with Uncle Max’s presence. He spends more and more time in the burned-out building behind his house. When Gregory’s mother complains that it is a dirty place, he tells her he is cleaning it. One day, he finds a piece of chalk while he is sweeping. Mother tells him that the empty building was once a chalk factory. Soon, Gregory has uncovered two wooden boxes of chalk, and he begins using the chalk to create pictures on the blackened walls. When he asks Mother to come look at his drawings, she promises to do it another time.