46 pages • 1 hour read
The House with Chicken Legs
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Chapters 12-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and bullying.
Chapter 12 Summary: “The Next Guardian”
After The Gate closes, Marinka is immobilized. She tells herself Baba will return, but she doesn’t. Then she realizes Jack has gone missing, too. She cuddles with Benji and waits, deciding Baba will return when The Gate opens again. She spends the night ruminating on everything that has happened. Finally, Jack returns. Marinka begs the house to open The Gate, but nothing happens. She is clutching Baba’s headscarf when a dead couple knocks on the door. Marinka listens intently to their stories. Then, The Gate appears. Marinka follows after the couple, calling out to Baba.
Chapter 13 Summary: “A Painful Splitting Sound”
The house yanks Marinka back from The Gate. She begs the house to let her go so she can find Baba, but the house has closed The Gate once more. Marinka blows out the candles and discovers a crack in the house. Frightened, she begs the house to go to the market—hopeful she might find something there to heal the house. The house gives in, and they eventually arrive at “one of the biggest street markets in North Africa” (118).
