61 pages • 2 hours read
When the Cranes Fly South
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Chapters 13-16Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, animal death, and suicidal ideation.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Wednesday 2 August”
Hans arrives to take Sixten. Bo locks the door and hides with the dog. Hans pounds on the kitchen window and threatens to call Ingrid for the spare key. Bo listens as Hans calls her; then, rain drives Hans to his car. Bo and Sixten nap until Hans knocks again to announce that Ingrid is with him. Ingrid unlocks the door, apologizes, and says that she “tried to drag it out” (173). Then, she leaves.
Hans enters, tense. He claims that the dog will be happy with a new family. He fumbles with the leash. Sixten refuses to move from Bo’s side as Bo glares at his son with disdain. As Hans shakes the leash, Bo flashes back to his childhood when his father shot their dog, Buster, after saying, “[I]t’s the only way” (174). Bo remembers running from the scene, unable to help.
Back in the kitchen, Sixten presses closer. Bo nods to him with his eyes closed. Hans slips the collar over Sixten’s head and gently pulls. Sixten hops down at last. Hans places a hand on Bo’s shoulder, apologetically repeating that this is the only way. The door closes behind them.
