Klara and the Sun

Josie and Chrissy are both colder toward Klara than they were before the trip to Morgan’s Falls. Josie gets sicker and is no longer able to come downstairs for breakfast in the morning. Dr. Ryan visits frequently, and Josie stops her virtual classes. Believing that the sun has healing capabilities because of her misconception about the beggar and his dog, Klara wonders why the sun hasn’t helped Josie, concluding that “it might be necessary to draw his attention to Josie’s situation in some particular and noticeable way” (116).

Rick starts visiting, and Melania instructs Klara to stay in Josie’s room while Rick is over to ensure “no hanky-panky” (118). Rick and Josie play “the bubble game,” in which Josie draws figures with blank thought and speech bubbles, and Rick fills in the words. They both enjoy the game, operating intuitively with little conversation, and it raises Josie’s spirits. Eventually, Rick’s visits grow tense. He doesn’t finish a drawing of an “eyeball tribe” (123) that he finds disturbing, and Josie thinks his caption of a drawing of “Water Blob Person” (123) is strange. After Rick leaves one day, Josie tells Klara that Rick doesn’t want her to change and “gets accusing when [she’s] any way he doesn’t like” (126).