Chapters 1–4 Summary
Chapter 1
It’s February, and ten-year-old Harvey Swick is bored, wondering how he will make it to Easter. As a school-aged boy, he knows the fun of the Christmas season is gone, and his summer freedom is too far away to feel real. As he sits in his room with nothing to do, his mother chides him for “wishing the days away” and tells him to clean his room.
Harvey looks in the mirror and asks himself what he really wants in life. He decides he needs fun or he will “die.” As he says these words, the storm outside grows, and the wind opens his window. As Harvey shuts the window and regains his composure, he notices there is a man in his room wearing a fancy suit.
The man introduces himself as Rictus and explains he flew in through the window. Harvey is caught up by the notion of flying—so much so that he doesn’t even wonder how the man knows his name. Their conversation starts as a brief question and answer session, but when Harvey interrogates Rictus, the man becomes less friendly. Rictus offers Harvey an adventure and tells Harvey he can take it or leave it—he’s just trying to “help.”
Rictus turns to leave, but Harvey calls him back and apologizes, promising to not ask any more questions. Rictus accepts Harvey’s promise and tells Harvey he knows a place where “the days are always sunny . . . and the nights are full of wonders.” He tells Harvey that he will ask if there is room for him, but insists that Harvey cannot ask anymore questions. Ever. Harvey agrees, and Rictus flies out of the window and into the night.
Chapter 2
A few days later, Harvey wonders if his encounter with Rictus was just a dream but decides not to tell anyone what happened in case it’s real. A week later, Rictus stops Harvey on his way to school telling him there is room at the Holiday House. Harvey breaks the question rule, asking how far away the house is, but Rictus answers saying it’s just across town. Harvey wants to ask more questions, which pushes Rictus to leave. When Rictus says he won’t beg anyone to come with him, Harvey agrees to go, telling himself he can make it back home before dark.
Rictus and Harvey walk across the town of Millsap where Harvey has lived all his life, and Harvey makes mental notes of landmarks in case he has to walk home alone. They approach a wall right around the time Harvey decides he may want to turn back, but quickly, the wall begins to fade causing Harvey to wonder if there was ever a wall at all. Rictus explains they are able to see beyond it while most people can’t.
As Harvey steps through the fading wall, he is welcomed by beautiful scents, warm weather, and a sunny sky. Harvey leaves February and all his worries behind as he hurries toward a nearby house.
Chapter 3
The house stands four stories high and is covered with windows. It’s not a fancy house, but one that Harvey calls “proud.” As he stares at the weather vane on the top of the roof, a woman named Mrs. Griffin comes out to meet him. She is an old woman, which shows on her face. She asks Harvey to come in and offers him food. Harvey explains he can’t stay long and wonders if he is making the right choice. However, when he hears a boy’s voice, he enters the home. Harvey sees a boy named...
(This entire section contains 1202 words.)
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Wendell rush by him chasing several cats.
As Harvey walks to the kitchen, he marvels at the house, noting that every door is different; he believes there must be hidden treasures all over. Harvey tells Mrs. Griffin that the house is perfect, but she disagrees and changes her tone. She tells Harvey it’s not perfect “because time passes.” Harvey wonders about her change in attitude.
Mrs. Griffin offers Harvey plates of food, everything from hot dogs to ice cream. As he eats, a girl named Lulu comes into the kitchen and starts asking him questions. Harvey responds but tells Lulu he won’t be staying long and mentions his parents. Lulu laughs and tells Harvey his parents know he’s here. Confused, Harvey is told to call them. He does, and sure enough, his mother says she set the whole experience up to give Harvey a break from his boredom.
Once Harvey is off the phone, Mrs. Griffin shows Harvey to his room at the back of the House overlooking an apple orchard. She mentions Mr. Hood, the man who built Holiday House, but says little about him other than that he’s very “private.” Though he doesn’t realize he is tired, Harvey lies down to rest and doesn’t wake up until the following morning.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Harvey wakes up feeling energized. He jumps out of bed and runs downstairs to start his day. He races onto the porch to find that it’s spring again, the buds newly forming on the tree branches. Wendell is outside and asks Harvey to help him finish building a treehouse he’s been working on. Harvey tells him he will after he eats.
Inside, Mrs. Griffin lays out a banquet-sized meal, and Harvey eats in delight. He sees a cat licking milk off the floor and asks Mrs. Griffin if the cats can do whatever they’d like, but her response is ominous. She tells Harvey, “we all have somebody watching over us,” but this strange goes unnoticed by Harvey. After he finishes eating, he returns outside to help Wendell with the treehouse.
When Harvey gets to the top of the platform, he realizes he can’t see the town. Wendell disregards this comment, along with Harvey’s comments about the strange, warm weather. They spend hours working on the treehouse and become friends in the process.
At lunch, Harvey asks if there is a place to swim. Wendell suggests the lake but is hesitant because you can’t see the bottom. Harvey suggests fishing instead and says they could have Mrs. Griffin cook up their catch. At this remark, Mrs. Griffin drops what she’s doing and tells the boys the fish are poisonous. This comment makes Harvey want to go to the lake more than ever.
Just as the boys are about to eat, one of the cats jumps up on the stove. Harvey yells at him to get down, but it’s too late. The cat’s tail catches on fire which causes it to knock a pot of boiling water on itself killing it. Wendell takes his food outside, but Harvey sits there horrified.
When Mrs. Griffin comes in to assess the noise, she calls the cat a “foolish thing,” and says “no more questions from you.” Harvey offers to help bury the cat, but Mrs. Griffin declines. She notices Harvey’s tears and tells him his tears are comforting since she can’t cry anymore. Harvey doesn’t understand what she means and heads outside to find Wendell.