The Thief of Always Cover Image

The Thief of Always

by Clive Barker

Start Free Trial

Chapters 21–26 Summary

Download PDF PDF Page Citation Cite Share Link Share

Chapter 21

As Harvey climbs down from the attic, Rictus is waiting for him. He offers Harvey whatever he wants so he will stay and become Mr. Hood’s apprentice. Harvey refuses and demands his time back, but Rictus says this is out of the question.

Harvey turns his attention toward the lake and says he wants the fish turned back into children. Rictus says Harvey can have whatever he wants if he just imagines it, but he won’t bring the children back. Harvey is furious and heads toward the lake. On the way, Rictus tries to offer him everything from a motorcycle to a tiger, but Harvey turns it all down.

Outside, Mrs. Griffin is pleased to see Harvey but tells him that Wendell has run off somewhere. Rictus makes a sly remark about Wendell going swimming, which scares Harvey. Harvey begins to cry but knows his tears won’t help him. He has no plan, has no weapons, and is beginning to lose hope.

Chapter 22

Harvey thinks about the night he was a vampire and wishes he had that type of power, but then he realizes he may not need it. Rictus mentioned that, “it takes a lot of magic to conjure up these shams and hoaxes,” so Harvey wonders if he can use wishing as a way to defeat Mr. Hood. Harvey tells Rictus he wants to speak with Mr. Hood, but Rictus says he’s already listening. Harvey doesn’t buy it until Rictus reveals that Mr. Hood is actually the House. Dark clouds move in and the front door opens.

Harvey tells Mr. Hood he wants another ark, but this time, he wants it bigger and with real people. The House agrees and creates a living miracle. Harvey then asks for the entire property to be covered with flowers, but every flower must be different. Within moments, it is done. Next, Harvey thinks of rare foods, delicacies that are hard to come by. Roast swan, caviar, frog’s legs, and so much more begins appearing in the hallway of the House. When Harvey runs out of foods he knows, he begins to make up dishes. His wishes begin to overwhelm Mr. Hood, who yells for him to stop, and Harvey relents.

Harvey thinks his plan has been found out, but Mr. Hood simply believes Harvey is testing him. Harvey plays along and says he can’t be his apprentice until he knows Mr. Hood’s full power. Mr. Hood tells Harvey he can have one more wish and then Harvey must submit to his power forever.

Harvey looks at the House, which is now decaying from its loss of power. It’s then Harvey realizes how he can fully deplete Mr. Hood: he tells Mr. Hood that he wants to see all the seasons occur at once. Mr. Hood thinks this request is silly but agrees.

Chapter 23

The seasons begin raging against each other—snow battling the rain, the sun battling the fog. Mr. Hood calls for the madness to end, but his voice is much weaker than before. The seasons continue until the chaos tears the entire House down. The chimney crumbles, the foundation cracks, and the edifices fall. Once the House is destroyed, Harvey knows it’s over.

The real sun begins to shine through the illusion overhead, and Mrs. Griffin begins to disappear. Harvey is sad but knows she is happy to go; her time is long overdue. As she disappears, orbs of light head toward the lake, just like the orbs in the attic. Harvey realizes these are the kids’ souls. Mrs. Griffin says goodbye and leaves Harvey standing...

(This entire section contains 1561 words.)

Unlock this Study Guide Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

alone.

Chapter 24

Harvey hears a voice calling his name, and to his surprise, it’s Lulu. Not only is Lulu free, but so are all of the children whose souls were taken. Lulu kisses Harvey on the cheek, and Wendell approaches, asking Harvey how he defeated the House.

Just then, Rictus appears with a glowing orb of light. He tells the kids he stole it from Mr. Hood just in case Mr. Hood tried to destroy him. He claims it has enough power to rebuild the House and run it forever. As he tells Harvey he must join him, a large hand extends from the rubble and grabs Rictus, demanding the orb. Harvey knows the voice; it’s Mr. Hood.

Rictus begs for his life, but Mr. Hood demands that Rictus dump the remaining energy into the ground for him to become powerful again. The rubble begins to move and creates a man-shaped object from the debris. Assuming his new form, Mr. Hood drops Rictus and stares at Harvey; the pure evil of the House is finally revealed.

Chapter 25

Mr. Hood faces Harvey and asks him if he’s surprised he was once a man. Harvey denies his words, saying, he, too, is nothing but an illusion. Rictus interrupts and begs Mr. Hood to let him kill Harvey. Mr. Hood declines the offer and blames Rictus for bringing Harvey to the House. Mr. Hood pulls off Rictus’ head and drops the body on the ground.

Mr. Hood then goes after Harvey, who tries to run away but falls multiple times in the rubble. Harvey hears Lulu’s voice and begins running toward her. He sees her at the lake, which has since turned into a swirling vortex of water. Lulu says they must jump into the vortex; “it’s the only way,” she screams.

Lulu jumps, but Harvey realizes she’s not in the maelstrom; instead, she secretly goes in search of a weapon. Harvey turns back to Mr. Hood, who gives him an ultimatum: Harvey can either die in the vortex, or Mr. Hood can give him a pleasant death after a long life. As Mr. Hood speaks, Harvey notices something inside of the rubble that is Mr. Hood’s body. He realizes Mr. Hood doesn’t have a heart; he doesn’t have anything—he’s a literal void. Harvey snatches Mr. Hood’s makeshift coat away, revealing this truth and enraging him.

Mr. Hood comes for Harvey, so Harvey throws the coat into the water vortex. As Mr. Hood reaches for it, Lulu hits mr. Hood with a large piece of wood, causing him to fall in. Harvey and Lulu watch Mr. Hood struggle until the water rips apart his makeshift body. He screams for help until he returns to nothingness like the rest of his illusions.

Harvey and Lulu hug and cry, celebrating their victory. Wendell appears asking what happened as he catches the last few moments of Mr. Hood’s existence. Harvey looks at Wendell and says, “who cares.”

Chapter 26

Harvey, Wendell, Lulu and the rest of the kids gather down at the wall of mist, waiting to make their final trip home. They are unsure what is waiting on the other side, but they’re happy to be free from the illusions of Holiday House.

The kids, including Wendell, walk through the mist, leaving Harvey and Lulu alone. Lulu is conflicted because she wants to remain with Harvey but knows it won’t be possible on the other side. Harvey comforts her by telling her they got to spend their childhoods together, something that wouldn’t have been possible without this experience. Lulu smiles, and they walk together into the mist.

Harvey emerges alone, which means all the children returned to their appropriate timelines. He begins walking but exhaustion overtakes him. He falls in the street as two strangers offer him help.

Harvey wakes up and panics, not knowing where he is. However, he is quickly reassured when he realizes he’s in his bed. He gets up but is afraid to go downstairs where his parents are talking about what happened, wondering why he came home with blood and dirt all over him.

Harvey goes downstairs, and to his surprise, life has returned to normal. He is overjoyed when he sees his parents are their regular ages and is proud of himself for the battle he fought. His parents are less thrilled and demand an explanation for his whereabouts. After some prodding, Harvey tells his parents the whole truth. His parents don’t believe him, but Harvey says he will bring them to the House the following day.

The next day, Harvey brings his parents to the place where the House stood. When they arrive, they see a hill with grass and nothing more. Harvey takes them onto the property where they find people enjoying the sunny day. Harvey falls to his knees to dig, but just as he does, a man stands over him and confirms the House’s existence, calling Harvey a hero. His father presses the man for information. While they talk, Harvey realizes he’s talking to Lulu’s husband. She doesn't want Harvey to see him as anything else but a kid, so her husband says “hi” in her place. The husband pays his respects and walks back to Lulu.

Harvey’s father isn’t quite sure what happened on the hill, but he believes something did. He grabs some of the magical dirt from Harvey’s hand and keeps it.

Harvey is now content with his life and happy to be with his family again. There are no more sighs or complaints, just years of appreciating family, life, and time.

Previous

Chapters 15–20 Summary

Loading...