The Summer of the Swans

Sara returns to Mary’s house and they speak of Joe Melby. While Mary thinks highly of Joe’s offer to help, Sara repeats her wavering belief that he’s not to be trusted. A reluctant Mary tells Sara the truth as she just learned it over lunch. Two weeks after the watch incident, Aunt Willie and Mary’s mother visited Joe Melby’s mother to ascertain the truth. Joe explained that a group of boys distracted Charlie with candy and took his watch but intended to give it back. Sara appeared in the midst of the prank and yelled at the boys, but before they could return the watch, Sara ushered Charlie away. Joe arrived on the scene when Sara did, and when he realized what happened, he returned the watch himself. Sara is furious with Aunt Willie for keeping this a secret as it directly led to her poor impression of Joe. Sara and Mary overhear a description of Charlie and general call for assistance on the radio.

Sara and Mary search for an hour to no avail, the latter wishing to leave for a party. Mary claims she only came along to ensure Sara didn’t get lost and discourages her from continuing without a plan. She mentions Aunt Willie thinking Charlie may be down in the old mine—but Sara dismisses this, claiming she’s only fixated on the place because her uncle and one of her brothers were killed in the collapse. Sara knows Charlie would never enter a confined space. When Sara trivializes the party, Mary calls her out on her jealousy, but decides to stay. Mary’s radio details a large group search in the woods; Sara thinks Charlie will be driven away by the crowd. Sara insists that she knows Charlie best and that this instinct will lead her to him.

Mary spots Joe Melby. Sara’s first instinct is to run, but Mary discourages her. Joe presents Charlie’s missing slipper, telling Sara that he found it by the fence and ran into a man whose dogs began barking during the night. Joe thinks someone should tell the police where to narrow the search as some volunteers were sent to the mine. Seeing an out, Mary offers to go. She and Joe have a brief exchange about the party with the latter being far more interested in finding Charlie. Frustrated, Sara leaves and Joe follows. Sara apologizes for her aunt’s behavior as well as her own, explaining that she only just learned the truth. Joe assures her that he has a tough skin. This puts Sara at ease, his forgiveness a welcome comfort.

Charlie wandered into a ravine and is unable to find a way out due to the density of surrounding trees and vegetation. Defeated, Charlie thinks back on similar moments from the past, each one brief and emotionally inconsequential for him; he recognizes the gravity of his current situation in comparison. He looks to his treasured watch for comfort but finds that it stopped ticking. He pulls the watch stem and loses it. Momentarily distracted by a chipmunk, Charlie tries to follow it—only to be left behind, overcome by despair and frustration. He cries and shouts, thrashing about on the ground, before falling asleep.

As Sara and Joe travel deeper into the woods, the latter suggests that they use an overlook up ahead to survey the area. While climbing, Sara thinks about where she and Charlie would be were it any other day. They’d be watching afternoon gameshows and westerns—a revelation that leaves Sara desperate to find her brother. Sara slips and falls; Joe helps her to her feet. When Sara voices her concerns about reaching the top of the summit, Joe reassures her and they push on.