The Night Gardener

The next day, Kip is working in the yard when he notices Penny and her older brother Alistair playing near the tree. Alistair half-buries Penny in a hole near the tree’s base so that only her head is above the ground and proposes a cruel game. In one pocket, Alistair has candy, and in the other pocket, he has something gross, and Penny must eat whatever is in the pocket she chooses. In the small amount of time that Kip has known the children, he has learned that Alistair is a bully. Kip is certain that “no matter which pocket the girl select[s], she [will] lose” (59).

Sure enough, Alistair pulls out worms and tosses them at Penny, who starts to scream because she can feel them grabbing at her legs. Unable to stand by and watch anymore, Kip charges Alistair, taking him down and bloodying his nose. Molly pulls Kip off Alistair just as Constance arrives, and Molly convinces her that Kip was only defending himself. Constance punishes Alistair, and after the Windsors go inside, Molly reprimands Kip for starting a fight. Kip is angry that Molly lied to protect him, and Molly counters that it was only a story to make sure they wouldn’t get fired.