Willodeen

The meeting is different from the previous one Willodeen attended. Instead of anger and arguing, people wait their turn to speak and offer suggestions rather than blame. There are tears and gratitude, and it seems the fire “left most people feeling grateful and humbled” (232).

Willodeen goes last and explains the connection between the screechers, blue willows, and hummingbears. People are unwilling to listen until Mae and Birdie demand they give Willodeen their attention. Willodeen tells the crowd that it would take time to restore the blue willows and hummingbears and that it may be years before they can have a real fair to celebrate the hummingbear nests. She finishes with her father’s words from years ago: “Nature knows more than we do. And she probably always will” (237).

After the meeting, Connor walks Willodeen home. There’s still no sign of Quinby, and Connor doubts they’ll ever see the screecher again. Willodeen is sad but realizes having Quinby, even for such a short time, gave her so much.

Duuzuu is sleeping on Connor’s shoulder, and Willodeen tells Connor to take Duuzuu home. When Connor asks if she’s sure, she says, “I’ll see you both plenty” and abruptly realizes the statement is true (240).

That night, Willodeen struggles to sleep without Duuzuu’s snores. She closes her eyes and sees the fire, but when she opens them, the night brings her back into the present. When she closes her eyes again, she sees the adults listening to her talk about the blue willows, and she pictures Duuzuu curled up on Connor’s pillow, dreaming of “a world where he could still slip through the clouds” (241). The images make her smile, and she falls asleep.

There’s no fair that fall, and the council forms a new committee consisting of Willodeen and four adults to determine the best ways to proceed. The bounty on screechers is removed and instead, hunters are paid to bring screechers from a nearby village that’s overwhelmed by the creatures. The following year, hummingbears return to some of the willows by the river, and the fair is restored. Willodeen goes to school more often than not, and she feels at home with Mae, Birdie, and Connor as her makeshift family.

At the fair, Willodeen asks about the story Connor is writing about Quinby. He says it’s almost done and promises to let Willodeen read it when it's ready. They go to the smaller grove where they first found the hummingbear nests, and the narration switches to the story that seems to be from Quinby’s perspective.

Quinby is brought back to Willodeen’s village by one of the hunters, and she finds her way to the blue willow grove and discovers a place to nest. As she settles in, she recognizes two human scents as well as one of a watchful hummingbear, and she makes the howling noise screechers are known for that “is wild and loud and free” (259). She doesn’t know why she makes the noise, but it doesn’t matter because the world is full of puzzles, and she’s just glad to be part of it.