Duma Key

The novel flashes back to Elizabeth’s childhood.

Part of being an artist is having the courage to explore dark and secret things, even if the secret things are as terrible as the frogs with teeth that Tessie and Lo-Lo called “Libbit’s frog” (465). Elizabeth feels compelled to draw the frog, and even “HER” (465). The only person who can understand Elizabeth’s crisis is Nan Melda and the only place where “HER” hold on Elizabeth fails is the swimming pool. Elizabeth takes Nan Melda to the pool and tries to explain that the little porcelain doll from the treasure somehow made Elizabeth draw the storm that brought her to Duma. If the doll—whose name is Perse—is not stopped, more people will die. Perse has a ship that looks nice but is actually a horror. Nan Melda believes Elizabeth, because she has seen the frog called big boy. Nan Melda knows what needs to be done.

The morning after the show, Ilse tells Edgar that her fiancé Carson had an affair. Edgar advises Ilse to put the relationship on hold, but he also wants to warn Ilse to be very careful in general. Seeing her in