The Great Unexpected

Finn tells Naomi about the Crooked Bridge, which was built in a zigzag shape to help travelers evade evil spirits, which, in theory, would miss the turns and fall into the water. Lizzie finds this clever, but Naomi doesn’t believe in spirits. Finn asks what a blackbird tree is, and Naomi explains that it’s a tree full of blackbirds. Lizzie draws Finn a map of Blackbird Tree in the dirt. Finn studies the map, commits it to memory, and leaves them. Naomi feels that everything is different now that Finn is here.

Naomi is aware that Finn talks differently from the way people in Blackbird Tree do, and she realizes he sounds like Nula. Naomi is desperate to see him again. It’s summer, and Naomi and Lizzie only have a few days before their families give them new chores. The women at Tebop’s general store are buzzing about a man called “Dangle” or “Doodle” who has recently arrived; they say he talks funny and asks nosy questions. Lizzie comments that the sudden appearances of Finn and the well-dressed “Dangle Doodle” man remind her of The Great Unexpected, a book on the girls’ summer reading list.