Short Fiction · Chapter
IV: New York Kid explained
The narrator lands at La Guardia spaceport in New York with Pete and the mirage pup, Flipover.
What happens
The narrator lands at La Guardia spaceport in New York with Pete and the mirage pup, Flipover. The pup leads them through the city to a house where a woman, Barbara, recognizes the pup as her grandmother's long-lost pet, Tow Tow. The narrator and Barbara fall in love, marry, and have a son, Bobby. Pete disappears that night, and the narrator wonders if Pete might have hibernated in deep space like the mirage pup.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Childhood
The chapter centers on the narrator finding love, marrying, and having a son, Bobby, with a focus on family bonds and bedtime stories.
Exploration and Colonization
The narrator's return to Earth and the pup's journey from deep space highlight themes of exploration and the pull of home.
Characters to notice
- Pete
Accompanies the narrator to New York, encourages him to let the pup lead, and disappears after the narrator finds Barbara.
- Flip Flipover
The mirage pup, originally named Tow Tow, leads the narrator to Barbara's house and is recognized from a painting.
- Bobby
The narrator's five-year-old son, who asks for a bedtime story about space.
- Mr. Caxton
The narrator, who lands at La Guardia, meets Barbara, and reflects on his past and Pete's disappearance.
Key passages
“Give me color in music, polychromes. Give me color in life. The flare of rocket jets, the blackness of space, a spinning wheel in a big crystal casino— I’d stay one week on Earth! Then I’d be off again and never come back.”
The narrator expresses a desire for vibrant experiences and a restless urge to leave Earth after a short visit.
Reflects the narrator's love for adventure and the contrast between Earth and space.
“A family resemblance can be a remarkable thing! The contours of a face, the way the eyes look at you, and the trembling of lips shaped in a certain way can—make the universe reel!”
The narrator is struck by the strong resemblance between Barbara and her grandmother, making him feel a deep connection.
Highlights the theme of family and the power of inherited traits.
“A mirage pup can coil up in an old ship and hibernate for a century. Could a human being do that?”
The narrator wonders if Pete might have survived in a hibernation-like state, similar to the mirage pup.
Suggests a speculative possibility about Pete's fate and the mysteries of deep space.