# IV: New York Kid explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Frank Belknap Long.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_17_se/chapters/iv-new-york-kid
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_17_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_17_se/chapters