Son of a Trickster

Mrs. Jaks’ brothers arrive with a moose to butcher, and Jared spends the day helping them. Sarah is certain that her family members do not like her because she is “too white,” “not white enough,” or “too weird” (208), but her great-uncles and aunts treat her with affection. Later that night Sarah wakes up Jared at home to take mushrooms and have sex. While she is high, she sees a swarm of fireflies above Jared’s head that sing to her. She sees them travel through time and space and tells Jared that he is hers. She covers his eyes with her hands to share her visions with him, and when she takes her hands away, he sees the fireflies in a foreign, barren landscape. He sees a caveman-like person watching them, and Jared tries to wake himself up from what he thinks is a dream. When the swarm of fireflies touches Sarah’s hand, she starts to disappear. Distraught, especially because a huge group of cavemen have started grunting at them, Jared wills himself awake.

With Sarah gone, Jared tries to convince himself he is sane. He tries to watch TV, but the “ape man” reappears through the floor of the living room.