Skellig timeline chapters 1-46

Chapter 1
Michael explains that he found “him” lying in the dirt, dust, and darkness in the garage. He
was so filthy and pale that he seemed to be dead. Michael finds him when his parents are
with Dr. Death, worrying about the baby.
The family has just moved into the house, as winter is ending. The real estate agent, Stone,
told them to imagine the garage—actually a rubbish heap of sorts—as something fun like a
hideaway. Michael does not like this house at all, especially because he knows that the
previous owner, an old man named Ernie Myers, died there and wasn’t found for a week.
Michael wishes he could go back to their old house, but his parents seem to think this is an
adventure. However, the adventure ends when the baby comes too soon.
Chapter 2
On Sunday morning, Michael nearly makes it into the garage, disregarding his parents’
warnings. He brings a flashlight and shines it to see the cracked floors, broken furniture,
ancient and rotting doors, pipes, cables, and more. The people paid to clean the house say
they would not go into the garage.
As Michael is about to slip in, Mum catches him and admonishes him that he cannot go in
there until they make sure it is safe.
Michael sighs and says he understands. His Mum goes back to “the stupid baby” (5).
Chapter 3
The garden is also supposed to be wonderful, but right now it is simply full of weeds,
bricks, and stone. Mum brings Michael a sandwich and a Coke and apologizes for things
being so crummy right now. She asks if he understands, and he replies that he does.
After his mother is gone, Michael thinks of their old house, his friends, Leakey and Coot,
and how they’d be playing football right now.
The doorbell sounds in the distance and Michael knows it is Dr. Death. The man’s real
name is Dr. Dan, but in Michael’s head, he is Dr. Death because he has a gray face, black
spots on his hands, and smokes cigarettes in his car.
Michael stands; before he can think twice, he turns on his flashlight and goes straight into
the garage. Dust floats in the beam of light. There are dead bluebottles everywhere. The
furniture and detritus are packed in tight. Cobwebs cling to Michael as he walks carefully
through old newspapers and magazines. Dust clogs his nose and he knows he will have to
go back.
Michael shines the light across tea chests, and that is when he sees the man, sitting with his
legs in front of him and his back against the wall. He is dusty and dirty, and his face is
pale. The man asks, in a squeaky, unused voice, what he wants.
Michael hears his Dad calling before he can reply, and he rushes out. Dad admonishes him
gently and tells him staying out of the garage is for his own good.
Chapter 4
That night, Michael cannot sleep. He imagines the man coming into the house, but he tells
himself it's just a dream. He can hear his Dad snoring, his baby sister’s rattled breathing,
and Mum’s cooing voice.
It is almost dawn when Michael ventures into his parents’ room. He looks down at his
sister. Her heart is beating fast and she seems hot. He wonders if she is going to die, and
he remembers her in the hospital with tubes and wires.
Mum wakes and softly asks what he wants. He says "nothing" and goes back to his room.
He wonders what the man with the cobwebs in his hair wants.
Chapter 5
Michael asks his parents at breakfast when the garage will be cleaned out. Dad says it will
be cleaned out soon, but that that is not important now.
Michael did not change schools when they moved, even though it is now a longer bus ride
to get there. He watches the people on the bus and thinks about how you never really know
what is going on in people’s lives. He could stand up and say that there is a man in their
garage and his sister is sick, but he isn’t going to.
It is strange being at school because so much is different for him yet school is the same.
At lunch, Michael cannot be bothered with his friends and goes and sits alone on the edge
of the field. Mrs. Dando, one of the yard ladies, comes over to try to make conversation
and give him one of the gumdrops she gives to the kids who are sad, but he rejects it.
His mind flicks to the man in the garage. It must have been a dream.
Chapter 6
When Michael gets home from school, his Dad is grinning about the hard work he’d done.
He moved old Ernie’s toilet, which had been in the living area near the end of the old
man’s life, outside to the garden. He shows Michael some old birds he found that are
nearly as hard as stone.
After Dad goes upstairs to take a bath, Michael decides he is going to go into the garage.
He tiptoes inside with his flashlight and hears the scuttling and scratching. He tells himself
he is stupid; he was dreaming, and he would never see the man again. But he does.
Chapter 7
The man hasn’t moved. He sighs and asks in his squeaky voice for an aspirin. Michael
tells him that they’re going to clean out the rubbish and that the garage could collapse. The
man’s face is pale and his black suit is dirty. He pops a spider into his mouth.
Michael asks if he is Ernie Myers. The man is disdainful of that and asks Michael what he
wants. Michael replies nothing. He tells the man he can come inside; the man laughs but
does not smile. Michael asks if there’s anything the man would like to eat, and he replies
"27 and 53"; Michael is confused. The man tells him to go away.
Michael backs out into the light. He can see Dad through the frosted bathroom glass, and
he can hear him singing.
A voice asks if he is the new boy. Michael turns around and sees a girl’s head sticking
above the wall. He says yes, and she says she is Mina. He stares at her. She says, “Well?”,
and he is confused. Finally, he says his name; she tells him it is nice to meet him and
jumps down.
Chapter 8
After Dad’s bath, he says there is no food in the house and asks if they should order
Chinese. Michael says he wants 27 and 53. Dad laughs at his quick response.
The family eats their dinner and Mum tries to ask about Michael’s school, but then the
baby throws up. Michael leaves half his food and Dad reaches for it, but Michael teases
him that he can’t get fat. When no one is looking, he tips it into the takeout tray and takes
it to the outside bin.
Chapter 9
Later that evening, Michael sees Mina in a tree in the front area of another house. She has
a book and a pencil and looks like she is working hard. Dad wonders who that is, so
Michael tells him.
Michael wanders over to her; she chides him for scaring away the blackbird, but she says it
will be back.
Mina tells him she lives here and asks about his sister. She shows him her drawings of
birds and points out her favorite goldfinch. She asks if he likes drawing, and he says that
he sometimes does. She replies that drawing helps you look at the world more closely.
When it is time to go in, she tells him she’d like to see him again and that she’d also like to
see his baby sister.
Chapter 10
Michael tries to stay awake but cannot; he dreams of the baby in the blackbird nest in
Mina’s garden. She gets stronger and flies away.
Michael wakes and sneaks outside, taking aspirin and the takeout trays. He wonders if he
is crazy, but he takes a deep breath and steps inside the garage.
He sees the man and tells him he brought things. The man squeaks that he is not as stupid
as he looks. He is weak, though, so Michael has to help him eat. He loves every minute of
it, groans, and calls it the “nectar of the gods.”
Michael observes the creaks and cracks in his face and the tiny red veins in his eyes and
dusty, sweaty smell. He asks where he is from—” Nowhere”; what he will do when they
clean the garage—” Nothing." Michael says there is a doctor for his sister, but the man
says "no doctors." He asks if the man can do anything for the baby, but he just says babies
are spittle, mucus, and tears. He belches and Michael can smell dead things. He tries to
help the man steady himself and feels, under his shoulder blades, something folded up.
Michael asks again who he is, and the man says he’s nearly nobody but he is mostly
Arthur Itis, who is turning his bones to stone.
Michael tells him he will bring him more food and will try to keep the garage from being
torn down.
Back inside, he tiptoes in and looks at the baby. He dreams that his bed is a nest.

Chapter 11
The next morning, Dad complains about not being able to find the aspirin.
At school, the science teacher Rasputin talks about evolution and shows the students a
poster. Michael remembers what he felt on the man in the garage and asks what shoulder
blades are for. Rasputin admits he doesn't know.
After class, Coot runs around pretending to be a gorilla. Michael tries to play football, but
he is too tired to do well.
Mrs. Dando comes over to say hello. She encourages him by saying that babies are strong
and resilient.
School continues and then Michael takes the bus home. An old man with a Jack Russell
sits next to him. He smells like urine and smoke. He asks about Michael’s evolution
picture and babbles on. Michael says there is a man in his garage.
Chapter 12
When Michael gets home, Dr. Death is there and Mum is very upset. Dad tells Michael the
baby has to go back to the hospital for a bit. Mum puts things together for the baby. She is
distracted, but Michael asks what shoulder blades are for. First, she is exasperated, then
she feels bad about her exasperation: she says she thinks that those were where wings once
were when people had them. Michael says that is a fairy tale, but he asks if the baby had
wings. Mum smiles sadly and says yes: sometimes, it seems like the baby never fully made
it down from heaven.
Michael holds the baby before she goes away. He feels her soft bones and skin. Back when
Dad and Michael are home, he draws a picture of a skeleton with wings from the shoulder
blades.
He sees Mina on the back wall.
Chapter 13
Mina understands that Michael is unhappy, and he tells her about the baby. She sighs and
offers to show him a secret place, saying it’ll only take a few minutes. Michael follows her
to the end of the street and through back gardens until they arrive at a green gate. She takes
out a key, unlocks it, and they venture inside. A cat joins them and Mina explains that it’s
Whisper.
The windows are boarded up and there is a sign that says "Danger," but Mina declares it is
just to keep vandals out. They slip inside and ascend the darkened stairs to the attic. Mina
asks if he is brave and says he has to be.
Inside, they crouch down and are very still. They are on uneven floorboards and under a
sloping ceiling. Glass from the window is on the floor.
Suddenly, a pale bird rises up from the corner of the room and goes to the window.
Another joins. Michael is breathless. The birds grip the frame and then fly out. Mina says
they are tawny owls, and points to a back wall with plaster and bricks. She says that is
where the nest is and that they shouldn't get too close because they will fight to the death.
Michael is stunned, and Mina laughs.
They rush back outside and she makes him promise to tell no one.
Chapter 14
The next morning, Michael begins trembling for no reason, so Dad calls the school and
tells them Michael is having a hard time and will be staying home. Michael helps Dad with
projects around the garden. During a break, they talk about what they'd like the garden to
look like and how lovely it will be for the baby.
It is hard work. Michael’s arms are sore and he has pollen and dust in his nose. He dreams
of the baby, strong and adventurous, crawling around out here.
Michael walks over to the garage and calls in, “You can’t just sit there! You can't just sit
like you’re waiting to die!” (47.) No answer.
Dad and Michael visit the hospital. The baby is in the glass case again, with wires and
tubes going into her. Mum says she is fine and can come home in a few days.
On the way home, Dad says they can get Chinese again. When they pull up, they see Mina,
and Dad tells Michael to run off and play.
Chapter 15
Michael tells Mina the baby might not die. She is pleased, and then says he wasn’t at
school. He says she wasn’t either, and she explains that she is homeschooled because
school inhibits real curiosity, creativity, and growth. Michael isn’t sure about that.
They are quiet for a minute. He says he liked seeing the owls, and that he dreamt of them.
Mina smiles and says she listens for them all through the night. Michael makes a hooting
noise with his hands, and Mina asks if he can teach her. She claps her hands together and
says it is brilliant.
Michael tells her he has something to show her too, but he’s not sure if it’s real. Her eyes
widen. He stands and says he has to go, but first asks if she knows what shoulder blades
are for. She confidently replies that it is a proven fact that those are where wings once
were.
Chapter 16
Michael brings the man in the garage more 27 and 53. He asks how the man knows about
them, and the man says it was Ernie’s favorite. He used to watch Ernie through the
window and find his leavings.
Michael asks if he needs anything else, and the man asks for brown ale. He says Ernie
used to have brown ale and not finish it.
Michael tells him that he has someone he wants to bring—a girl who can help him. He
says nothing, then laughs, but doesn't smile. Michael feels himself trembling again and
becomes distressed; he says he doesn't know what to do—the man is ill with arthritis and
doesn't eat. Michael is worried about him, and the baby might die. He finally says that
Mina is nice and won’t tell anyone; she is clever and can help. The man grumbles about
"damn kids."
On the way out, Michael asks if the man will think about the baby getting better. He clicks
his tongue. Michael begs him to. The man answers that he will.
Outside, Michael hears the blackbird singing and the owls hooting. He makes the hooting
noise and hears it echoed.
Chapter 17
All morning, Michael works on clearing the garden with Dad, then goes to Mina’s garden.
He looks at her book and asks if she is doing science. She laughs and says his mind is
closed: she is drawing, painting, reading, looking, and feeling. She picks up a book of
William Blake poems and reads one to him. He has not heard of Blake. She says Blake
wrote poems, painted pictures, and saw angels in his garden... Mina beckons Michael to
listen carefully. Michael can’t hear. Mina says listen deeper-the noise comes from inside.
Finally, Michael hears it. Mina talks about evolution.

Chapter 18
Dad tells Michael that Mrs. Dando called to check in, and that his friends want him back.
He shrugs.
At the hospital, the baby seems to be getting better, but Michael feels how small and thin
she is. He hears her breath rattle.
Michael asks a nurse where the people with arthritis go, and she sends him up to Floor 34.
He sees an old woman puffing along with a walker. She smiles, though, and says she will
be dancing soon. Michael tells her he has a friend with arthritis; she says Arthur usually
wins in the end, but cod-liver oil, a positive attitude, and Dr. MacNabola—with his
scissors, saw, and plastic bits—help.
The rest of the floor is full of people in beds or pushing walkers. Some look like they are
in pain. A man in black strides from person to person with a gaggle of doctors and students
around him. Michael calls out to him and asks what is good for arthritis. Surprised, the
man stops and tells him "the needle" is. He mimics sawing and sewing, and the others
smile. He then says the answer is simple: cod-liver oil and moving around.
The nurse watches as the group and doctor walk away. She tells Michael that the doctor
likes to show off, but that he is a good doctor.
Michael returns to the baby’s room. Mum hugs him tight and tells him he is her best boy.
He and Dad go home, and Dad tells him to go off with Mina.
Chapter 19
Michael goes to Mina’s house. He meets her kind mother, who shows him to where Mina
is making things out of clay. Her book of bird drawings is out. Mrs. McKee says Mina is
currently fascinated with birds but has had many other obsessions.
Michael admires her work and she shows him how it is done. It seems like magic. Michael
starts fashioning his baby sister out of clay. He looks at Mina and tells her with his eyes
that they should go. She informs her mother they're going for a walk.
Chapter 20
Michael warns Mina that the place is dangerous and filthy, but she is excited. He procures
his flashlight and beer and evinces his worry that she won’t be able to see what he sees.
She squeezes his hand and says that she will. They creep in and the man’s voice squeaks,
“Again?” Mina gasps. Michael moves over to him and helps with the beer. Mina’s eyes are
wide and dark. She asks who he is, and he says, “Mr. Had Enough of You.” He grumbles
"no" to doctors and utters that he will crumble away. Michael gives him the cod-liver
capsules. Tears form in his eyes and Michael tells Mina that the man does not want help:
he is just waiting here to die.
Mina crouches down and picks up one of the numerous dark, furry balls beside him. She
asks how long he has been here and if he is dead. She tells him her name and touches his
hands. She says he is in the process of calcification, which is linked to the ossifying of the
mind. The roof trembles and dust falls.
Michael guides Mina's hands to the man's shoulder blades and she feels what is there. She
whispers to the man that they can help him, but he does not answer. Finally, she tells him
there is a better place they can take him. Michael gives him more beer and capsules. The
man sighs that they can do what they want.
Chapter 21
Outside, Mina breathes that the man is an extraordinary being. They agree to take him out
tonight; they’ll hoot like owls. Whisper follows her away.
Later, Dad comes out and asks if Michael likes Mina. He says she is extraordinary.
Chapter 22
Michael dreams of the baby and himself in the blackbirds’ nest and the doctors calling for
him to bring her down. The baby flaps and squeals—her wings aren’t strong enough yet.
She teeters on the edge. Michael hears a hoot.
He awakens and goes down to Mina. They sneak through the moonlit gardens and enter
the garage. The man groans, wobbles, and creaks, but they help him stand. He can walk a
bit, but his body shudders and his breath rattles. Dust and dead bugs fall from him.
However, in the light it seems like he is old, not young. Mina whispers that he is beautiful.
Outside, the sounds of the first dawn traffic can be heard. The children have to carry the
man, but he is surprisingly light. They feel the place where his wings are.
Mina pushes open the gate of the house with the “Danger” sign on it, and the two of them
bring the man inside. She tells him they’ll make him more comfortable, and Michael adds
that they'll bring 27 and 53.
Mina kisses his cheek and asks who he is. He winces with pain and says that his name
is Skellig.
Chapter 23
Mrs. Dando stops by in the morning with a packet of homework, including evolution
worksheets, math problems, and a book with a red sticker on it. Michael goes over to visit
Mina and she makes fun of the worksheets and the fact that the red sticker means the book
is for advanced readers. She wonders what people would classify William Blake as, and
she recites his poem “Tyger.”
Mrs. McKee admonishes her daughter, telling her to be polite. Mina writes in her diary
and Michael thinks about how the diaries they are supposed to do at school are read and
graded by the teacher. Michael pretends to read the book. He thinks of the baby and tears
fill his eyes. Mina apologizes for being sarcastic and squeezes his hand, telling him she is
excited to see Skellig again.
Chapter 24
On their way to Skellig, Mina explains to Michael that this place was her grandfather’s
and he left it to her: she will inherit it when she is 18. It will be repaired soon and rented,
but for now, it is perfect for Skellig.
Skellig isn’t where they left him, though: they find him almost all the way up the first
flight of stairs to the attic. He is exhausted, pained, and wants to go higher. They carry him
up to a bedroom and give him a pillow, dishes, aspirin, cod-liver oil, beer, a sandwich, and
chocolate. Some tears slip from Skellig’s eyes.
Mina reaches to him, whispering for him to trust her, and takes off his jacket. They can see
his wings, twisted and uneven, and she helps bring them out. They are large and
magnificent. Skellig tells her to let him sleep.
Skellig settles and falls asleep. Michael feels the wings. He then tiptoes to the window.
Mina asks what he is doing, and he says that he is seeing if the world is still really there.
Chapter 25
The baby is back in her glass cage. Michael can hear his breathing and his parents’
breathing. They are sniffling. Michael tries to listen as deeply as he can, and he picks up
his sister’s heartbeat. He holds it.
In the car on the way home, Dad cries. Michael remembers the baby’s breathing and
heartbeat; he concentrates on being silent and keeping the baby safe.
Chapter 41
Michael is wrong: the baby is not dead, and she is snoring peacefully. Dad and Michael
stand with Mum looking at her. Mum says there was a moment when they thought they
lost her, but she made it. A nurse enters and smiles that the baby has a heart of fire.
The family wonders what to name her. Michael suggests Persephone, but his parents say
that that is a mouthful. Dad looks down at her and admires her smiling, angelic face.
Suddenly, Mum starts to say something, stops, and then proceeds. She says she was lying
there last night, barely sleeping, watching the baby, and dreamt—though it seemed like
she was awake—that a filthy, ancient man with matted hair was in the room. She wanted
to scream at him and protect the baby, but she saw his eyes and how tender he was. She
realized he was not there to harm the baby, but rather to help her. He reached down and
picked up the baby; they looked into each other’s eyes, and it was like they were dancing
and they both had wings. The man put the baby down, looked at Mum, and left.
Mum continues that she slept peacefully and was not worried anymore in the morning
when they took the baby away. She smiles at Michael and says it must have been because
of him asking about shoulder blades.
The baby twitches and Dad wonders what she’s seeing. Michael whispers to himself that it
is Skellig.
On the way out, Michael sees Dr. MacNabola. He runs over to him and asks if he
remembers his friend with arthritis, and says that he is getting better. The doctor exclaims
that that is splendid. Michael asks sincerely if love can help a person get better. The
Doctor pauses, and then quotes two lines of poetry.
Michael asks if that is William Blake, and the surprised Doctor says there is an educated
man before him. He smiles sincerely for the first time and looks at Michael. He says that
he hopes he and Michael's friend will never have to meet.
Michael rushes back to Dad, who asks what that was about. Michael says nothing, and
Dad calls him a “mystery man.”
On the way home, the two are jubilant. They sing and laugh, and Michael shows Dad his
hooting. They decide to order 27 and 53.
Chapter 42
Mina and Michael are walking after dusk, carrying the remnants of 27 and 53. Michael
tells Mina about what his Mum saw; Mina says that is extraordinary, and that Skellig
would always be there for them. She fills him in on how the fledglings got stronger with
the worms and kept jumping up higher out of harm’s way.
The two children enter the abandoned house. Skellig is not there, but they sit down against
the wall near the windowsill. Michael asks if Mina can feel the baby’s heartbeat next to
his. She concentrates, and after a moment, she smiles that she can. She begins to sing a
William Blake song and Michael joins in, to her delight.
Suddenly there is a rush of air and something large blocks the sky. It is Skellig, and he
gasps for breath as his wings settle down. His voice is strained but he is happy to see them.
They give him the food and he calls them a pair of angels.
Michael says that Skellig went to his sister. Skellig smiles and replies that she is a pretty
little thing. Michael says he made her strong, and Skellig only says that she is glittering
with life and gave him strength.
He touches the children’s faces and says he is exhausted but is getting stronger now.
Michael knows he is going away, but Skellig will only say “Somewhere” when Michael
asks where he is going. Michael asks what he is, and Skellig says, “something like you,
something like a beast, something like a bird, something like an angel” (167).
The three form a circle, hold hands, and look into each other’s eyes as they dance. It ends,
and they come back down to earth. Skellig thanks them for 27 and 53 and for giving him
life again.
The children walk to the door and Skellig gazes back at them. They step out into the night.
Chapter 43
At school, Michael is brilliant on the football field. Leakey compliments him and they
laugh and wrestle. They collapse, and Leakey says it seems like Michael has been miles
and miles away. He wonders if Michael will tell him about it, and Michael says that, one
day, he will tell him everything.
Chapter 44
Day after day, Dad and Michael work on the house. They visit Mum and the baby in the
hospital. The baby is getting stronger; her bandages are getting smaller; she smiles,
wriggles, and sticks her tongue out. Michael and Dad eat a lot of Chinese takeout, and
Michael tries different food.
Mina anxiously awaits the baby. She and Michael go to the attic one more time. They find
three small white feathers next to a scratched note:” Thank you. S.” They watch the owls,
beautiful and savage.
Chapter 45
The builders come on Saturday to inspect the garage. They are three of them, Mr. Batley,
and his two sons Nick and Gus. One of them, Mr. Batley, recommends they tear it down
and start from scratch, and Dad agrees.
Dad and Michael clean out the garage. They are covered in dirt, dust, and bugs, but they
finally finish their project and everything gets hauled away.
Michael looks into the garage and sees the takeout containers, dead bugs, and bottles. He
whispers goodbye to Skellig, while Mr. Batley remarks that there must have been a
vagrant there at some point.
The builders knock the structure down as Dad and Michael watch. They plan what they’d
like to do in the garden for the baby.
Chapter 46
On a bright and beautiful Sunday, the baby comes home. Michael slips one of the feathers
from Skellig under the mattress. He looks outside and dreams of what the garden will be.
The car pulls up and Michael trembles. Mum brings his sister in and he nervously
welcomes them home. Mum smiles at him while he holds his sister up high. She gurgles
and touches his face. She smells milky. salty. and mysterious, and her dark eyes look into
his own—to where his dreams are.
The family sits there, unsure what to say. They smile eventually, laugh, and cry.
A gentle knock sounds. It is Mina, shy and quiet like Michael’s never seen her before. She
politely says hello to his parents and leans down to see the baby. She gasps and calls her
beautiful and extraordinary.
After a moment, she takes out something and says she brought a present that the baby
might like. When she unrolls it, they see an image of Skellig. Mum catches her breath and
looks like she wants to say something, but doesn’t. She tells Mina it is lovely.
Mina bids the family goodbye, and Michael watches her walk away. Whisper follows her.
When she bends to pet him, When Mina stooped down to stroke the cat for a second
Michael had seen ghostly wings.
Inside, Mum and Dad are talking about names. Michael says Persephone again, and Dad
says it is a mouthful. In the end, they simply call her Joy.