In the eleventh chapter of Lifeboats, Kit comes home. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Young Wizards.Â
Wow, that timeslide felt weird to me, and I’m only reading this!
It is hard to reconcile the two conflicting realities here because so much time has passed for Kit. So much has HAPPENED! Even if this was one of the shortest errantries that he’s gone on, it’s still been lengthy and emotionally draining to go through this. And yet, when Kit and Nita step through that gate at the Crossings, they end up at Grand Central and TEN MINUTES have passed. 10! Of course, this is all relative to those who experienced it. I totally get why Kit and Nita are so horribly exhausted. Plus, there’s always a pull for me when I get home from a trip. I usually want to fall asleep in my own bed, to return to that familiar comfort. Thus, this is the amalgamation of like… five separate things that would make these kids want to pass the hell out.
That’s gotta be weird, though, if you’re the other people in this chapter. The person who left on their trip has returned home visibly different than when they left, but only twenty minutes have passed. Kit helped save an entire world, but to his parents, it hasn’t even been a half hour. Oh gods, the text messages are the weirdest part. So little time has passed that KIT’S FATHER IS STILL READING THEM WHEN KIT GETS HOME. I just???? It’s too much for my brain to handle.
So it’s only fitting that Duane end this chapter with something my HEART couldn’t handle either. Ponch’s appearance is just too fucking much, y’all. It’s the dream of most pet owners: to be able to talk with the one they lost again. While Kit’s interacted with Ponch a few times since he moved on, nothing felt as direct, as satisfying, or as heartbreaking as this. It’s clear that these two will maintain a unique connection for the rest of their lives (and then in Timeheart). Duane imbues this reunion with love and respect, and it’s probably the most striking dynamic here: Ponch loves Kit so very, very much. Not just that, but he trusted Kit to understand what he was trying to do through Besht’s sibik. It speaks so highly to their relationship, you know? Ponch intervened as an act of faith, and it worked. IT WORKED.
So excuse me while I feel overwhelmed by the mental image of Ponch and Kit cuddled up together. I AM A MESS.
https://youtu.be/2_b3fyk5ChM
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nice article tanks….