Pandora's Box
- The next day, Sunday, Phoebe goes home, where Mr. Winterbottom tells her that her mom called Mrs. Cadaver to tell her that she is safe and sound.
- This makes Phoebe think that Mrs. Cadaver has kidnapped and murdered her mom. She tells her dad they have to call the police.
- Mr. Winterbottom agrees to call the police if they haven't heard from her mom by Wednesday.
- At school on Monday, Phoebe gives a report on Pandora. She attacks Ben's mythology presentation for being full of errors and false information, and tells the class the Pandora was in fact a good, positive gift from the gods to humans.
- The gods made Pandora an incredibly curious creature, and then they gave her a box and told her not to look in it. She opens the box (of course) and unleashes all of the evils of the world.
- But, in addition to the evils of the world, the box also contains hope.
- As she tells this story, Phoebe infuses her description of Pandora with descriptions of her own self. Strange.
- Sal imagines another box – one filled with all the good things in life. And if that box has one evil thing tucked away at the bottom of it, it would be worry.
- That night, Sal wants to call Phoebe and tell her that Mrs. Winterbottom left for her own reasons, reasons that had nothing to do with Phoebe.
- At this point in her story, Gram and Gramps chime in and agree with Sal – that Mrs. Winterbottom's leaving had nothing to do with Phoebe.
- Sal realizes that the same might be true of her own mother. Maybe her leaving had nothing to do with Sal, either. This is a big realization for our girl.