Chapter 6 Summary, Analysis, and Key Themes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Chapter Six opens on June 15, 1929, in Brandenburg, Vermont, with Ethel Monroe recounting the previous evening. She and her husband Will dined at the hotel owned by Benson and Eliza Harding, enjoying a formal meal of brook trout and baby potatoes. Will spiked her drink with apple brandy, and Ethel wore a silver satin dress that shimmered under the chandeliers. The Hardings greeted each table personally. Benson is described as tall, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, while Eliza is striking with bobbed black hair, a small scar under her left eye, and a sequined black dress. Eliza whispers to Ethel that the hotel is “like something from a dream,” and the two women feel an immediate kinship.

After dinner, the Monroes stroll the grounds and approach the springs, which are roped off with DANGER and CLOSED signs. They hear splashing and giggling from within, suggesting others have ignored the signs. Will declines to sneak in, and they return to their room.

That night, Ethel has a vivid dream. She holds the sparrow’s egg from earlier chapters against her chest. The egg cracks open, and water flows out, taking the shape of a small girl—about five or six years old—with dark hair and almond-shaped eyes that Ethel recognizes as her own. The child says, “I’ve been waiting for you.” Ethel embraces her, weeping, and wakes up crying with empty arms. She goes to the bathroom, takes out a pin, and scratches three short lines above her right ankle, using the pain to suppress the ache in her chest.

The next morning, after breakfast, the couple changes into bathing costumes and follows the stone path to the springs. The pool is small—about ten feet by ten feet—lined in granite, and the water is black, smelling strongly of sulfur. Will jokes that it “smells haunted,” but Ethel is frightened. She lowers herself in, finding the water frigid and so deep she cannot touch the bottom. Will joins her, and they swim in circles to keep warm. Ethel feels as if fingers are touching her skin, holding her up and then tugging her down. After five minutes, they get out. As they towel off, Ethel notices that the scratches on her ankle have completely healed. Will also thinks he sees something in the water but dismisses it as a trick of the light.

Later, Ethel sits in the rose garden, where Eliza joins her. Eliza reveals she designed the garden herself, with three concentric circles bisected by four paths aligned to the compass points. She names many rose varieties and confesses that she tries to impose order on nature, though the garden sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. Eliza then shares stories about the springs’ healing powers: a local soldier named Ethan, shot in the head in France, regained his speech after being placed in the water; her uncle Raymond, blinded in an accident, had his sight restored. Ethel mentions that Will, a doctor, thinks the minerals might have antiseptic properties. Eliza agrees but insists there is more to it—the springs are said to be a door between worlds, and they can grant wishes.

Eliza tells Ethel that she herself wished for true love and a family, and soon after, Benson Harding appeared in town. She claims the springs brought him to her, and they married within a year. Eliza now has a new baby, which makes Ethel’s heart ache. Ethel confesses that she and Will have been trying for over a year to conceive, and she fears something is wrong with her. She admits to carrying a sparrow’s egg against her breast and burying it in the yard as a fertility charm. Eliza urges her to go to the water and make a wish.

That afternoon, while Will naps, Ethel sneaks back to the springs alone. She feels foolish and nearly leaves, but she remembers her promise to Eliza and the dream of her daughter. She runs to the water’s edge, leans down, and speaks to her reflection: “Please, I would do anything. Anything at all, anything to have a child.” Her reflection shifts, and she sees the face of the little girl from her dream—her not-yet daughter. She cries, and her tears fall into the pool. She thinks she sees a pale flash of movement beneath the surface.

Key Events

The Monroes dine at the hotel and meet the Hardings; Eliza and Ethel share an instant connection.
The springs are closed, but the couple hears others sneaking in.
Ethel dreams of a sparrow’s egg hatching a girl who claims to be her daughter; she wakes crying and self-harms by scratching her ankle.
The couple swims in the black, sulfurous spring water; Ethel’s scratches are healed afterward.
Eliza tells Ethel stories of the springs’ healing and wish-granting powers, including her own wish that brought Benson to her.
Ethel confesses her desperation for a child and her use of the sparrow’s egg charm.
Eliza encourages Ethel to make a wish at the springs.
Ethel returns alone, speaks her wish to the water, and sees the face of a girl in her reflection.

Character Development

Ethel Monroe is the chapter’s focal point. Her desperation for a child is palpable, and she reveals a pattern of self-harm as a coping mechanism—scratching her ankle to distract from emotional pain. She is torn between rationality (she calls herself an “idiot” for believing in magic) and a deep, almost fairy-tale faith in the possibility of miracles. Her willingness to try the springs, despite her skepticism, shows how far she will go to fulfill her longing. The dream of her daughter feels more real to her than waking life, and she clings to that image as hope.

Will Monroe is supportive but skeptical. He jokes about the water smelling haunted, and he notices Ethel’s apprehension. He also sees something in the pool but dismisses it, suggesting he may be suppressing his own unease. His role as a doctor frames the science-versus-superstition tension: he looks for antiseptic properties, while Eliza insists the water is more than a chemical solution.

Eliza Harding emerges as a charismatic and slightly unsettling figure. She is warm and confiding, but her stories blur the line between miracle and curse. She defends the springs as a living creature and claims to know for a fact that they grant wishes. Her own wish brought her a husband and a baby, but she also has a scar under her eye and pricks her finger on a rose thorn—small reminders that beauty and pain coexist. She encourages Ethel to make a wish, perhaps unaware of the potential cost.

Benson Harding appears only briefly, but his presence is imposing. He is described as watching everything at once, and Eliza later reveals he does not believe in the springs’ powers. This sets up a contrast between the hotel owner’s practical worldview and his wife’s mystical one.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Wish-granting springs and healing waters: The central supernatural element. The water heals physical wounds (Ethel’s scratches) and is said to cure blindness and brain injuries. Eliza claims it can grant wishes, positioning the springs as a source of both miracle and potential danger.
Door between worlds: Eliza mentions old stories that the springs are a door between worlds. This motif suggests the water is a portal, and Ethel’s reflection becomes a gateway to another realm where her daughter exists.
Desperation for a child: Ethel’s longing drives her actions. She carries a sparrow’s egg as a fertility charm, buries it, and finally turns to the springs. Her willingness to do “anything” foreshadows a possible bargain with dark consequences.
Self-harm as coping: Ethel scratches her ankle to manage emotional pain. This is a recurring behavior that reveals her psychological fragility and sets up a pattern of physical sacrifice.
Science versus superstition: Will represents rational medicine, while Eliza embodies folk belief. Ethel oscillates between the two, ultimately choosing superstition when her rational efforts fail.
Water as a living entity: Eliza speaks of the springs as a friend, and Ethel feels fingers in the water. The pool is described as “obsidian” and “black,” pulling reflections into darkness—suggesting it has agency and appetite.
Rose garden as order over nature: Eliza’s carefully designed garden contrasts with the wild, unpredictable springs. It symbolizes the human attempt to control the natural world, which may be futile.
Reflection as portal: When Ethel speaks to her reflection, it transforms into the face of her dream daughter. This suggests that the water does not just reflect—it reveals hidden truths or alternate realities.
Fairy-tale belief in magic: Ethel explicitly compares herself to a princess in a fairy tale, and Eliza’s story of wishing for love mirrors classic folklore. The chapter invites readers to consider whether such wishes come with a price.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Six is pivotal because it moves the supernatural from background lore to active plot. Ethel makes a wish at the springs, and the water responds by showing her the face of a child. This is the first concrete indication that the springs are not merely a healing source but a force that can grant—or perhaps manipulate—desires. The chapter also deepens Ethel’s character, revealing her vulnerability and her willingness to sacrifice her own well-being for a child. The introduction of Eliza as a believer who has already benefited from the springs adds credibility to the myth, while the hints of danger (the closed signs, the “door between worlds,” the pale flash in the water) foreshadow that wishes may have unforeseen consequences. This chapter sets the stage for the central conflict of the novel: the cost of getting what you desperately want.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ethel scratch her ankle after her dream, and what does this reveal about her state of mind?

Ethel scratches her ankle with a pin to distract herself from the emotional pain of waking from a dream in which she held her daughter. The physical pain helps the aching in her chest fade. This reveals that she is deeply distressed and uses self-harm as a coping mechanism, suggesting a fragile psychological state and a pattern of turning inward to manage grief and longing.

2. How does Eliza’s story about her wish challenge or reinforce the idea that the springs are benevolent?

Eliza’s story reinforces the springs’ power to grant wishes—she wished for true love and a family, and Benson appeared. However, the chapter also hints at a darker side: the springs are described as a door between worlds, and Eliza has a scar and pricks her finger on a rose thorn. These details suggest that even a granted wish may come with hidden costs or that the springs are not purely benevolent. The closed signs and the “pale flash” in the water further imply danger.

3. What is the significance of Ethel seeing her reflection transform into the face of a little girl?

When Ethel speaks her wish to the water, her reflection shifts and becomes the face of the girl from her dream—her “not-yet daughter.” This transformation indicates that the springs are not just reflecting Ethel’s image but are actively responding to her desire. It suggests that the water can bridge the gap between the real world and a realm where her child exists, making the wish feel tangible and real. It also foreshadows that the child may be brought into Ethel’s life through supernatural means, with unknown consequences.