The Goldfish Boy

The police question Matthew after the return of Teddy Dawson, as they are curious to know why Teddy would name Matthew as his kidnapper. Matthew’s parents step in and point out that Teddy is still a toddler, and being so, does not know many words. Before the police leave, they ask Matthew if he knows who took Teddy, to which he firmly replies that he does not.

Later in the day, Matthew uses his binoculars to search for Wallpaper Lion, figuring he may have dropped it on Penny and Gordon’s driveway. Miraculously, he spots the Wallpaper Eye, near their house.

Running outside to capture the Wallpaper Lion, Matthew runs into Jake and Gordon. Matthew, near Gordon’s now, tells him he has lost something important. Jake spots the piece of wallpaper by Penny and Gordon’s front step, and both boys race to retrieve it. At the front door, Matthew notices something on the window. He subtly gestures for Jake to look at the window. When Jake sees what Matthew sees, he is amazed. Gordon can sense something is up, but Matthew and Jake tell him nothing. Gordon, getting frustrated, grabs Matthew and calls him nosey and “always looking at matters that don’t concern you” (268). Jake comes to Matthew’s defense, telling Gordon to back off. Matthew hears a policeman’s car start up behind them and looks at Jake. Jake understands the message and dashes off to get Detective Bradley’s attention.

When Gordon lets him go, Matthew runs home and positions himself in the office window. He watches as Detective Bradley catches sight of the same thing Jake and Matthew noticed on Penny and Gordon’s window. Matthew catches the exact moment when Detective Bradley sees it, and when he does, he grabs his radio and calls for backup: on the corner of the side panel of glass is a child’s sticky handprint.

Everyone in the neighborhood is gathering to watch the events unfold at Penny and Gordon’s. Penny and Gordon emerge from their house, both in handcuffs, embarrassed by all the fanfare, Gordon covers his face with his hands. When Penny comes out, Mr. Charles shouts from across the street, wanting to know why she kidnapped Teddy. Penny is defensive and tells him she cared for him like a mother would, before looking at Teddy’s sister and asking, “Didn’t I, Casey?” (273).

When the police car leaves, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Old Nina, standing in her doorway, beckons for Matthew to come to her. She tells him she is aware that he watches her from his window. When he begins to apologize, she dismisses him, admitting that she herself is fond of people watching, too. Opening up to the boy, Nina tells Matthew that like him, her life has not always been easy. She leaves him with some advice, encouraging him to live his life to the fullest, and to never “wait for a storm to pass” (275). Nina tells Matthew instead to “go out there and dance in the rain” (275).

Officially taking meals at the dinner table with his family again, Matthew listens as his mother talks about Penny’s part in Teddy’s disappearance. Apparently, Casey had seen Penny pick Teddy up from the yard the day he went missing, and even waved at her. Penny also told the police that she only intended on looking after Teddy for a while so that Mr. Charles could rest, and had no intentions of kidnapping him. Sheila also reports that it was Gordon who returned Teddy; once Penny started talking about traveling abroad with Teddy to escape the authorities, Gordon returned the child.

Matthew wonders if anyone believes Casey’s claim that she had no idea Teddy was with Penny and Gordon; he, for one, does not believe her.

Despite having refused to do so, Matthew attends another therapy session with Dr. Rhodes. This time, he manages to open up to her. He reveals that the reason he is terrified of germs is directly linked to Callum’s death. He tells her, “If I don’t keep cleaning then I’ll get sick and then someone around me could die” (281). Matthew tells the story of how he had woken up feeling sick one night when he was seven. His mother, pregnant with Callum at the time, was worried. The next morning, Matthew’s father discovered that the boy had chicken pox. Though Callum was due in a week’s time, Sheila managed to successfully nurse Matthew back to health. When Matthew started feeling better, things went downhill for Sheila. Matthew can still remember the phone call his mother made on the day Callum was born: She had been calling Brian to tell him she was bleeding, which is often a sign of trouble during pregnancy. Callum was born that day and died shortly after.

Back in the present-day, Matthew tells Dr. Rhodes that Callum “died because of me” (285). He firmly believes that Callum would be alive today had he not had the chicken pox. Dr. Rhodes reassures him that Callum’s death had nothing to do with his chicken pox. She continues to console him and explains that the only way to overcome his fears is to face them head-on. To recover from OCD, Matthew will need to put himself in situations in which he feels uncomfortable, but by doing so, he can essentially rewire his brain and realize that the things he fears are not actually life-threatening. Matthew is terrified by the idea of facing his fears.

After his therapy session, Matthew has a heart-to-heart talk with his parents. He finally tells them why he is so afraid of germs, and that he has convinced himself that he is responsible for Callum’s death, which is why he cleans so much. His parents are appalled by his omission and reassure him that Callum’s death had nothing to do with his chicken pox. Matthew promises his parents that he will continue to seek therapy with Dr. Rhodes. His parents tell them they are proud of him for taking his life into his own hands, and for taking steps toward healing. Matthew reaches for the scrap of wallpaper in his pocket and asks his mother to throw it away for him, telling her, “I don’t need it anymore” (291).

After the discussion with his parents, Matthew thinks about his future. In his notebook, he writes a poem in which he imagines a happier, healthier future for himself, one in which he is not limited by his fears.

On the day of Sue’s barbecue, Matthew can hear the festivities going on outside from his bedroom. From the office window, he watches Melody and Jake join the party. He even sees Nina emerge from the Rectory. When she spots him watching her, she does a little dance in the street, referencing the advice she gave him the last time they spoke.

Deciding to follow Nina’s advice, Matthew joins the barbecue, despite being scared. Everyone is pleasantly surprised to see him. He greets Melody and Jake, and everyone is friendly with one another. When Melody asks Matthew how he is doing being out of his comfort zone, he tells her, “I think I’m going to be fine” (296).