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Lester Billings Visits Dr. Harper
Lester visits Harper to discuss the death of his 3 children, Denny, Shril and Andy. This part is important since it explains the plot and characters within the first page.
" 'No--But I was responsible (for their deaths). Denny in1967, Shril in 1971. And Andy this year' " -
Lester explains why it will be okay
Lester says that, if they find out about his 3 dead children, it will be good because he will go to jail, where you can see all the rooms. This part shows how he is paranoid of rooms he cannot see into, such as the closet that Harper had investigated.
" 'I'd go to jail' Billings said immediately. 'For life, and you can see all the rooms in a jail' " -
Lester explains his first son, Denny's, death
He explains how he had to start putting him to bed, since his wife did nothing, and how his son kept saying 'light', and that he didnt know what it meant. Then how he laid him down, summer after Shril was born, and he said clearly 'Boogeyman' and pointed to the closet. He was angry that his wife taught him that word, and she did'nt. He ended up dead the next day
"I heard what he said that time. He pointed right at the closet when he said it. 'Boogeyman'." -
Lester explains the open closet door
As he explains his son dead in his room, lying on his back covered in blood, he noticed something that meant nothing then, but a lot more now..
" '-I did see one thing...The closet door was open. Just a crack, but I knew I had shut it the night before.' " -
Shril, Lesters second child, yells about the boogeyman too
Lester is startled when his daughter screams 'Boogeyman, Daddy!', just the way Denny had done it. This is significant because it is further explaining the childrens deaths and is also telling us about the 'Boogeyman'
" 'And one night, when I'm putting Shril in her crib she starts to scream and cry 'Boogeyman, Boogeyman Daddy!'. That threw a jump into me. It was just like Denny -
Lester sees something move behind his daughter as she screams
Lester hears a noise, then Shril screams. When he runs into her room, he sees a shadow move behind her crib. This is important because, again, its the character of the Boogeyman, and Lester, developing.
" '...she was sitting up in her crib crying and... something moved. Back in the shadows' " -
Lester explains the new neighborhood
He had moved with his family, but he didnt like the town. However, they lived a quiet life from then on.. until Lester feared the closets more.
" 'I started keeping my boots in the hall because I didn't like to open the closet door anymore.' " -
Lester described walking in while the Boogeyman had Andy
He had seen the frightening figure holding his son. He grabbed him and shook him as much as he could, but Andy's neck broke in the process.
" '..And I could see something with awful slumped shoulders and a scarecrow head..-- I heard it when Andys neck broke...It made a sound like ice cracking on a frozen pond.' " -
SPOILERS - Lester discovers the truth
As Lester finished telling the shrink about his children, the Dr. Recommends he sign up for Tuesday and Thursday sessions, telling him to see the nurse. But when he gets to the desk, the sign says 'Be back in a minute'. He walks back and says 'Your nurse is gone--' as he sees it...
" 'Your nurse is--' ...The room was empty. But the closet door was open. Just a crack. ... It still help its Dr. Harper mask in one rotted, spade-claw hand. END