Chapter Eleven: That Night. School Daze. Dad Leaves. The Well of the Worlds. The Other. The Old Woman. A Nasty Surprise.

Summary

• Chapter Eleven sees Charlie reminiscing about a tape from Mr. Bowditch while trying to engage with a book he'd taken from him. His father sees that Charlie is distracted and they have a conversation about Mr. Bowditch.
• Charlie's father is leaving for a retreat for a few days, leaving Charlie home alone. He asks Charlie if he'll be okay alone at home. Charlie confirms he will be fine despite his expectations of exploring the dangerous city Mr. Bowditch told him about.
• Charlie reads a book discussing the idea of gaining or losing years on a carousel - an idea similar to the sundial in the other world that Mr. Bowditch spoke about. This made Charlie suspect that the author of the book had visited the other world too.
• Charlie wakes up in the middle of the night, disturbed by a dream about a giant roach. Despite the dream, he resolves to go check out Mr. Bowditch's house the next morning.
• At the Mr. Bowditch's house, Charlie cleans up the mess left behind by an unknown intruder. He takes Radar, Mr. Bowditch's dog, along with him but realizes that he has to take her back home as she gets upset looking for Mr. Bowditch.
• Charlie notices similarities between make-believe fairy tales and real-life incidents in his life. This makes him reflect upon the existence of the other world mentioned by Mr. Bowditch.
• His father leaves for the retreat, allowing Charlie to explore the other world. He takes the gun and flashlight from Mr. Bowditch's house for his safety and explores the shed. He uncovers a well with steps leading to an unknown place - the other world.
• Charlie slowly descends the well's stairs, shining his light cautiously. He stumbles upon a giant roach that flees into the darkness upon catching his flashlight's light.

• The protagonist, descending deep into the earth down a series of steps, reaches a corridor mentioned by Mr. Bowditch. The protagonist is initially fearful but their fear is replaced with excitement at the prospect of another world up ahead.
• The protagonist traverses a mile-long corridor, avoiding colonies of bats, before finally seeing light at the end. They feel lightheaded, similar to a hyperventilation experience from their childhood, but this feeling passes, indicating they've crossed a border into a different world. Whole new scenery appears: poppy fields, a road, a cottage and a city on the horizon with tall, green glass towers.
• Approaching a nearby cottage, the main character tries to use their cell phone but it no longer works. Despite the change in surroundings, amazement does not overcome them. Instead, they focus on the scent of poppies and the distant view of the green glass city.
• The protagonist meets a woman named Dora wearing a pink dress near the cottage. She has a deformed and mostly erased face, speaks a different language, and collects an array of different shoes. Dora communicates with the protagonist through gestures and rudimentary writing in the dirt.
• Dora and the protagonist share a mutual understanding and love for Radar, a character presumably explained earlier in the book. The protagonist comforts Dora when they reveal that Radar is now old and not well, and that their mutual friend, Mr. Bowditch, has also died.
• Throughout their conversation, it becomes clear that the protagonist is unable to vocalize certain words or phrases in Dora's presence. They suspect this may be due to Dora understanding their language, which lacks words like 'nickname'.
• The protagonist is invited to stay for food but insists they need to leave, promising Dora they'll bring Radar round next time if possible. The protagonist plans to help Radar regain her youth with a sundial that sits in the direction of the city.
• The protagonist retraces their steps back through the mile-long passages and up the long stairwell leading back to the surface. But, just as they're about to exit, they feel the pressure of a hard circle object against their head and freeze on spot. It's revealed to be a person who threatens to shoot them unless the protagonist gives them what they came for, with a voice that eerily resembles a character from the previous chapter.