Chapter Seventeen: Leaving Claudia. Remembering Jenny. A Night in the Storage Shed. The Gate. The Haunted City.

Summary

• In this chapter, the protagonist, Sharlie, is leaving Claudia behind and embarking on a mission to heal his ill dog, Radar. Claudia gives him strict instructions, emphasising the importance of being careful and quick.
• Sharlie begins his journey on a tricycle and encounters a deserted, eerie landscape filled with empty houses and the remnants of human civilization.
• While travelling, Sharlie remembers his friend Jenny, who introduced him to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The empty world he's journeying through reminds him of the settings of Lovecraft’s dark tales.
• Sharlie reaches an old storage shed for the night where he feels safer because it's protected by monarch butterflies. They are believed to safeguard an outpost in a world that was different before the fall of the royal family.
• Even though Radar's condition deteriorates, Sharlie feels hopeful when he feeds her digestive biscuits and she eats them willingly before turning away.
• The next morning, Sharlie continues his journey, reaching a massive gate embedded in a tall wall. The gate is adorned with gold and crossed with green supports. It's the entrance to the city of Lilimar, where he hopes to find a cure for Radar.

• The chapter opens with the protagonist trying to unlock an enormous gate by using a strange command, "Leah of the Gallien". The gate finally opens, revealing a once majestic courtyard now lined with broken stone butterfly statues.
• As the gate re-closes behind him, he decides to venture through the deserted courtyard towards the entrance to the city of Lilimar, ignoring the ominously darkened pool of water in his path.
• The protagonist pushes onward, with only the occasional marking of Mr. Bowditch's initials as a guide. The markings lead him deeper into the city and he worries about getting lost.
• He observes the eerie and dilapidated state of the once grand city. He also notices strange phenomenons such as buildings changing shape in his peripheral vision, whispering voices in abandoned underground shelters, and ominous statues and decaying mannequins.
• Despite his fear and the worsening condition of Radar - his sick dog, he determines to follow Mr. Bowditch's long faded trail of initials, believing this route to be the "back door" into the city.
• In their travels, they come across a dried up fountain and a massive yellow house which has three roof peaks mentioned in his guide's notes. As he approaches, he sees a figure outside the house which he believes to be Hana, his destination.