Chapter Twelve: Christopher Polley. Spilled Gold. Not So Nice. Preparations.

Summary

• The protagonist "Charles" is held at gunpoint by a man he thinks of as Rumpelstiltskin who is suspicious about Charles' activities in a hole which leads to alternative realms.
• Rumpelstiltskin is searching for gold and forces Charles to open a safe containing gold, once open, Charles overturns the bucket of gold, causing a distraction and ultimately overpowering Rumpelstiltskin.
• Whilst in control, Charles takes the assailant, revealed to be named Christopher Polley, through the house and throws him over a fence and into a greenbelt warning him to never return.
• Despite fearing repercussions, Charles cannot bring himself to kill Polley, and additionally cannot report him to the police without risk of exposure of the secret worlds and gold.
• After his confrontation, Charles eats and considers his next steps. He plans to not return to school, and to find a sundial which can revert his aging dog, Radar, back to a youthful state.
• Charles forms a plan to lay a false trail to misdirect investigators from his and Radar's disappearances.

• The chapter starts with a conversation about selling a property, and the protagonist, Charlie, indicates that he's unsure of who inherited it.
• The protagonist brings Radar, an old dog around the back of a house and up a hill, suggesting that the dog wouldn't handle a longer walk.
• Once inside, Radar settles near a sofa bed while Charlie uses quicklime to accelerate the decay of a deceased cockroach. In the process, he retrieves a revolver and gold pellets.
• Throughout the description of these tasks, Charlie mentions his thoughts, preoccupied with the other world he encountered previously — full of red poppies, a faceless woman, and glassy towers.
• Charlie stacks several magazines onto a well-represented portal to that other world, and decides to entirely cover the opening in his next visit.
• He then cares for Radar, offers her a treat, and walks her back home, contemplating their planned journey to this other world.
• Charlie writes a letter to his father, explaining he is taking Radar to Chicago for a chance at vitalizing her aging body with a peculiar treatment.
• He sends a similar email to someone at his school to explain his coming absences and calls the police to inquire about a home invasion at his address.
• After feeding Radar some pills — suspected to be doggy speed — Charlie receives a call from his dad, and they converse casually.
• Despite hiding things from his father, Charlie confidently contemplates their coming journey to the other world.
• To conclude the chapter, Charlie mulls over his decision to risk everything for Radar, the old dog. He acknowledges that curiosity about the other world is also driving him. But above all, it's his love for Radar, that motivates him.