- Something needs to be done, so Coraline goes back to bed and makes a plan. (All of Shmoop's best thinking happens in bed, too. You have to be comfortable, right?)
- She discovers that the three marbles have shattered, and the souls inside them have gone. In any case, Coraline puts the shards of the marbles into a nice box. Kind of like a little burial.
- The next day, the hand is still missing. The case of the missing hand continues.
- As we kind of figured, Coraline's parents don't seem to remember anything about being trapped in a snow globe. Now that's some major memory loss.
- Coraline heads next door to have tea with Miss Spink and Miss Forcible. Wonder if they'll remember anything.
- The two ladies take the opportunity to tell Coraline her fortune again: they say that everything looks great, except for this weird hand that's reaching for something. Uh oh.
- One of the women's dogs has a weird cut on his side, and Coraline knows the other mother's hand is still on the loose. Only an evil hand could do that to an innocent puppy.
- Once again, Coraline has a restless night making plans. In the middle of planning, she spots the other mother's hand on the windowsill, trying to get in her room. Gah! This needs to end, and fast.
- The next day Coraline tells her mom that she's going to have a picnic with her dolls, and she asks for an old tablecloth to use.
- Coraline's mom thinks she's being kind of weird, playing with her dolls, but she doesn't press: she gives her a disposal plastic tablecloth and tells her to be back for lunch.
- Sneaky Coraline has something up her sleeve: she heads straight to the well.
- She removes the boards on the well, which are pretty heavy, and puts the tablecloth over the hole. Then she sets up her dolls and their tea cups to make it look like a picnic.
- La di da... Coraline heads back home, swinging that good ol' key of hers.
- On her way, she stops by Miss Spink and Miss Forcible's place to ask after their dog. It sure isn't good news: the women tell her that Mr. Bobo thinks a weasel attacked their poor pup.
- Mr. Bobo! That's the crazy man upstairs, it turns out; he's from a Romanian circus family. Coraline thinks this is awesome, and so do we.
- She loudly announces that she's going to go play by the old tennis courts. Sounds like she wants people (or hands...?) to know where she's headed.
- Once again, the women tell her to be careful of the well, but Coraline doesn't seem too worried. She goes back to her tea party, singing a silly song.
- When she gets there, she starts to talk to her dolls and she puts the key right in the middle of the picnic cloth, over the well.
- Coraline continues to chat with her dolls and waits... for the other mother's hand. She knows it's coming.
- Suddenly, the hand leaps out onto the table cloth and grabs the key. And just as Coraline had planned, it (key and all) goes tumbling right down into the well.
- Success! Coraline quickly pulls the heavy planks back over the well and shuts the other mother in there for good. Mission (finally) accomplished.
- The cat is delighted and comes over to join in the celebration. The two good guys (Coraline and the cat) walk home together.
- On her way, she runs into Mr. Bobo and tells him her name is Coraline. He finally gets it right.
- Mr. Bobo also tells her that his mice want to perform for her sometime. Nothing is too weird for her now, and she says she'll be happy to see them whenever they're ready.
- Before going home, Coraline goes to give the good-luck stone back to Miss Spink and Miss Forcible. Along with the stone, she gives them both a hug. Aw.
- That night, Coraline goes to bed, excited for school. Usually she's nervous the night before school starts, but she's not scared of anything anymore. You can understand why.
- As she goes to sleep, Coraline hears music from the mice circus and she dreams a sweet dream of playing with three nice children in a meadow.