The Things You Know
- Ben and Todd are hurrying in the direction of the swamp. Todd asks Ben how long he'll have to hide out and the answer isn't awesome: forever.
- Ben won't explain, but he says that Todd has to stay away from the town; he tells Todd to look in the book for an explanation.
- As it turns out, the book is actually Todd's mother's diary, which gives information about a plan that they've always kept a secret from him.
- Great—except for one thing: Todd can't really read.
- Todd can't get inside Ben's Noise to figure out what's going on, but in bits and pieces, Ben tells him that there are things that Todd should realize aren't true.
- Inside the book is a map that will lead Todd to a different place. Interesting…
- There's something even more mysterious: Ben lets Todd into his thoughts enough to let him know that in one month, when he becomes a man, Prentisstown would have done something really awful to him. Hrm…
- Right in the middle of their final goodbye, Ben and Todd are startled by an explosion coming from the farm. Ben makes Todd promise to keep running and hands him his hunting knife; a gift that Todd was hoping to get for his birthday.