55 pages 1 hour read

John Wyndham

The Chrysalids

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1955

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Chapters 12-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 12 Summary

David drifts off to sleep listing things to pack in case he and Petra have to leave. Soon after falling asleep, he is awoken by Petra standing in his doorway. Rosalind chimes in mentally, telling David that he and Petra need to leave immediately because Sally and Katherine have been taken. David grabs what he can, and he and Petra leave on one of their horses. They soon find Rosalind in the woods with her father’s two great-horses, and David rides with her, sending his own horse back home. Rosalind explains that her mother, who intuitively knew Rosalind was different, helped her pack. They settle somewhere deep in the woods for the night, and David takes watch as the other two sleep.

During the night, Michael tunes in to warn David that everyone is searching for him, and he plans to start a false rumor to divert them. When David’s turn is over, Rosalind takes over, but David soon awakes to hear Rosalind in distress after shooting down a man who managed to track them. Later that afternoon, David, Rosalind, and Petra are struck by a forceful pang of immense pain and soon understand it to be Katherine.

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By John Wyndham

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