Whirligig

Brent takes a bus through Texas to Florida, sitting next to a woman who talks nonstop about various illnesses. At a station in Texas, he is disturbed by a sidewalk preacher’s mention of Cain. Brent arrives in Beale Beach, Florida and falls asleep on the beach. When he wakes up, he is surprised by the warmth of the water of the Gulf Coast.

Brent goes to check into a hotel. Knowing he looks suspicious, he ingratiates himself with the clerk by calling her “ma’am” and asking if there will be a Bible in his room. In his room, Brent hears jazz coming from next door and decides to build his next whirligig in the design of a marching band. He finds a note from the maid wishing him a pleasant stay. He writes back to her, saying, “I’m completely alone” (91).

Brent builds his whirligig on the beach, using a picnic table as a work surface and collecting palm fronds for shade. The whirligig is his most complex yet, but Brent avoids his earlier mistakes and finds himself enjoying the project. He takes a break to swim and read his book about space. He learns that the movement of the sun causes the earth’s seasons, “glorifying in his understanding” (94).