The Narwhal

Basic Description
 The narwhal is a toothed whale (cetacea, odontoceti)  of the monodontidae family. (Which consists of only beluga whales and narwhals as they both have a melon-like forehead, small or non-existent snout, and no true dorsal fin.) Having only two teeth, the well-known tusk that mostly male narwhals feature is actually the tooth on the upper left side of the jaw, which grows through the lip into a hollow, helical structure, and usually ranges from two to three meters in length. Although the main purpose is not completely clear, most scientists believe that this tusk is used by males to maintain social dominance hierarchies or to impress potential mates through the process of "tusking." (See physical adaptations) When born, young narwhals are a brown colour, but slowly become a bluish-grey mottled with white as they reach maturity. Average male narwhals are about five metres long, excluding the length of a tusk, and weigh around 1.8 tons; females are slightly smaller at an average length of four meters, and usually weigh about 1 ton.
 The narwhal is a migratory species that travels from winter habitat amongst dense Arctic pack ice in which narwhals breathe through breaks, leads, and small holes in the ice, to bays and other places nearer to the coast as the winter freeze ends and such leads open up into channels. Much like the beluga, narwhals use a wide variety of sounds regularly in order to communicate, also relying somewhat on their voices to navigate the icy Arctic waters by means of echolocation. Relying on various other aquatic animals within the ecosystem for food, the narwhal is carnivorous and has a basic diet of fish, some shellfish, and squid.

Niche 
 Most known narwhal populations reside in the Russian and Atlantic areas of the northern part of the globe and have a migratory lifestyle, moving  in pods of 10-100 to the coastline during the summer months and travelling further away from the coast in pods of five to ten to areas amongst dense pack ice in the winter. Narwhals living in the Arctic area between Canada and Greenland generally rely upon populations Polar and Arctic cod, Greenland halibut (a flatfish), shrimp, and Gonatus squid for sustenance, being known mainly to consume species living near the ocean floor, or benthic zone; however some have been observed  while feeding upon various other species of fish, shrimp and squid living within their ecosystem at shallower depths. Orcas and Greenland sharks have been known to prey upon narwhals in open waters, and this unique species is hunted by the Inuit people for their tusks and skin- which is rich in Vitamin C and necessary for a balanced Arctic diet. Walruses and polar bears have also been known to prey upon narwhals, but this seems to be an extremely rare occurrence, as is most predation of narwhals. Despite forays into the benthic zone for food, most narwhals are known to remain mostly in the sunlit upper zone and the middle zone, with occasional travels into the topmost part of the lower zone.
Physical Adaptations
 One of the most well-known features of the narwhal is a helical tusk extending from the left part of the upper jaw. This interesting characteristic mainly appears in male narwhals (although some spottings of tusked females have been noted), and although its purpose is not fully clear it is thought to help males maintain social dominance hierarchies. This activity, known as "tusking," occurs when male narwhals rub tusks with one another. This fascinating feature is also thought to be used as some sort of a hydronamic sensor, as millions of tiny nerves extend from a central nerve within the hollow tusk and travel quite near to the outer surface of the horn, which would make it sensitive to changes in water temperature.
 A basic physical adaptation of the narwhal would be its tail and fins, used in swimming motions to assist the narwhal in making its way through Arctic seas.
 Narwhals are also known for the physical adaptations that give them their extensive diving ability, making it easier for this species to find food when lesser amounts are available with forays into deeper waters, especially in the winter. (In winter, Narwhals have been known to dive regularly to a depth of 800 meters, with many dives reaching 1500 meters.) On average, narwhals may spend 25 minutes underwater without coming up for air - this most definitely testifies to the fascinating diving ability of many marine mammals, using lobed lungs that allow for more air retention, lower heart rates (bradycardia), and other adaptations such as the ability to store excess oxygen in the blood and the cartilagenous trachea that allows them to conserve oxygen. This ability to store oxygen in the blood also prevents such animals from suffering from decompression sickness as nitrogen cannot bubble into the bloodstream when there is so much oxygen already within, despite extremely high pressure.

 The other main physical adaptation of the narwhal species that makes it easier for these individuals to survive in frigid waters is having a cylindrical body shape covered in a thick layer of blubber, lacking dorsal fins with a small, round head and minute mouth. In such cold temperatures, this assists narwhals in retaining body heat.
 Narwhal skin is known to be countershaded, with darker colouring on top and lighter hues upon the underbelly, bottom of the tail, et cetera. This adaptation allows the narwhal to blend in with deeper water when seen from above, and to appear similar in colour to shallower, light-filled waters when seen from below. This acts as a form of camouflage and prevents predation to some extent.
Behavioural Adaptations
 A major behavioural adaption of those among the numbers of Monodon monoceros is the way in which they stay in fairly limited areas during the winter months, mainly making only small movements so as to conserve energy. The migration of narwhals from dense pack ice in summer so as to make their way to shallow coastal summering grounds is another behavioural adaptation of this intruiging creature; it may be considered that during the winter narwhals likely travel away from the coast to hunt fish such as the Greenland halibut and other benthic prey living in deeper waters when hunting in the upper or middle oceanic zone is not possible due to ice formation. The tendency of narwhal individuals to travel in pods ranging from five to ten in the winter months, when food is less available; rather than combining several groups as they do in the summer when resources are more accessible is another way in which these intelligent animals make it easier for themselves to survive.
 Enabled by a combination of both behavioural and physical adaptations in the narwhal, this creature is known to make some of the deepest dives recorded among marine mammals, especially in the winter when dependence upon benthic-zone food supplies increases. During this season, many narwhals are known to dive to at least 800 meters in depth quite regularly, with many dives going up to 1500 meters. One behavioural adaptation component of the narwhal's diving patterns and ability would be the adaptation made by narwhals that causes them to generally dive to a much lesser depth in summer because there is less need to go so deep in the search for sustenance, especially in shallower summering areas where many narwhals dive only from 30 to 300 meters on average.

Specialist, or Generalist?
 Although narwhals do migrate to assist themselves in surviving the different Arctic seasons, this creature is mainly a specialist in the general marine Arctic environment because narwhals are adapted specifically to live successfully in a frigid marine ecosystem with their compact body shape, thick layer of blubber, and the behaviours causing these animals to conserve energy by making only small-scale movements in the winter. Also, these creatures are adapted to compete for specific food sources widely available in their environment which could be considered fairly stable resources due to their general availability and the number of species that share them. Deep-diving and echolocation skills are two characteristics that make narwhals specifically adapted to hunt such creatures, also the way in which narwhals do follow some food resources further out to sea in winter (ex. Greenland halibut) indicates that they depend upon these creatures as a main food source and have therefore adapted in a manner that allows them to compete for these edible creatures.
Competition
 Within the species, male narwhals are known to compete for mates and for social dominance during the summer months through "tusking." Competition for food, especially among the average pods of five to ten during the winter when food is not as easily obtained may also affect those of the narwhal species when populations of prey are low or hard to find, or when many other species also compete for those of a specific group or species. Other species, such as the Sperm whale, Short-finned Pilot whale, Dall's porpoise, Baird's Beaked whale and many others are known to use the Gonatus squid as a food source, and the narwhal competes with beluga whales, ringed seals, and seabirds for polar cod; arctic cod is consumed also by most arctic marine mammals and seabirds. As few narwhal food resources are predated only by this animal, they must compete among various other aquatic species living in the Arctic for widely used food resources. One of the largest source of competition against the narwhal would be other whales in this ecosystem, competing for the usage of larger-sized species as food.
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Mating
 Narwhals tend to breed in the spring, with peak season usually occurring in mid-April. The most commonly known facet of narwhal mating rituals, "tusking" involves two males rubbing tusks together in a sort of motion similar to fencing, competing for the right to mate with a certain female. Male narwhals reach sexual maturity around the age of eight or nine, becoming a little more than four meters long on average (as they continue to grow) with tusk size generally increasing fairly rapidly around that time so as to allow for tusking competitions. Generally, tusks of a male narwhal become about 2 or 3 meters long at this point. Females reach maturity between the ages of four and seven. The gestation period of a narwhal is about 15 months, so that calves are usually mainly produced around July of the following year if concieved in April. This allows for newborns to adapt to Arctic life prior to the onset of  winter.
Narwhal Facts
·  The skin of adult narwhals is a mottled bluish-grey similar in colour to drowning victims and therefore the Old Norse word "nar," meaning corpse became the prefix of this creature's common name
·  On extremely rare occasions, male narwhals may have dual tusks, in which both teeth in the upper jaw have grown out. There has been only one recorded case of a female narwhal having two tusks, being that it is rare for females to grow tusks in the first place.
·  All attempt to keep narwhals in captivity have failed, with individuals usually dying within a few months after being taken from their natural habitat.
·  During the Medieval times, some Europeans were unaware of the existence of this creature and therefore considered narwhal horns sold by Vikings and others who made forays to the north to be those of mystical unicorns. These horns were sold for many times their weight in gold as during those times many believed that a cup made from the horn of a "unicorn" could negate the effects of any poison added to drinks, and that the horn itself could be used as a cure-all for poisoning and melancholia.
·  In the 1500s, it is known that Queen Elizabeth I received a carved and jewelled narwhal tusk for 10 000 pounds sterling - equivalent to about 1.5 or 2.5 million pounds today. At that time, 10 000 pounds was the cost of an average castle.
·  With age, narwhals are known to become much lighter in colouring as the size and number of their whitish patches increase. This may occur due to a loss of skin pigmentation.
·  Most narwhals are known to live for about 30 or 40 years
·  To find food, narwhals use echolocation. A series of high-pitched sounds are emitted by the narwhal through the nose, these sounds then travel through the water, bounce off objects, and return to the narwhal. By the time it takes for the sounds to return, a narwhal can predict how far away its prey is.

Samples of Written Work (Elsewhere Novel Study)

ELSEWHERE
(Written by Gabrielle Zevin)
An Independent Novel Study

   Elsewhere is a story about life, death, and the expectations which follow such subjects. Wholly whimsical and intriguing, this work (written by Gabrielle Zevin) relates the tale of Elizabeth Marie Hall, known as “Liz” by friends and family throughout most of the book. The Earthly narration of 15-year-old Liz’s life in Medford, Massachusetts is a recurring subject within the beginning of this captivating novel, for it reminds the reader of this protagonist’s main struggle: coming to terms with her early death.
                     
 After a short, mournful contribution from Lucy, the pug Liz left back on Earth, the story truly began when our main character awoke feeling as though she was being suffocated by the sheets which she lay beneath in an entirely foreign set of quarters. Fleetly studying her surroundings, she noticed that in the bunk above hers, a girl with dark, intricately braided hair was sleeping. Confused, Liz asked her if she was aware of their location. The girl replied sleepily -not without indignation in response to what she perceived to be a pointless awakening- that they were obviously on a boat, as if one looked out of the apparent 'porthole' in their cabin, they could observe as evidence that deep cerulean waters could be seen in all directions. Foreshadowing the oblivious girl’s fate for the reader, the omniscient narrator indicated that Liz approached this window, observing a dock, quickly fading into a distance of incredible vastness, on which she could faintly see her mournful-looking family standing. Swallowed by fog, the image disappeared, covered by a wall of dank grey mist. Liz returned to her bunk, assuring herself that she likely was experiencing merely a dream. Baffled and slightly frightened, she began to count the reasons for which that which she experienced during those moments could not have been her reality - as her normalcy was one that was generally replete with explanations for all things, mainly due to the influences of her intellectual parents. Trying to reassure herself further, Liz decided that it was truly wasteful to spend one’s dreams asleep when it could be that untold opportunity existed; and so she began to study the room she was in. Seeming to have a very impersonal, institutional feeling, it was soon deemed to be wholly lacking the familiar comforts of her home in Medford, Massachusetts. By the accidental slam of a drawer, Liz again caused her slumbering roommate to arise. As her anger lessened regarding the disturbance, this girl introduced herself to Liz as Thandiwe Washington, often known as “Thandi.” After a few moments of chatter, Thandi informed Liz that she lacked hair by means of inquiry into the reasons for this; it was confirmed when Liz felt her cranium, faintly remembering a seemingly false incident in which her head was shaved  while she laid upon a cot. During this faint, distant event her mother tried to assure her that it would all soon grow back, although it hardly seemed to be for her own benefit, as she was rather tearful. Unable to decide whether this had truly happened, Liz chose not to dwell upon the issue, and therefore asked Thandi if she would like to accompany her on an expedition of boat exploration. Thandi agreed, and so they exited their cabin soon being directed to the ship’s dining hall due to the placement of a sign within the corridor. When they entered the dining hall, having decided that sustenance seemed to be a necessity of the moment, they quickly noticed that vast majorities of the ship’s inhabitants were elderly. Forebodingly, three of these senior citizens approached the girls; and Liz was reminded of Shakespeare’s immortal witches, despite  their mission only being to ask whether either of the two, possessing undeniable youth, were aware of what had befallen them, despite the intention of their inquiry being obscure in meaning to the main character. Liz's confusion only increased as Thandi  -seemingly strangely- informed them that she had been shot in the head – for she had claimed not to know such information when Liz had previously asked her to identify the violent culprit which had caused the hole that was shown to her when the girl lifted her braids. Having excused herself from the unsettling conversation, Liz traversed over to the buffet line and selected the foods which she desired to eat for breakfast; after finding a table and finishing their meal, the girls were approached by a man who asked to sit with those who he observed to be the only other people who had not been wrinkled and bent by the weight of time in the area- which was almost completely filled with those of great age. After providing her assent, Liz promptly recognized that this individual was Curtis Jest, the lead singer of her favourite band. After informing him that she believed she had come to experience one of the most enjoyably Curtis became curious, asking if she was aware of the situation of all of those upon the vessel, in the sense of the purpose that had individually caused her to reach it. Confused, Liz attempted to change the subject by asking Curtis when his band’s latest album was set for release, although his reply caused her to question whether the band had merely become the fragments of individuals due to internal issues. After questioning him a few more times, Curtis showed her his arm, covered in the track-like wounds indicative of heavy heroin usage. The topic soon changed to the hole in Thandi’s head, as Liz excused herself, not understanding what she had seen. Running outside onto the ship’s main deck, she began an almost hysterical pattern of behavior, indicating that she believed that this was a nightmare which should be escaped by first testing herself to see if she was dreaming through the classic means popularized by media, then attempting to rationalize the situation she found herself in. After she tried screaming to her mother that she was having a nightmare - the narrator relating that she hoped that she would soon be awoken from that which she believed her situation to be- she was briskly chided by another on the deck for her disruptiveness. Liz attempted to calm herself down and determine when the “dream” actually began, with a phantasmagoria of recalled image beginning to swirl about her mind, In short, Liz remembered that she was to have met her best friend, Zooey, at the mall to help her select a dress for the prom. Riding her bicycle to this location, she  recalled having arrived at the final intersection she had yet to pass, attempting to cross it, and being suddenly hit by a taxi. Although she remembered so clearly the sensation of flying through the air to her doom, Liz decides that she died in her dream – and so she would soon wake up with her life as it always had been. Soon, she began to wonder if going back to sleep would allow her to return to the world in which she belonged, feeling grateful to Thandi for having made her memorize their cabin number. Walking quickly back across the ship deck, Liz noticed the name of the ship upon a life preserver – the SS Nile. Supposing that this term had been brought into her dream by a world history lesson on ancient Egypt from her schooling, Liz continued her attempts to convince herself that what she had been experiencing was not true reality.

 Several nights after she had endeavoured to wake herself, still knowing little of what had caused her to remain such a state for so long, Liz was awakened by the sound of Thandi sobbing in the bunk above hers –asking her what was wrong, Liz was tearfully was informed by Thandi that she sorely missed portions of her Earthly life. Eventually, their conversation turned towards a set of stitches Liz noticed above her left ear, which she hadn’t before seen.  Asked if she had previously beheld them, the girl assured her that they had been there since the two met. Liz mentioned how odd it was that both of them had wounds that would normally be painful, and yet neither felt any semblance of the effects. When asked if she recalled that which had caused her to require the stitches, Liz informed her that she distantly remembered another part of “the dream,” in which she was in a bicycle accident. Feeling very overwhelmed, Liz sat down, and suddenly feeling the need to ask Thandi how she was shot – Thandi informed her that she had been walking down the street with her boyfriend in D.C. when suddenly a bullet hit her, and that the next thing she recalled was being awoken by Liz on the boat. Liz inquired of her whether she was certain that this event was not part of a dream of her own, and she was assured that Thandi did not believe that she had experienced mere nighttime reverie. Again mentioning the strange, impossible things which had happened to them – being severely injured and yet not at all experiencing pain, and meeting a famous person like Curtis Jest, Liz could not  help but wonder how such experiences could be anything but a dream;  becoming agitated when Thandi told her of a cousin, Shelly-from-Baltimore, who had marks upon her arms similar to those which Curtis had shown them, and had also  died young. After apologizing, Liz was informed by Thandi that she was in denial – Liz being about to inquire  of the meaning behind Thandi’s statement  when an envelope was pushed under the cabin door, in which was held an invitation addressed to Liz, along with an oddly hexagonal piece of currency with a hole in its center. Under closer study, Liz saw that this item was stamped with the words “One Eternim,” and “Official Currency of Elsewhere” on its front and back sides. The document merely stated that her immediate presence had been requested, with the location being listed as the ‘Observation Deck’s 219th binocular set’. Liz hurried to leave, first asking Thandi if she would like to accompany her – this was declined, as Thandi informed her that it was best that she went alone – an action which seemed to indicate that she had already surpassed point while travelling to a ghastly, unknown destination. Just as she was about to exit the cabin, Liz asked for confirmation of the notion that the marks on Curtis’s arms had been gained by means of the usage of heroin, which was clearly provided, indicative of the loss in strength which Liz’s initial “dream theory” had suffered.  After leaving the room, she reached the Observation Desks – strangely having a history class’s poem repeating within her mind once again, while feeling that something definitive would happen when she reached her destination. She found that the Observation Deck was composed of numerous pairs of binoculars similar in structure to parking meters, and attached metal stools. After locating the pair identified for her use on the card, Liz seated herself and placed the coin in a slot on the side of the machine, peering into the lenses.

 Liz observed that the series of image shown to her were set in a church – the one she had occasionally been made to attend when her mother felt the need to enhance her “spiritual life.” As that through which she was able to view these events moved, she noticed that the pews of the building were occupied mainly by students from her high school clad in black, as well as relatives and friends of her parents. In the front row sat her tearful-looking family, while the principal of her school stood at the pulpit, speaking rather highly of her in his “assembly voice," although they had never conversed, and many statements seemed to be extreme exaggerations about generalized positive qualities she had apparently possessed. Realizing that she was likely viewing a funeral, Liz found that she was wholly unsurprised when his speech led to what apparently was to be learned from the death of such youth: absurdly, the importance of traffic safety- at this point, the narrator indicated that it occurred to Liz she was likely witnessing an awkward, ridiculous ceremony intended to celebrate her own life. In an apparent motion to retain “memory of Elizabeth Marie Hall,” the principal challenged attendants to gain various habits that would correspond with his preachy spiel upon this sort of security, listing off a bevy of suggestions that seemed endless to Liz. Becoming increasingly bored with the man’s interminable tirade, she panned the binoculars to the left and descried a coffin, lacquered in white with a series of pink roses on the side. At this point, Liz experienced a notion of certainty – being quite aware of what the seemingly tacky box contained- but to gain affirmation, she peered inside. Seeing her lifeless self, attired in a brown dress which she had always hated, and wearing a blonde wig, Liz felt little emotion regarding this confirmation of her suspicions.
 With a final glance into the odd bits of machinery, Liz attempted to complete a mental checklist focused upon the people who she believed were naturally required to provide their presence, and almost immediately perceived that Zooey had not chosen to appear for the occasion. Ending her viewing, disgusted by what seemed to her to be a friend’s dreadful neglect, it certainly seemed as though Liz wished to see little more of her funeral. This main character soon began to reflect upon what likely would be considered her lack of life – noticing that despite the beliefs most persons are provided with prior to death, nothing had truly changed for her and she could discern no feelings of difference at all in terms of physicality. Walking down one of the long rows of binoculars, which Observation Deck was composed of, she soon ascertained that Curtis Jest was peering into his own set of binoculars, although it seemed as though he greatly lacked interest regarding what he was viewing. The eye which was not used to observe what had been shown within the implement spotted Liz almost immediately, and he jovially asked her how she was enjoying the afterlife- with Liz attempting to convey a rather nonchalant response.
 However, she internally began to consider the realities of her new sort of life, consciously considering the notion that she might never have the capability to interact with her family and established friends again. Deciding she felt as though she has just attended the collective funeral for everyone that she had been familiar with, Liz informed Curtis that her funeral was mainly an event during which her school principal took the opportunity to preach a near-endless sermon on traffic safety upon his inquiry. She also verbally noted that the man had decided to say that she was a straight-A student, which was most untrue; Curtis observed that when one watched the news, they would generally find that all of those who are students during the time of their passing suspiciously happened to have grades and intellect which was near-perfect. Still in a rather dark and depressed mood, Liz mulled over whether her death was likely to have even been mentioned on the local news, as she had died in what seemed to be a rather dull manner. Curtis tried to comfort Liz by means of utilizing a rather ironic Hendrix quote, next asking if she would have liked to observe his funeral. Reluctantly, Liz agreed, and looked in to find an event far more elaborate and chaotic ceremony than that which had celebrated her simple life. The event, studded with celebrity and luxury, included various well-known performers singing songs which Curtis had written - as well as a juggling bear standing atop the coffin. Curtis informed Liz that the bear was supposed to be his band’s next music video, and so it is possible that one of his fellow musicians thought that he would enjoy it. Moving away from these images, Liz asked Curtis how he was brought to their strange location, his response being that the news declared it to be “an apparent drug overdose.” As Liz informed him that she was killed in a bicycle accident, her kindly companion observed that such facts helped to explain the purpose behind the traffic-safety theme of her funeral. After stating remembrance of her mother having always tried to coerce her to wear a helmet when riding her bicycle, the main character of the story found that tears had sprung into her eyes as she voiced the sorrow resting heavily upon her- for within her youthful mind, damaged with countless quelled hopes it appeared unnatural for one her age to be eternally separated from those they cared about. When Curtis offered his pajama sleeve, she wiped her eyes, noting that his arm appeared to be healing well as a means by which she could avoid further embarrassment in the form of continuing such an emotional tirade. When Curtis once again tried to comfort her about her losses, Liz became frustrated, perhaps as a means by which to shield herself from the profound grief she was experiencing. Indicating that their situations were different when Curtis began to speak about his difficulties within the reality of the afterlife, Liz seemed to state that to her, his death was one which could have been avoided. However, Curtis became offended, clearly indicating that he had never felt a desire for death so profound that he could intentionally have acted upon it – the strength of addiction simply had caused him to make an irreversible mistake. Wholly embarrassed, Liz apologized; although her first attempt met only an air of silent dismissal, when she explained that she believed he was suicidal or entertained thoughts of death due to the darkness of many of the songs which he had written and indicated that she felt badly for being assumptive, he commended her for apologizing properly – something which few people were capable of doing within an age of excess and individualism, in his belief. When Liz informed him that many people were likely greatly bereaved by his death, she provided herself as an example – although he observed that they were in the same place, and therefore to her he was not truly gone. This banter caused Liz to laugh, forcing her once again to reflect upon how ironic it was to act in such a manner when considering the situation in which she had found herself. As the subject of conversation shifted to other topics, Liz inquired whether Curtis believed that they would remain upon their current vehicle of oceanic transportation forever. In response, the musician noted that beyond the decks of the ship and some expanse of ocean, he could see some sort of shore, a signaling indicating that they might soon find themselves upon land. This comforted Liz most greatly, for the narrator indicated that she believed it to be best for the dead to be in some sort of stationary settlement, rather than drifting throughout vast and eternal nothingness.
 The next section of Elsewhere began with Thandi announcing that they had reached some sort of land-based location,  peering out the porthole accessible only by those able to clamber up to the room’s top bunk. Extremely excited, she swooped about the apartments like a whirlwind, dragging Liz along with her. Once this strange bout of motion had ended, Liz - still greatly feeling depressed regarding the discovery of her loss of Earthly life- indirectly inquired how Thandi could allow herself to feels such positive emotion while possessing such overbearing knowledge. Relieved that her friend had finally allowed herself to become aware of the truth of their situation without attempting to rationalize it, Thandi explained, with much peacefulness, wished not to feel sorrow over that which she was incapable of  altering, and had therefore decided to remain positive, enjoying the benefits of their situation as much as she possibly could.
                                                                          
  An announcement soon blared from the ship’s PA system; the captain informing all passengers of the SS Nile that they had reached their destination- a place which he referred to only as “Elsewhere.” All listeners learned that this was to be the last and only stop made by the vessel, it being stressed that it was crucial for all passengers to leave the ship immediately. Still feeling as though invisible clouds of negativity and miserable luck had descended upon her, Liz urged Thandi to leave the cabin without her, begging excuse for her desire to wait first by stating that the corridors would most likely be extremely crowded, then indicating that she wished to be alone when the girl offered to wait with her. Reluctantly, Thandi left after ordering Liz to eventually exit – promising to do so, Thandi had nearly removed herself from the premises of the cabin; however, Liz suddenly attempted to investigate what Thandi believed to be the reason for which they had found themselves to be roommates. Thandi simply labeled the situation as an attempt to put similar travelers together, for it seemed possible that they were the only teenage girls who had died of acute head traumas during that day when one observed the mainly-elderly others upon the ship. After a more profound goodbye than the first, Thandiwe finally exited the room, leaving Liz in a solitary situation, once again feeling depressed and resentful. What the purpose of bringing young life to a place only beneficial for the aged might have been was wholly unknown to her, for she could not think of anyone she knew on Earth around her age that was now deceased, whereas elderly people likely knew many that had gone before them.
                      
 Becoming redundantly reflective, Liz decided that there was a possibility that she could disregard the statements of the ship staff, choosing instead to stow away; for she believed the vessel would likely return to Earth and the life which she was said to have lost – for the stories of those who had been pronounced dead, and yet returned to life might have been those of the individuals with the foresight to return to Earth by refusing to leave the ship. Imagining the sort of homecoming such an experience would bring, Liz lost herself within  imagination, entertaining  belief of an unrealistic world of loopholes declared miracles, and the media frenzies which might surround the focus of such events, bringing attention to the manner in which typical persons of youth, much like  Liz herself, often desire that which provides them with the captivation of worldwide audiences, or merely even those who such persons might generally like to impress. Becoming wholly  set upon an attempt at realizing her wish to return to that with which she had eternally been familiar, Liz chose to hide beneath her bunk within the oceanic craft's bowels so as to avoid being noticed by any who might check the vessel for wandering individuals. However, her endeavours were foiled after a few hours when a young boy dressed in the garments of a naval captain entered the room, informing her that  was aware of her presence, eventually leading him to inform her that no person might return t Earth in any form other than that of a spectre through such a method as endeavouring to act as a stowaway. Being wholly aware that her returning in such a ghastly manner to a partial form of her life would put only further strain upon those with whom she had desired to remain with, she brought herself unintentionally to yet another bout of embarrassing tears; however, it was soon realized that her actions were foolish, and Liz thus chose to leave the boat.  With the sun nearly set, she arrived upon the dock to see only a single person within the area – one who, strangely enough, greatly reminded her of her mother in relation to her appearance. After being greeted and approached by this individual, Liz, ever wary, questioned the woman for the reasons behind her embrace and visage, as well as that which had caused her to speak so that it seemed nearly as though she believed them to be familiar, mentioning the similarities in appearance of the female's features and mannerisms to those of her parent. Liz’s questions were answered as this lady, though seeming to be fairly young, claimed to be her maternal grandmother, who had died prior to her Liz's entrance into the world. Welcomed into what Betty merely called “Elsewhere,” (which was entirely a neologism to Liz) it was  indicated that this primary character understood not  why one who was supposed to be of age greater than fifty looked to be of many fewer years, which provided Betty with the opportunity to inform her that within their region of existence, all aging occurred in a manner which would be considered “backward” to those accustomed to the ideals regarding life cycles existing on Earth. Liz became entirely frustrated by this revelation, nearly releasing the passive-aggressive forces having been held within her for several days which had been brought about by her feeling as though some omnipotent force within the universe had dealt her a barrage of countless injustices beyond those relating to her loss of residence upon the planet of her origin. For it appeared to her that it had taken an incredibly long time to reach her fifteen years of age, and that therefore it was wholly unfair for one of her youth to have been so affected by the ways of Nature - for she had become completely certain that this manner of life, though having been so recently and inextricably applied to her person, was something that could allow her never to reach beyond the limitations of an era of living she had expected herself to have eternally surpassed, and  Liz thus became certain in the belief that she had been wronged eternally, provided with the false promises of her society in regards to various experiences, rites of passage, and information which she had expected to acquire prior to the snuffing of life's small, weak, and nondescript flame within the interminable fires of the universe
 . On the car ride back to Betty’s home, where Liz was  to live,  Betty informed her of some of the basic peculiarities of their sort of realm, in comparison to that which Liz had become accustomed to -for Elsewhere seemed to be strangely  similar to any ordinary semi-urban location which one could make passage through on Earth. After being informed of the some deviations of this location from that which was understood on the land on which persons eternally began  their lives of consciousness anew, Liz finally decided to ask her grandmother exactly what the strange cycle of life upon Elsewhere entailed, with her tutelage being provided so that Liz came to learn that essentially everyone became younger incrementally, aging never beyond the day during which they died, eventually returning to infancy,  at which time they were  taken to participate in a daily ceremony referred to simply as the Release, in which they were sent into a river which apparently led to Earth, being born as new individuals with no remembrance of any events of their previous lives upon their arrival, with this constantly occurring, according to the awareness of all persons within the region. All Liz was able to consider was the injustice of this situation, for she was not a person of great age whose greatest desire would be to become young again. Although Betty tried to comfort her by informing her that although she will never be an adult, she will continue to acquire experience and memories until her mind she leaves again, Liz began a frighteningly vicious tirade upon the  internal revelation that she might never meet several of the goals which she held for what she considered to be unavoidable – adulthood. Despite such viciousness, Betty attempted to appease her irritated granddaughter by allowing her to drive, for it was mentioned that she felt greatly bereaved, believing that she could never that she could never have a true driver’s license, although she had obtained her learner’s permit during her time on Earth. Although her grandmother assured her that she was certain those of lesser age were yet able to receive such certification, the other grievances which filled Liz's mind caused her to feel relatively unaffected by such knowledge. However, she wanted no to avoid that which could be likely to become something she would eventually would be unable to do, and therefore accepted this opportunity, despite it soon being learned that she was unfit to be operating that sort of machinery in her state. This was first indicated by her excessive use of speed, well noted and lightly protested by her grandmother. However, the issue was compounded after several irrational maneuvers, when she finally smashed into the guardrail, which separated the neighbourhood in which Betty resided from the highway upon which they were travelling. Despite the severity of the crash, which likely would have deeply injured one living on Earth, it was soon realized by a horrified Liz that her grandmother’s car, and those who had been using it as a means by which to transport themselves, had been little affected by the violent impact. For one who had already been in horrible spirits, the realization that little could be done to damage oneself in Elsewhere, and that all would be healed after a short time anyways completely  completed Liz’s feeling of being wholly alienated from any notions she might have had which would have allowed her to accept new life. Becoming resentful regarding the concern which Betty held for her unfortunate granddaughter, which seemed to be worthless in light of the situation, Liz merely asked whether any of the effects of the crash would matter, for all evidence of such an occurrence which could have been observed by the abilities of humanity not relating to the sharing of information would soon be permanently erased. After her anger resided, however, Liz became aware of how terribly she had acted towards the individual who had yet offered her only undue hospitality and understanding – embarrassed; she apologized to her relation, who had become slightly irritable in spite of her general nature. This soon disappeared, for one possessing Betty’s sympathetic tendencies could undoubtedly understand the severity and hopelessness, as seen by her granddaughter, of her situation.
  Upon the day during which she was told she needed visit the building which held various offices taking part in the regulation and organization of the strange new place in which she had found herself, Liz was awakened by her grandmother so as to prevent her from missing what she referred to as an appointment of acclimation. After several pleas for rescheduling, Liz was informed that she was legally required to attend this event, as all brought to Elsewhere were, upon their first complete day in the area. Following several attempts made by Betty to convince her granddaughter that the filthy white pajamas she had been attired in since her return to consciousness aboard the SS Nile were possibly not the best choice for her first purposeful outing within the otherworldly land in which she had found herself, she relinquished control of the situation once again after offering the use of her own clothes, for the sake of her kindness and ability to consider the perspectives of most others. During the car ride, Liz learned of another of Elsewhere’s peculiarities, being informed by her grandmother that she had viewed most of her younger relative’s Earthly life by means of “Observation Decks” similar to those upon the SS Nile from whence she had viewed her funeral. Despite being daunted by the sheer size of the building upon her arrival, appearing as though it had been built by a child due to its many nonsensical additions, Betty’s offer to escort Liz into the building was declined; this could reasonably be attributed to her confidence and the assurance which she seemed to possess in relation to her intellect, despite all that she had learned during her journey. As she soon found that all directions within the constantly-growing building were far outdated, Liz arrived late for her appointment, much to the chagrin of the secretary of the Office of Acclimation. Finding her immediately to be a rather strict individual, wholly abhorred by all lateness and abandonment of protocol, this woman soon ushered Liz into a small, dusty room filled only with the flickering screen of an old television; upon this could be viewed a short film used to explain the factors contributing to Elsewhere’s pattern of lifestyle and society. After an explanation of Elsewhere’s “backward” aging process, of which Liz was already aware, she was informed by means of a cartoon parrot of the way in which age and birthdays are determined within this society, as well as of the fact that no living creatures are ‘born’ in Elsewhere in the Earthly sense – people could become ill or injured, but could merely await for the effects of their aging to remove all vestiges of suffering. People living in Elsewhere, as Liz was taught, were forbidden to contact those living upon Earth. Familiar individuals could be viewed by use of the Observation Decks scattered throughout the area, with five minutes of time costing one Eternim each, the area’s official currency.  From the overall theme of the video, Liz gleaned that the area in which she had found herself seemed to be a sort of dimension parallel to Earth, upon which life cycles which had been begun –in Elsewhere, all physical change and that which was obtained by age upon the former area was contradicted by the vicinity’s strange effects, although individuals retained most of their mental faculties, including memory and the capability to learn.

                        Soon, this film was concluded, with Liz being awakened and almost immediately directed to the office of Aldous Ghent, her acclimation advisor. Although most of the film provided basic information regarding Elsewhere, Liz questioned this man further; learning mainly that all within this place generally chose what was called an avocation – which, apparently, was a sort of meaningful employment which one was supposed to enjoy, and that all forms of religion involving omnipotent beings remained the same as they were on Earth, with no changes existing in relation to the beliefs relating to the locations of said beings. After this inquiry, Mr. Ghent soon returned t o the topic of avocation, asking Liz whether she had any idea regarding what sort of work she would enjoy. After some consideration of that in which she was skilled, Liz realized that she found few activities regarding these subjects to be fulfilling; remembering that she had desired to become a veterinarian during her time on Earth, she mentioned her love of animals, especially dogs, while considering the prized pug which she had unwillingly left within the place in which she and her family had lived. Aldous had told her that all who travelled to Elsewhere who were under the age of sixteen and finding difficulty in becoming used to the place in which they had found themselves could choose to return to Earth through travel down a river leading to it, but would simply return to the form of an infant, with no recollection of past lives. Liz soon decided that she did not wish to make use of this policy, the “Sneaker Clause,” believing that it would be pointless to rush her return to Earth if she was unable to return to the life that she so longed for. Having no desire to immediately become a young child once again after the fifteen long years she had invested within her current life - accumulating knowledge and memories- the prospects for her choosing such an option seemed less likely than her adjustment to Elsewhere. Soon, her interview with Aldous – one of many to come- was concluded, and she was ushered into her next appointment, a rather depressing event. Learning that the last thing she had ever said upon Earth was ‘um’  caused her to experience a sense of the pointlessness of her life within the department required to ensure that the recorded final phrase of new citizens was identified correctly within a certain mysterious tome. Seeming incredibly representative of the way in which her what she believed to have been her linkage to true humanity had been snuffed out, this was a term which was used to generally begin phrases, quite indefinite in itself; Liz believed that this indicated the extent to which she had accomplished her ambitions– for although little had yet happened within her life, she had believed herself to be only beginning upon a long journey leading to renown, wealth, or fulfillment, like many individuals of her Earthly age. Told that her confirmation was merely a formality, as the book in which such things appeared was apparently never wrong, Liz provided the individual in charge of this administrative procedure with her mournful assent.
Meeting Thandi as she left the office, Liz soon learned that she had also just completed her confirmation of last words and a consecutive acclimation appointment. Soon learning that the other girl was also greatly disappointed in what she had said in her last moments upon Earth, their feeble friendship seemed to become more concrete. After learning that she was becoming adjusted to life in Elsewhere with the help of her cousin, Shelly, who was no longer a heroin addict, Thandi welcomed her to visit them in their home at any time – an offer which would not be taken up for a great deal of time following the girls’ meeting. 
 As Thandi left, Liz was again approached by Aldous Ghent, for the eager individual professed to her that he had found an avocational opportunity which would be most suitable. Despite being offered the chance of application at the canine equivalent of Elsewhere’s human acclimation office, this would allow her to work with domestic animals, helping them to adapt to Elsewhere’s oddities. However, Liz was soon disappointed when it was noted that she would have to learn the language of dogs, Canine, which many people in Elsewhere were naturally capable of speaking. Feeling as though she desired only to observe those she had left behind on Earth, Liz delayed action by means of informing Aldous that she felt adjustment time would be necessary to assist her in becoming used to the peculiarities of this unfamiliar place. In a manner much like a balloon slightly deflated, this comment caused the man – once a teacher – to inform her that the more time she took to toil over thoughts of a life lost, the more difficult it would be to adapt to the new ways of Elsewhere. However, Liz felt as though no fulfillment of her spirit could be found by means of forgetting all of that which she had possessed, and became enraged by this suggestion, for how could one who was dead adjust to the losses of most of that which they had cared for? Finding life to be pointless without the people with whom she had spent time, Liz determined that her young life was essentially over. With Aldous stating that many people on Earth spent the entirety of their lives upon Earth dead within the mind, caring only for those things which would not last long – which could be lost at almost any time, Liz only became more angered. How could she understand such things at her age, the very age at which she would be her oldest by Earth’s standards? Noticing that her grandmother was to arrive at anytime, Liz ran to leave the building, as Aldous reminded her to think of what opportunities she had at the time. Arriving at the car, her grandmother asked her what she would like to do upon the first ‘real’ night she was spending in Elsewhere. Hearing her answer, Betty reluctantly agreed to allow her to visit the Observation Decks, not without worry.
 Being provided with funds enough for twenty-five minutes by her grandmother, Liz was brought to the Observation Deck nearest to Betty’s home. Upon arrival, she declined when Betty asked if she would like to be accompanied, telling her only that she preferred to ‘say goodbye’ to her Earthly friends and family on her own. When warned that people who had trouble leaving behind their lives upon arrival in Elsewhere often became addicted to this sort of viewing, she merely assured her relative that she was simply attempting to “come to terms” with her death, despite wondering herself if five Eternims worth of time felt like a large enough by which she could close the first chapter of her life. After observing the turmoil within the home of her family, Liz decided to view Zooey, finding those with which she had once shared her home to be in a rather sorry state. Speaking on the phone first about Liz’s death, the subject of Zooey’s speech soon changed to her ‘refusing’ to go to the prom, at first by means of arguing that if she hadn’t agreed to go, Liz would not have made her way to the mall upon that fateful day – however, the subject soon turned towards herself, with the admission that she hadn’t even found a dress-indicative of the self-absorbed, flighty behavior maintained by most of today’s youth. By the time Liz’s last few Eternims were spent, she was still unsure as to whether her best friend on Earth was going to prom, although it was stated that she felt that her death was somewhat validated by the girl’s tears, as she had cried several times during what would appear to a reader to be somewhat of a self-centered tirade. Finding the viewing of those she had known to be rather unfulfilling when she was unable completely behold that which they did each day, Liz calculated the number of Eternims she would likely require each day so as to continuously study that which occurred within their lives, beginning a short campaign during which she contended for Betty to ‘loan’ her the money which would, said she, allow her to make peace with her Earthly life. Reluctantly, Betty provided her assent, and Liz’s obsession truly began.

Funded with twenty-four Eternims per day, Liz’s life began to revolve wholly around the observation of those she had known. Living within walking distance of the Observation Deck which her grandmother had first brought her to, Liz continued to wear the pajamas in which she had awoken while on the SS Nile, removing them only twice per week so as to allow her grandmother to wash them – actions which paralleled her thought process, especially in terms of the difficulties which she faced in her acclimation to the reality which she face. Spending a total of two hours per day observing her family, friends, and classes, Liz began to notice that she felt great gratification when spoken of by those who she observed upon Earth, especially amongst her classmates, for many had little reason to do so, knowing her by no means other  than through fragile intellectual liaisons which bind scholars who have long studied within the same facilities. However, she soon realized that only Zooey and her family spoke of her with any regularity, which would appear to most readers to be indication that most of the people she had known were becoming used to living without her presence. Yet each day she returned to the ‘OD,’ soon becoming familiar with the area’s regulars – other individuals addicted to this sort of observation. Elderly ladies, often spending time knitting and peeking into binoculars only every hour or so, filled many of the stools which lined the area, as did frantic young mothers, filling  the binoculars with coins so regularly that they could likely have been mistaken for slot machine players. Among various other sorts, those who appeared to have been involved with the workings of various businesses were also regulars, shouting orders into the binoculars to those who could not hear them, much like those who choose to yell at televisions during the viewing of sporting events. However, one individual who visited the area every Thursday night seemed to Liz not to belong to any ‘type’ aforementioned – a young man always wearing dark sunglasses, always wielding Eternims enough for only one hour of viewing. When asked by Liz who he had come to view after several meetings, it was learned that he used the Observation Deck as a means to witness the events of his wife’s life, causing Liz to infer that he had not been at his current age, at the time of his death, as he seemed to be only a similar in age to the youth, Despite lacking awareness at the time, she would once again encounter this character during the course of events related within the novel.

 After weeks of spending entire days at the Observation Decks, the narrator noted that Liz began to notice how uncomfortable she found the binoculars’ metal stools to be, with the manager of the deck merely stating that it was likely that she had been sitting in them for far too long when Liz verbally expressed the complaint. With time seeming to pass in varying manners – sluggishly while Liz waited for her established viewing times to arrive, and all too quickly during such observation, Liz observed that she had developed deep circles beneath her eyes, likely from rarely moving them away from the binoculars while expertly filling them with coins to avoid wait time between segments.
 Her restlessness seemed to become representative of the tiring manner in which she spent her life, as she began to realize that her addiction was wholly pointless, and a complete waste of any sort of life, even that which she considered to be only partial living – although this early notion was made true by her own actions, not merely because she had lost all contact with friends and family, but also from her own doing as she was continuously ridding herself of opportunities to create a meaningful life within her new location. This could be proven by examination of the text, for it would undoubtedly provide silent articulation of her grandmother’s constant inquiry and  askance regarding Liz’s avocation plans, and frequently reminding her of attempts made by Thandiwe and Ghent, her acclimation counselor, to make contact. Liz, acting as though she was stuck in a great chasm filled only with Earthly cares, was wholly evasive regarding these subjects, attempting to surround herself with thoughts of friends, family, and her initial years of life. However, after witnessing her Betty “praying” to Olivia one night, pleading for assistance in the form of some sort of symbol, sign or omen which could enable her to manage or repair the psychological issues and difficulties which prevented Liz’s genuine integration into the society of Elsewhere,  she seemed to begin to feel at fault in the sense of the way she had been inadvertently tormenting her grandmother, an individual who seemed only to entertain good intentions. Despite this realization, Liz was yet incapable of accessing any sort of ability which might have enabled her to apologize for the trouble she had caused. To free herself from the scathing thoughts filled with self-hate which entered her mind when she considered the ways in which her arrival had impacted Betty’s lifestyle was yet unthinkable, as the situation seemed as though it could only be genuinely repaired by means of her acclimation.
               
 As Elsewhere’s sun dawned upon the day after she had witnessed her grandmother’s fervent pleadings, Betty informed Liz that they were going to venture out to view the attractions of Elsewhere. Despite all protests she made, Betty quashed Liz’s apparent ‘plans’ for going to the Observation Decks by means of informing her that she would not supply her with the Eternims necessary to allow her the amount of time which she  generally spent viewing her living relations, thereby forcing her granddaughter to accompany her on the expedition, which likely was an indirect attempt to make Liz appreciate the delightful features of Elsewhere. Made entirely angry by her grandmother’s ability to prevail within the conflict which had ere occurred, Liz spent the entirety of the ride in Betty’s car pretending to be asleep, indicative of her lack of appreciation for the opportunity. When they arrived at one of the area’s many beaches, she refused to do anything but venture into the gift shop, although even that only occurred after much coaxing upon Betty’s part. Like a vindictive, feral animal, Liz agreed to do little except that which suited her fancies, this being wholly indicative of the bitter personality changes which she had undergone since her arrival in Elsewhere. After entering the shop, Betty soon realized that her granddaughter’s mood was not likely to improve anytime soon, especially after making several attempts to convince her to buy various items along with the set of postcards and the snow globe she had picked up, this resulting only in another tantrum. Finding souvenirs to seem pointless when one had no one to give them to, Liz felt as though her grandmother could never understand how deeply she had felt the loss of all of that which was familiar to her, including her friends, family, and the Earthly pursuits which she had entertained only so as to use them to improve a future lifestyle – in essence, she felt as though all of her schooling, the making of friends, and the gaining of skills. After leaving the store, destroying the snow globe, which she had just obtained, in a fit of desperate rage, Liz only found calm after her grandmother entered the vehicle, bequeathing upon her yet another gift that she had found to suit their situation. Finding cheer within the humorous slogan upon her new t-shirt, Liz attempted to please her grandmother by means of putting it on atop the dingy pajamas which she had continued to attire herself in; following several moments of reflection, Liz found that she felt deep sorrow regarding the negative ways in which she had treated and encumbered her grandmother during the time which she had spent in Elsewhere, for Betty seemed to possess only positive intentions and had always interacted with her in a manner  indicative of constant  attempts to be wholly understanding and respectful. Encountering a compulsion to apologize to Betty for having to deal with her when she had adopted such  pessimistic mannerisms, Liz unfortunately  found that she could not yet access the words which she desired to speak, allowing one to infer that this character was not yet able to sever the emotional ties which had bound her to observe her individual portion of the Earth. Hours later, Liz opened the packet of postcards which she had gotten at the souvenir shop, writing to her parents, best friend, younger brother, and a favourite biology teacher who had not attended her funeral. After placing postage upon them, Liz mailed each card, well aware that they would never reach the Earthly addresses she had put upon each envelope. In a moment of foreshadowing, the author noted that her central character wished that she could send a postcard to one who would actually be capable of receiving it --- and, perhaps, replying.
 After spending several more days in mindless observation, Liz also learned that she was could not feel mentally satiated while  viewing her “life” in five minute portions – every time she became wholly involved while watching some sort of event unfold, the binoculars would shut – all too soon, jolting her back into an undesirable reality. In what appeared to be an attempt to subconsciously distract herself, preventing further analysis of the seemingly abnormal thoughts that had begun to cloud her original beliefs about Elsewhere, Liz chose to focus upon a completely different affair, which would wholly possess the thoughts of most individuals her age: the prom. Having recently learned that Zooey had decided to attend this event despite the tragedy that it had caused, she decided that it was a great desire of hers to witness the event in its entirety. After a failed attempt to obtain more Eternims from her grandmother, during which she clearly stated the concern she had pertaining to the amount of potentially useful time her granddaughter had been spending at the Observation Decks, Liz decided that she would obtain the amount required by means of saving up three days’ worth of that which Betty provided. Spending all time within her room at Betty’s house, Liz felt that she was making great sacrifice, especially due to her lack of friends or other useful diversions. Upon the eve of the prom, our protagonist had attained the correct sum of Eternims, and had found herself capable of convincing the attendant of the ODs to allow her to stay after closing. After witnessing a great portion of the occurrence, Liz left two hours prior to the closing of the Observation Decks, feeling as though she had witnessed an event that was rather pointless in the scheme of things. As she felt no desire to return to Betty’s home at the time, the youth decided to sit a while within a nearby park, soon approached by a small white dog that chose to share with her the bench upon which she had perched. Not considering the oddity of the situation at the time, this creature soon began to ‘speak’ to Liz in a way similar to that of an articulate, understandable, and, intelligent human. After inquiring after that which made her appear unhappy, the dog advised her to adapt to Elsewhere precisely by simply discontinuing entertainment of the negative notions which she had expressed. Predictably providing Liz with yet another pearl of obvious, innocent wisdom, the creature also informed her that took far less effort and exhaustion to make one joyful than it did to remain in a constant state of cheerlessness. Leaving, the intelligent creature eagerly ran off once called by its owner, with left Liz upon the bench, urging herself to provide the dog with knowledge of her gratitude, finding once again that they were words which not yet could be spoken.
 After this event, Liz began to lessen her dependency upon the Observation Decks through the means of observing only her immediate family, scrutinizing their day-to-day lives through the convenient mode of ambivalence provided by the binoculars. However, the severe deficiency of meaningful fulfillment within her life was manifested once again, upon a day during which she inquired whether Esther -the manager of the Observation Deck near to her home- was aware of the precise manner in which the implements used for viewing worked. Irritably dismissive of the typical explanation regarding the way in which typical binoculars worked, Liz attempted to make specific her query by asking how they were capable of providing viewers with images of Earth, as she believed that the distance between that planet and Elsewhere would have provided these objects with insurmountable difficulties, preventing them from viewing events upon that other land in any sort of detail. However, Esther contradicted her theory by asking Liz whether she was certain if Earth truly was any distance away; indicating that there was a possibility that the Earth was perhaps only upon another plane of existence, rather than being in a different portion of the galaxy or universe in comparison with this land, of which she lacked all knowledge. Expressed by she is a belief that the relationships between Elsewhere and the Earth may be similar to those between trees and their roots- within the earth which provides such plants with support for life, the roots might be considered only to be an inverse reflection of the branches above, meaning in an existential sense that there truly exist two trees within each singular plant. Perhaps, it was stated, the Earth was merely the “branches” of such a tree within the universe, connected to Elsewhere – the roots- by the trunk, an everlasting, and yet rarely-considered affiliation. As Esther’s theoretical explanation was continued, Liz cut in by asking once again how the binoculars worked in a snide and brisk tone, indicating that she lacked  understanding  of many facets of  existentialism and philosophy, the foundations of scientific explanation. As their discussion continued, Liz became irritated only to a greater extent, finally making inquiry regarding the reason which had caused her ever to bother to attempt conversation with Esther. Realistically, Esther replied by reminding Liz of her lack of friendly companions of any sort, stating that it was likely that she was profoundly lonely. Wholly angered, Liz left the Observation Decks in a huff, with Esther calling behind her cheerily, stating that she would likely see her the very next day. Due to the warm and biting manner within which this character  conducted herself, it could be inferred that the portion of all of their interactions which were led by Esther were likely studded with caring, subtle attempts by which she attempted to discourage Liz from being so strongly attached to the lives of those upon the Earth for whom she cared.

 However, Liz continued to ignore the portion of her psyche which called for acclimation, as well as the voices of the few within her social circle calling for the same. Upon the twelfth of August, she observed her parents speaking of her -for it was stated that if she had avoided or survived the accident which had so sorely wounded her in all aspects of life, she would have turned sixteen upon that very date. When her mother inquired of her father whether he believed that the person who had hit her would ever be caught, he responded only with a feeble statement of  hope. Suddenly angered by the revelation that the individual who had hit her with their vehicle had left the scene, Liz began angrily to yell details regarding the individuals into the binoculars, being brought out of her impassioned rage only by an elderly individual with the demeanour of a stereotypical grandmother, who attempted to remind her that Earthly individuals were unable to sense the actions of the deceased through use of such implements. After rudely dismissing the elderly lady by the usage a statement which would only have been brought about by her anger, Liz observed her mother  questioning the details of what seemed to her to be an immense loss, verbally indicating her wonder  that the individual who had crashed into her bicycle-riding daughter while driving a car had chosen not to stop and be of assistance towards the youth, who seemed to her to have been irrevocably damaged by the actions of this person, yet unknown. When her father added that the man had chosen to call emergency services from a nearby pay phone, although it had been unnecessary anyways, her mother entered a moment of heartbreaking emotion, questioning what to her would have seemed to be the cold thoughts of  such a person – for in her belief, within the personal doctrines of most individuals, it would be a common conviction that if they had hit a fifteen-year-old with a vehicle, they would have chosen to stop any ensure that they had done all they could to counter act damage unintentionally done. Although Liz’s father stated that he used to believe  that any person would be considerate enough to act in such a manner, her mother only continue with insistence that she did not believe this sort of accident would have drawn no witnesses, continuing her tirade as the binoculars ran out of time.
 Learning that she had been the victim of  a hit-and-run, Liz herself flew into a flurry of emotion – although that which she experienced could only be described as true, furious anger, in opposition with the inconsolable grief which her mother had so deeply expressed.  Inconsiderate of any circumstances that might have influenced the decision of the person who seemed to her to have controlled the strike that was her undoing, she attempted to seek retribution. Over the course of a week, she endeavoured to locate the taxi which had hit her – and, by extension, its driver- eventually ending her systematic analysis of all cab companies within the area in which she had spent the final conscious moments of her life when she located a vehicle seeming to be older than herself, with an undeniably memorable four-leaf-clover air freshener hanging in the window. Soon, she discovered the identity of the individual who drove the taxi; attempting to avoid observation of the man’s seemingly-kind, responsible personality by viewing little of his daily life after seeing the amicable, reasonable way in which he seemed to live, Liz began to search for a way in which to make contact with the living – the means by which she had plotted to inform her family of the identity of one who seemed to be the perpetrator of an unforgivable crime. While feeling rather self-righteous, she asked Esther of the means by which those who so desired might make contact with the living; however, her response created conditions which caused Liz soon to learn that such a query could evidently receive only negative response if not directed towards the correct sort of person. Having considered the short list of those whom she knew who resided within the limitations of Elsewhere, Liz soon concluded that the only person who might provide her with agreeable response was, perhaps, Curtis Jest. Despite having seen him last upon the Nile, the musician who Liz had once adored had become rather obscure within the area, for few of those young enough to have been able to appreciate Machine lived within the boundaries of Elsewhere.
 Meekly, Liz concluded that she needed to contact Thandi, who had found her avocation as a television announcer responsible for stating the names of those who were to soon reach their final destination. This was a means that enabled established citizens of Elsewhere who had known such people to greet them, welcoming them into an unprecedented extension of life. After a rather confrontational bout of conversation, Liz found herself to have been duly berated for having ignored this individual, who possessed only friendly intentions; however, Thandi’s caring demeanour did allow her to inform her of bouts of hearsay she had heard while working at the broadcasting station. Apparently, Curtis Jest- who had initially captured the attentions of Elsewhere’s citizens, despite the unfamiliarity of his fame- was rumoured to have ended his melodic career upon Earth, opting instead to become a fisherman: an option that likely would be considered unthinkable to the most ravenous fans of any artist, a wholly irrational squandering of talent and immense possibility.  Immediately, Liz appeared to staunchly support this opinion; however, it was soon realized that such a career, which had lead to Curtis’s untimely death ,  likely had become bleak and unfulfilling after years of  meaningless toil and psychological difficulty, interrupted only by moments of Americanized events held so as to honour those who were believed to be staples of society. Still experiencing the indignant emotions of a person believing themself to have been wronged, as those with the experience of few Earthly years often do, Liz was yet unable to grasp this concept, along with those relating to most other changes her life that had occurred. Discovering that for Curtis, that which had to appeared to be his purpose within life was rather detrimental to his health, happiness, and mental securities, Liz still found it wholly strange for that individual to be anything other than the celebrated musician of his Earthly life. The parallels between his situation and Liz's obsession with that which she was to have possessed were undeniable, for it seemed as though she was unable to allow herself to be anything other than a shallow, demanding youth taking life for granted and acting immaturely. Having evidently believed that such mannerisms were those which she had been meant to possess at that time in her life, the limitations for living which affected  all individuals who resided within the boundaries of Elsewhere could only cause her to retain her the continuously angry, defeated manner in which she generally had  acted since her untimely arrival at the door of the house of death if she maintained such expectations-despite the factors which limited her ability to live the menial, pointless life of a typical teenager, Liz was yet unable to release the final grudging grip which held her to the strictures of the Earth, although there was likely great difference between that  which she believed she was required to maintain - namely, her desire for vengeance-, and the real reasons for which she could not relieve herself from such bonds. Much like a toddler, vindictive because she had not received that which she desired, it seemed as though this heroine could only cling desperately to the remnants of a lost era, wholly ignoring the possibilities beyond the limits of her anger, merely due to a desire to live like all other adolescents thriving within secure, wealthy nations of the Earth. Finding herself unable to overcome the prejudices she had obtained during years within a society based upon the entitlements of youth, it seemed yet as though Liz had never endeavoured to make the preparations which would have enabled her to act in a manner not reflective of the visage of a bitter, spiteful persons constantly believing themselves to have been deeply wronged by all celestial and realistic factors when faced with difficult situations.  Having always dreamed to possess a relatively placid life doused in the substance of perfection, it was undeniably likely that any individual would have been able to observe the immaturity and insurmountable expectations that had been fundamental portions of the central foundations of Liz's person.
 Having eventually located Curtis upon the docks of Elsewhere, Liz found the individual whose band she had once idolized altered most completely by means of his choice of avocation- once pale, sickly, and feeding the fiendish demands of a terrible addiction, he had found sobriety and health through the peaceful, calm endeavours of fishers. Always amicable, he easily recognized Liz, inviting her to seat herself next to him upon the wooden dock and receiving her query with a sort of quiet dignity. Once reasonably assured that her desire to make “Contact” with those of the original world was fueled solely by a desire to fulfill a reasonable purpose, Curtis informed Liz that citizens of Elsewhere could find the means to enable them to communicate with Earthlings by either returning to that  plane of existence in the form of a ghost, which would interfere with the process of reverse-aging, or locate a feature of the area which acted as a sort of portal enabling sound to reach the Earth. Finding that she wished not to remain for all eternity as a spectre, Liz opted to gain more information regarding the second option – apparently, within the depths of the sea which appeared to separate the Earth and Elsewhere, there existed a place known only as the “Well,” which acted as a portal between the two areas of existence through which sound and other sensible information could pass.

 Having gained diving certification during family vacations in summers past,  Liz came to attain equipment by means of asking Betty for yet another loan, the purpose for which she claimed to be buying clothes to suit one’s search for an avocation. Despite making inquiry regarding the previous sums which she had lent to her granddaughter, Betty’s questions were easily evaded, with the youth merely claiming that she believed she would require more than the amount provided to her previously. After being driven to a mall in the eastern portion of their locale, Liz soon identified a dive store and obtained the items she needed, buying a suit of clothes as well so as to avoid the suspicions of her grandmother, opting to take the bus home to conceal the existence of her diving equipment. Later that evening, the decision was made to begin her planned endeavour, with Liz changing into her new garments, with a wetsuit beneath - carrying all implements intended to be used for the sake of her aquatic adventure within a plastic garbage bag. As she left the home in which Betty had lived, all questions brought to her attention by her grandmother were quickly excused, with Liz claiming to have planned to attend a party at Thandi's residence - intending to be of assistance to the host by apparently bringing items which she believed would prove to be useful, concealed from the sight of her grandmother  by the darkness of her makeshift tote. When asked whether she would show to her grandmother the items she was believed to have bought so as to improve the calibre of her spare wardrobe upon the day dawning after her return, Liz provided untruthful affirmation, appearing suspicious only when she protested Betty's offer to improve the way in which her new apparel was tailored. Observing that providing others with false truths could be done with more ease as she gained experience with such actions, the only drawback to such enterprises being that once a manner of lying behaviour was initiated, it was necessary for the purpose of the original lie to provide it with strength by formulating excuses for such statements, meaning that the cycle of untruthfulness could only be continued.

 Prior to beginning her attempt, Liz determined that she felt compelled to view the individual who had hit her prior to turning him in, returning to the Observation Decks for the final time. However, when observing the actions of Amadou Bonamy, she observed the man who had seemingly unintentionally caused her death speeding towards the elementary school attended by her younger brother, cab vacant. Appearing to be quite concerned about something, the Haitian man nearly sprinted through the building, coming to a halt only when he neared the teacher standing next to a small boy appearing to be his child. According to the speech of the teacher, this individual had become nauseous once again within class, despite attempting to avoid having his father called - perhaps out of concern for disrupting his family's seemingly-fragile livelihood. However, Bonamy  was completely understanding of the situation, thanking his son's educator for informing him the most recent occurrence of his child's illness. Endeavouring to appease his worried-looking son, this individual appeared to assure him  that he needn't drive his cab upon that day, saying that instead he planned merely to recover lost fares upon the morrow.

 As the binoculars shut upon this scene,which had indicated the great moral value of the individual who had caused her loss of life, seeming himself to have suffered much hardship, Liz determined that she should never have decided to make such an observation. Attempting to escape the flurry of thoughts which began to fill her mind with shame and empathy, the confused youth ran out to the beach, removing the garments covering her wetsuit and sitting upon the sands of Elsewhere, wishing only that she could stop thinking Bonamy, his child, and his family. Wanting not to consider how his incrimination might affect this fragile linkage, she was wholly surprised by her grandmother's appearance upon the beach. Informing her that she had found the box in
which her dive tank had been obtained beneath her bed, Betty had soon determined that Liz's unlikely party excuse was indeed a falsehood, instead coming to believe that her granddaughter might have been endeavouring to make "Contact" with those upon the Earth.
 Remaining yet completely impartial regarding the situation, Betty stated mainly that  she wished only that Liz had chosen to be truthful regarding her whereabouts and expenses,despite believing that she had understandable reasons for acting in the manner that she had. Upon Liz, it suddenly dawned that Amadou also had wholly understandable reasons for which he had chosen not to bring himself to the attention of authorities, informing Betty tearfully that she had discovered the driver of the cab that had collided with her bicycle, and that this individual had seemed to be quite an upstanding citizen of the Earth. Seeking a form of maternal guidance, she chose to ask her grandmother why this man might have opted to avoid remaining at the scene of the incident - being informed that few people possessed completely positive or negative personalities, instead being composed of a mixture of good and bad, manifested in various ways for the sake of countless purposes.

 After a few moments of grievous reflection, Liz determined that she was compelled to provide Amadou with forgiveness, for the portions of that individual which appeared negative were most definitely few in number. Wanting not to cause turmoil or suffering amongst his dependent family, who had done her absolutely no wrong and would have been undeserving of the havoc revenge taken upon their paternal member would wreak upon them, this youth gained in maturity, being that she decided not to inform anyone of the identity of the driver of the cab. Suddenly, she happened to recall a portion of her final moments which had lessened Bonamy's regretful guilt - for it was she who had chosen not to scan both left and right while crossing the road , with a corresponding traffic light happening to already have turned a greenish hue.That which had caused the unfortunate seconds to follow had truly been a menial internal argument, in which she had considered whether she had the time to return home for a watch she would have liked to have had repaired, being caught within a meaningless, consuming circle because she was unaware of the current time, which would have aided her decision - this being unknown to her because she lacked a functioning watch! Partially regaining the guise of a dramatic youth, Liz then chose to claim that the accident which had caused her to disappear from the Earth in spirit was wholly her fault, resulting in her having to remain within Elsewhere - a thought which she yet despised- for what she perceived to be an eternity. Reminding her that she truly only was expected to spend just less that sixteen years within the area, Betty's statement was followed by Liz informing her that Amadou Bonamy being forced to serve time within prison could never be the means by which her Earthly form might be resuscitated - a thought indicating great progress from the vindictive mannerism she had previously possessed towards the person who had unintentionally hurt her so greatly. In the immortal words of Anais Nin,

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

This statement was representative of the way in which Liz's choosing to leave behind the rage that had given her purpose would enable her only to make progress within a new, responsible, and near-enlightened life for one so young, as she promised to never return to the Observation Decks for such lengthy amounts of time while her grandmother drove her home, stating that she would instead focus upon finding an avocation so as to return all of the Eternims to her grandmother which she had unfairly demanded, sucking them up like a self-centred vacuum focused only upon its desire to absorb things, sending them into infernal darkness. Having arrived at Betty's purple brownstone as the sun above the strange skies of Elsewhere began to set, Liz began to comprehend that she had never understood the true magic of this location - for this was an area in which those who had undergone what was believed to be the greatest loss upon Earth could reconnect with those they had missed sharing beautiful, treasured moments which never would have been expected to be possible. In all true realities, Elsewhere seemed to be a place which acted as one of the greatest gifts possible for those who had never been able to meaningfully conclude their extended lives with those who had been lost prior to the complete expression of their caring for one another; this area also acted as a place in which those who had lost their way in life could restart, finding new paths and obstacles bringing them only closer to the true essence of joy.

 After a continued discussion, Liz inquired whether Betty had noticed her battling with the difficulties of great depression. Providing her affirmation, Betty's granddaughter could only make inquiry regarding that which had caused her to tolerate her self-centred insolence for such a great deal of time; the grandmother replying only that she had initially been so welcoming for the sake of her daughter, who she believed had been never able to forgive her for becoming a participant within an extramarital affair prior to her death, caused by the malevolence of cancer. Noting that few individuals enjoyed being treated kindly for only the sake of their mothers, Betty soon informed Liz that she had truly come to appreciate her, maintaining their faulty relationship for the sake of both parties, who had dealt with aching feelings of loneliness. Eventually, the two went to sleep, with Liz experiencing an absence of dreams - rather strangely, for she had before always spent much time dreaming of that which she had believed to have lost - her youth and humanity - by dying.

 Having contacted Aldous Ghent regarding the avocation opportunity he had spoken to her of during her fist acclimation appointment, Liz soon obtained employment under the jurisdiction of Elsewhere's Division of Domestic Animals, in which she acted as a sort of acclimation counselor for deceased pets. Despite initial notions of nervousness which surrounded her first day, she nearly immediately became accustomed to assisting these creatures, even being so lucky as to possess the ability to naturally understand the language of dogs, Canine - which had remained unnoticed even following her interactions with the dog she had met at a park near to Betty’s house post-prom. Only after entering the bathroom so as to change into a pair of overalls, – clothing quite fitting for an individual intended to work with animals constantly- had this talent been recognized, as she once again unintentionally had held conversation with a yellow dog of indeterminate lineage, informing the creature that toilets were indeed not an opportune drinking basin, truly being the place in which humans released bodily. Disgusted, she introduced herself as Sadie, beginning to converse with Liz regarding her Earthly life – ironically, they had both died as a result of being collided with by automobiles. Eventually, Liz’s supervisor entered the bathroom, identifying Sadie as being the first creature she was required to advise, and noting that her acclimation advisor had neglected to note that she spoke Canine – confused, Liz soon realized that the natural ability she had happened to possess upon the Earth to automatically understand the nonverbal statements of such creatures had been manifested as an ability to speak their tongue, quite convenient due to the sort of avocation she possessed, although she had previously been informed that fauna of all domesticities tended to reasonably comprehend the languages spoken by humans.

 Moments later, the supervisor began to describe Liz’s responsibilities, informing her that she was essentially expected to explain the reality of Elsewhere to all canine arrivals, then endeavouring to find them permanent owners, with it being likely that she would find difficult only in speaking to creatures who might never have had shared their internal rapport and beliefs with humans. Stated by she was that dogs were generally capable of understanding such concepts more easily than those of other species, although Liz would also be occasionally required to deal with other sorts of pets commonplace within the homes of those upon the Earth. After being directed to an office and advising Sadie, who energetically had convinced her to ask Betty whether she could live with them, Liz endeavoured to complete the remainder of her day while advising several other creatures, including a timid, insecure Chihuahua named Paco ,who was unaware of his own death, generally believing instead (when his fickle memory chose to serve him) that his owner was the individual who had died - coincidentally, she eventually convinced Thandiwe to adopt this canine, despite his unendearingly agitating, unsettling mannerism. Having concluded the first day of her avocation, Liz found that the entirety of her time at the Division of Domestic Animals seemed to have been fulfilling, providing her with renewed vigour, spirit, and purpose, to such an extent that when Betty arrived to transport her home and approved Sadie's acceptance into their home, the author noted that Liz had even endeavoured to sincerely, cheerfully laugh at the antics of the golden dog, who had opted to bark a few bars of the Beatles song for which she claimed to have been named.

 When several weeks had passed after the beginning of her avocation, Liz found that she had easily been able to repay Betty's fiscal kindliness, reaching a plateau of fulfillment after discovering that the salary she was provided with could prove little use, as she needed not to prepare for any of the typical milestones of life by managing her finances. Despite contributing to the household which she shared with her grandmother, paying a rather insignificant amount of rent, it seemed as though she was unable to consider anything which she truly desired, being an individual who greatly enjoyed effectuating the purpose of their employment, and who excelled at it to an incredible extent. Considering that she had convinced Thandi to adopt the unadoptable Paco, having  accommodating, understanding ways which she believed would well suit the dog, it could not be ignored that Liz was exceptionally understanding of the needs of the creatures for whom she worked. Yet still, upon one evening as she, Thandiwe, and their newest counterparts strolled about the neighbourhood in which Liz lived, she verbalized a simple desire: to yet experience a sense of adventure, as she had come to feel much like an individual with only feeble, simple purpose to an immense extent, knowing little beyond the comfort of her own limitations. These emotions were not understood Thandi, who claimed that she had encountered contingency enough through death, stating only that she believed Liz was likely already following a path to some sort of experience she was yet unaware of - within the days which followed the girls' conversation it seemed to Liz as though only one item yet remained within her mind, interfering with her concentration upon other aspects of life - a token of caring which she had acquired as a means by which to prepare  for her father's birthday -  which had yet to occur, though the date was nearing. While living upon the Earth, she had noticed a cashmere garment precisely the colour of this parent's eyes; despite its rather harrowing price, Liz had endeavoured most bravely and honourably to buy it, despite feeling as though it was an incredibly irrational endeavour - for she was greatly frightened of the item being lost to her if she endeavoured to choose to leave the store without buying it,  had she decided instead to later politick for the financial support of her mother in the endeavour of making the purchase. Constantly recalling that her father would never be aware of the item's pristine similarity to the colour of one of the most compelling aspects of the face, that he would never discovered that she valued his caring to such an extent as to buy on object of what seemed to her to be immense, she could focus upon naught but the knowledge that no person within her family would ever locate the gift, which she had hidden beneath a loose floorboard within the closet of her quarters, having wholly expected to remain in physical Earthly existence upon the arrival of the aforementioned date.  Despite being aware of a majority of the obstacles ignoring Elsewhere's laws through endeavouring to make "Contact" would entail, this individual was tormented by the notion of her father - her family-  never receiving the existential gift  which would have been linked to their receiving a sweater - a material object of any sort-  from beyond the grave of a lost sibling and child. The profundity of such an occurrence could not be disputed within Liz's mind, and she thus began to prepare herself to initiate interaction with those of her immediate family by means of endeavouring to travel to the location which she had so narrowly avoided  by forgiving the individual to whom she had once accredited responsibility for her youthful quietus.

 Being that she had previously primed her skills and material for the sake of a diving excursion, Liz soon found herself upon the same beach upon which the lighthouse containing the nearby Observation Decks was located. Despite experiencing immense feelings of uncertainty regarding the depth and difficulty of the planned period of submergence, being that she believed her fragile Earthly being would never have been capable of reaching the most abysmal portions of the  Earth's seas, she entered the water after another glance at the gauge upon her diving tank, seeming to indicate her insecurity to a vast extent - for who would feel required to check such a thing, having been assured that its supply of oxygen was infinite? Herding all fickle concerns into the impenetrable depths of her psyche - having had much practice during her initial time in Elsewhere, during which she had wasted much of the value of thought upon denial - Liz eventually reached the "Well," observing it to appear to be similar in form to drains which appear in the bottom of most implements relating to hygiene and plumbing. Peering into the intensity of the images being radiated by this apparent window into the Earth, the house in which Liz had lived soon appeared to her, with her family being portrayed as having just begun their evening meal; carefully choosing distinct phrases which were not likely to become unnecessarily distorted by the audial medium in which she was speaking, she informed all who would listen loudly, clearly, and repeatedly of only her identity and that those of her family needed to peer beneath what she referred to only as "closet floorboards." Being fueled by the odd energies of Elsewhere, all implements within their abode capable of releasing water soon did so, much to the confusion of Liz's yet-bereaved family. After her family had ended the duration of the initial aquatic emissions, Liz relayed her message once again, much to the frustration and confusion of those for whom she cared. However, prior to all sources of water within the kitchen having been prevented from allowing the substance to be continuously wasted, Alvy (minor character), Liz's brother, commanded his parents to leave the kitchen sink be, stating only that he believed he could audibly perceive the sound of his sister's voice. Despite the doubts of his parents, he soon realized that he could, in fact, hear the voice of his sibling. After having been informed of the purpose of Liz's exertions, promising to locate the sweater for his father, Alvy had just begun to make inquiry regarding his sister's state of health in all aspects when Liz was prevented from providing response - being suddenly brought to the surface  of Elsewhere's waters by an inescapable net, which she soon learned was controlled by a the lightly-hued tugboat onto which she was hauled. Being met by an individual upon the deck who identified himself as Owen Welles, a detective for the bureau upon Elsewhere under which contact acted as a sub-jurisdiction, Liz provided clear assent when asked whether she had been aware of her violation of the laws of their area, believing evasion would have served little purpose. Asking the man to remove the sunglasses which he wore despite the evening hour, Liz indicated that she greatly desired to discover the amount of difficulty she had caused for herself. Being rather taken aback by the girl's response, neither Owen nor Liz realized that they had previously met one another -during Liz's time of dependency upon Earthly observation.

 After attempting to make light of the situation through observations regarding the detective's ocular evening wear and the irony which related to his surname being Welles when he worked near a location of similar name, Liz became aware that her efforts were seemingly fruitless, and thus asked to be provided knowledge of what was to be her punishment. Prior to providing her with such knowledge, Welles merely led Liz to a telescope-like apparatus situated upon the main deck of the ship. Working in similar manner to that of the binoculars with which both individuals were greatly familiar, Liz was soon provided with knowledge of the result of her Earthly interference.  Finding her brother endeavouring to locate loose floorboards within the incorrect closet, Liz's father soon entered the room in a flurry of grief-infused anger, yanking his youngest child from the area and demanding rather emotionally that he conclude the creation of tales regarding his dead sister. Insisting that what he had perceived was fact, Alvy was very nearly struck by his father, likely brought to blindness to the utter misery that belied such an attempt, wholly due to the strength of the anger-filled shadows of despair under which he had been cast. Just prior to making vicious contact with the cheek of his son the man lowered his limb, soon collapsing to the floor as the immense weight of terrible sadness weighed upon him, making him capable of doing naught other than sobbing for the grief of his daughter's loss.

 After having provided that which she witnessed within the mystical viewing implement with much-bereaved, unheard feedback, Liz was informed by Owen that attempting to speak to the living was a wholly futile endeavour, providing all individuals involved with immense difficulty. Suddenly affronted, Liz could only respond by stating that she might have furnished her brother's understanding of what she had required, had she been able to continue to speak with him, being otherwise enabled either to assure her parents of the situation's reality, or to at least inform him of her well state of being so as to ease his young mind. Fiercely initiating a struggle, Liz intended to re-enter the waters from which she had experienced such severe plucking, so that she might provide the family into which she had further brought misery by her folly with explanation of her intentions, which had caused her to cause such unfortunate rumpus. However, restraint soon brought her to end such ferocities - despite the offence to her sensibilities that was indicated to have been dealt after Welles attempted to comfort her by informing her that he, too, had died at the end of a youthful age, having been only of twenty-six years. However, Liz -becoming bitter once again- could only state that she believed there was an immense amount of Earthly opportunity within the years he had spent prior to his death, when compared to the fifteen years during which she had been present within a predictable, normal lifestyle. After stating the various clichéd milestones that she would never surpass- truly indicating the youthful manner in which she had expected always to live according to plans formulated by both her own person and the society whose various forms of available media-prescribed lifestyle to which young individuals became accustomed, Owen found only that it would be most suitable to agree with her personal concerns, being that what she had stated was fact- although the profundity of missed events, including receiving a high school diploma, could easily have been debatable. Both of these persons having eventually become calm, Owen felt compelled to inquire of Liz's venturesome purpose - that for which she had evaded fundamental regulations of Elsewhere. By travelling into the depths of an illicit portion of the area's seas, in which many persons were known to have been lost, forever trapped beneath the waves, conscious only of the changing of their age; Liz responded by describing the sweater which she had obtained for her father, and the sentimentality which lay beneath her decision to venture to such an area - being a fierce believer in the significance her providing those who she had left upon the Earth with a symbol of her affection would have possessed. Incredulous, he could only reply that most individuals endeavoured to make "Contact" with those upon the Earth for the sake of things which would have been seen as more important, especially to those who had lived with the menial vexations of adulthood- a portion in life in which many individuals become wholly disillusioned regarding the manner in which prioritization could enable them to become most fulfilled, focusing instead upon menial cares of the Earth, especially those regarding finance or other sources of dramatic occurrence. Simply, Liz stated that little had ever removed her from average obscurity, being merely a young individual whose life had been immensely altered by the path of an ancient taxi and her own momentarily-massive disregard for traffic safety . Once the boat onto which Liz had been unceremoniously hauled began to indicate its re-entry into one of Elsewhere's marinas, the conversation between the two seemingly-youthful individuals was concluded, Liz making inquiry regarding the sort of reprimand she would face for her emotionally-fueled actions - those of the sort which youthful individuals are not liable to avoid, as was taken into account by Owen. Being that the apparent purpose for her Earthly interference seemed rather specific and reasonable, she was merely informed that her privileges regarding visitation of any sort of public area utilized for the purpose of Earthly observation, would be revoked, her diving equipment also being confiscated for that time so as to prevent irrational, immediate reoffered. Being also informed that her acclimation advisor, Ghent, would be told of that which had occurred, Liz returned home while considering only the immense stupidity which she believed Owen likely had attributed to his personal belief regarding her persona, wholly forgetting the manner in which she had questioned his own self-image through askance regarding the purpose for which one might wear sunglasses at night.

 As the narrative momentarily shifted towards the perspective of Welles, it was indicated that he believed nothing of the sort, for a majority of those who worked within his jurisdiction - including himself-   were those who had not initially adapted to Elsewhere, having taken much time to become fluent within the language of its society after speaking Earthly tongues for the majority of their lives; thus most of those who endeavoured to prevent or diagnose such occurrences, being well aware due to personal experience that contact with those upon the Earth was not something which could easily occur. were extremely understanding of such situations - generally,  those who aspired to reach those with whom they had been affiliated within the land upon which their conscious lives at the time had began sincerely required prevention from acting upon the impulse to contact those from whom they were decidedly separated -for much like those individuals whose centre of lifelong orbit became the Observation Decks, persons were extremely liable to make "Contact" for what they considered to be definitive purpose initially, yet eventually becoming wholly addicted to interacting with their Earthly counterparts once again, regardless of the difficulty and confusion such endeavours generally caused within the minds of the uninformed mortals upon the receiving end of such communications. However, it was clearly stated that Owen believed Liz was not an individual possessing much reason for which to reoffend, indicating that he felt some sense of guilt for counteracting an undertaking which could have been a  means by which she might have enabled those of her immediate family to ease the pain of having lost one of their youngest components.

 Upon her arrival at Betty's home Liz found herself to be reasonably composed despite seeming to have gained a relatively reckless sort of demeanour, likely an impermanent result of the ease with which she had evaded the true extremity of Elsewhere's legislation regarding those who attempted make universal connection with those upon the Earth. However, it was soon discovered that the thread which had once held fast the edges of what had once been a fatal wound had become lost during the dive -  likely a result of the water's intense pressure, under which it seemed as though no Earthly being of solid terrain would have been capable of surviving - despite what would generally appear to be a minute piece of thread, maintaining extremely little value, the profundity of having lost something to which she had once reached for comfort, the only remaining piece of material from the planet upon which she had lived that had followed her into the foreign realms of death, Liz soon expressed great, materialistic sorrow over its loss, nearly entertaining entirely irrational thoughts involving her seeking a sort of plot which might have enabled her to scour the depths of the seas in which she had swam, merely in an attempt to find an object which was decidedly miniscule, which could possibly have been brought into other dominions of the waters which surrounded Elsewhere through the forces of current. After a bout of immense emotion regarding something which would have appeared to all other individuals to be wholly lacking in purpose other than that of entering the depths of one of the sparse landfills existing within Elsewhere, in which few things were wasted unless they could be deemed entirely ineffectual in regards to all purposes for which waste might be used. Having eventually begun to consider what she believed to equate to the substance of her youthful years, seeming to have been wholly lacking in established vivacity, Liz soon realized the pointlessness of being so concerned with the whereabouts of such an object, beginning also to see her sweater-related endeavours as having likely maintained littles profundity. After realizing that years of her life had been wasted through focusing upon immensely menial things, neither her own difficulties after having spent weeks void of all but anger and grief, nor being required to inform Betty that she had been arrested could quell her laughter - having discovered that she no longer felt compelled to wholly waste the vast opportunities which she had previously avoided for the sake of personal hung-ups and misgivings, the sense of freedom which she felt was quelled by little within the story from that point on, being that she had decidedly determined that the things upon the planet on which she had spent her first childhood which she had most missed could never be retrieved, being mostly those relating to the traditions, traits, and comportment of those with which she had thrived within shared quarters, regardless of paltry forms of conflict - the sort which seemed to plague all peoples of Earth. Eventually, all issues regarding Alvy's difficulties within the sweater issue were solved, as Owen eventually informed her that he had corrected the boy's misunderstanding by making haste to dive into the waters of Elsewhere himself after having learned of the nature and purpose of the girl's visit. With profuse thankfulness, Liz endeavoured to repay the individual by inviting him to join those of her extended family within Elsewhere upon Thanksgiving - a holiday irrationally observed by those who had were affected little by the history of the holiday; for individuals upon Elsewhere were rarely capable of releasing themselves from the routine of such events, having been anticipated greatly during initial stages of life, seeming to become a sort of a habit or compulsion not to be easily forgotten, perhaps due to the neurological effects of such regularly repetitive actions, or the desire of individuals who had truly been aware of the purpose of such events lying beneath the consumeristic stimulation which industries upon the Earth had endeavoured to provide those of reasonable income with, desiring to observe the virtuous intentions generally once at the forefront of holidays celebrated by those of varying descent. Being that her grandmother was extremely welcoming of all, especially upon the occurrence of holidays, Betty was rather against Liz's inviting the individual who she had believed to have caused her granddaughter undue trouble at the "Well" - however, Liz merely informed her that the extreme joy she had felt when informed of her victory against the fearful platoons of grief having been completed had caused her to act in a  manner rather not beneficial to her own purposes. In what she  came to consider to be completely a moment of poor judgement, her endeavouring to invite the individual to their holiday celebration merely originated merely within the illogic of thankfulness.
Despite both Owen and Liz secretly wishing they had not made such arrangements, he did attend the dinner, with a surprising amount of improvement being made within their relationship, resulting nearly in a sort of amicable friendliness. After leaving the abode of the girl and her grandmother, having become acquainted with their dog, Liz's acclimation advisor and his wife, as well as Thandiwe's eccentrically compiled family, this individual travelled to the Observation Decks which Liz had once attended so constantly, being that he traditionally observed the Earthly individual to which he had once been most closely aligned - Emily, the person to which he had been married until the age of twenty-six, when he had lost life through fulfilling the terms of his employment as a firefighter. Despite having spent approximately nine years within the regions of death, only after having begun to interact with others beyond moments during which it could be perceived as necessary then did it become clear to this individual - who had previously possessed no semblance of life within Elsewhere, doing little beyond observing those with who he had been affiliated upon Earth- that contact with humans capable of response would be far more beneficial than his previous, worthless actions.

 Being that Wen's reflection upon his lack of unofficial purpose within the afterlife had affected him greatly,  he endeavoured to partially conclude that sort of worthlessness upon the following Tuesday; deciding that it would be most worthwhile for him to adopt a pet of the canine species -being wholly unobservant of the other reasons for which he might have liked to continue contact with Liz- he eventually travelled to the building in which the Department of Domestic Animals was housed, after having informed her of his intention over the telephone. Eventually, several dogs were selected to be viewed which Liz believed would likely suit Owen's criteria, these creatures making inquiry regarding living arrangements which she  translated, being wholly understanding of the means by which dogs conveyed all sorts of communication. With a surprisingly minute amount of input having been contributed by Owen himself, a dog volunteered to become his charge - completely surprising to one who had never known such occurrences to be controlled by the animals not understood by most individuals who had long lived so as to convince themselves of evolutionary superiority. Having completed all paperwork -being yet unaware of his foreign companion's nature, Liz followed the two into the parking lot of the building, ensuring that Jen, the golden retriever who had selected Owen as a caretaker, became safely accustomed to entering his vehicle - also trying to ascertain whether either party had queries which remained, which could otherwise have gone unnoticed by the person intended to be comprehend and reciprocate such communications. This being concluded, the human individuals within the situation - Owen and Liz- entered into the realms of social awkwardness once again - however, the situation was concluded as he and Jen invited Liz and Sadie to consume dinner at his abode for the sake of friendly interaction. Having eventually concluded this event with reams of menial conversation, Liz inquired as to whether Owen was willing assist her in the completion of her driver's education; for she had become rather convinced that obtaining her driver's license in Elsewhere would not be a pointless task. Easily agreeing, the two spent the entirety of a week perfecting her abilities. After fruitlessly endeavoring to parallel park for an immense amount of time, it soon appeared to be as though Liz's subconscious was the only obstacle which prevented her from achieving that which she was striving to attain - having thus attempted to expose that which caused her ineptitude, however, it was soon realized that she merely likely wished not for her driving instruction to end, being that she indubitably would miss interacting with the individual responsible for all such teachings; this having been noted by several members of her loosely attached Elsewhere "family," especially Thandiwe. Despite being reluctant to address the levels of truth within such theorization, Liz thereafter easily completed all attempts at parallel parking near-effortlessly, with her automotive tutelage soon being concluded. Although she initially attempted to avoid Welles after these lessons having been ended, consultation with Curtis Jest upon his beliefs regarding romantic emotion soon enabled her to believe that such actions were wholly unnecessary, as the ex-musician's observations upon the extent to which presentiments of the sort could exemplify such affection caused her to believe that all psychological aberration which had prevented her from achieving automotive success were the result of the affect of some other experience upon her psyche; this easily being attributed to the driving difficulties which she had faced upon her first day in Elsewhere, it seemed as though the case was closed. Yet the focus of this character -as observed by some omnipotent force which regaled the author with this tale- remained upon that for who she claimed to view as a friend - similarly, her biologically-sixteen counterpart seemed unable to return to a bleak and singular life, having learned to socialize within Elsewhere only during the weeks in which he had interacted with Liz and her familial amalgamation. Soon, the two endeavored to continue their vehicular studies, upon the pretense of ensuring that Liz's parallel parking was entirely safe, yet endeavouring only to spend time with each other.
Being that Elsewhere's licensing department was used mainly to revoke driving permits, none were to be issued in the month during which Liz attempted to establish her certification. With this factor causing much delay, Liz and Owen collaborated upon her driving practice for several weeks, eventually resulting in the two awkwardly stating that they cared for one another. After several days of reasonably cheerful events, however, this momentary sort of fulfillment was yet broken by the arrival of Emily, the woman to whom Owen had been married upon the Earth in his elder days. Being that Thandi was the individual who, being responsible for arrival forecasts at a local television station, she had informed Liz of this individual’s impending travels, forcing Liz herself to inform Owen of the event, being that he had ceased all observation of such transmission, having forever lost belief in his being reunited with those he had cared for after his mania and desperation ceased, becoming less accustomed to constantly working to contact those with which he had spent much time upon the land from which all persons initially believed themselves to originate. In a gesture of maturity unforeseen, Liz urged Owen to maintain his relationship with Emily, being that within the intricacies of their logic it seemed as though he possessed greater responsibility towards the individual with which he had spent a majority of his life, having known his Earthly spousal counterpart since the time of their youth and far beyond. The two amicably agreed that they would remain as friends, being that their fledgling relationship was of little seriousness, and Liz thus came to agree that she would care for Owen's dog upon his wife's first night in Elsewhere, being that Emily  had once been greatly allergic to such creatures, and thus would likely have spent time in discomfort, if not some sort of sinus-related agony, being that none seemed to be aware as to whether allergies could be counted amongst the ranks of ailments healed naturally within a land of little difficulty. However, it soon came to be that all individuals being involved within this situation were made wholly tired of its reality, with Emily and Owen's differences in biological age and personal interest seeming to become irreconcilable differences. however, this knowledge was not brought to Liz's attention prior to her response to the difficulties she faced; acting upon the final day during which she could evoke the rights guaranteed to her within Elsewhere's "Sneaker" clause, she therefore attempted to return to the Earth as an infant, being that the strain of caring for two dogs (for Emily had remained allergic), and living in the mentality of a melodramatic teenager wholly believing in her personal misery had caused her to believe it would be far simpler to escape the woes met by those who age.  Having informed only Curtis Jest, one guided by a unique sort of moral compass, of her plans - which were admittedly met with some resistance, Liz informed no other person of her plans, certain they would try to prevent her from increasing the rate at which the backwards-aging process  affected her. After having spoken to Jest the night prior to her leaving, which was to be at dawn when the mystical tributaries of the sea were exposed by the tides, Liz wrote a note in which she merely told Betty of what she would have done by the time of her grandmother's awakening. However, Owen and Emily had determined during that evening that they no longer suited one another, and thus Owen vowed to visit Liz, for whom he believed himself to truly care, upon the morrow. Despite Liz having already begun her ascent into new consciousness and new beginnings, after she was swaddled in cloth like the other old-young children of Elsewhere and released into the "River," Curtis Jest's instruments of guidance seemed to become more determinate regarding the poor manner in which he had acted by assuring Liz that he would tell no person of her leaving, when he thought truly that many persons within Elsewhere might have counselled the girl so as to prevent her irrational decision. Thus incapable of sleep, he travelled to the abode of Betty and Liz, soon being met by Owen. When the he and Liz's grandmother were informed of that which had occurred, they soon rushed to the beaches of the area despite the dawn light, hoping that they might intercept her travels - however, no person was left within the area. Despite the hopelessness which surrounded these circumstances, the three initially believed that the female of their focus's thoughts might have changed as she began her travels, and that she might therefore have evaded the fearfully strong current; this meaning that the three began a tireless search lasting several days, during which they trawled the seas of the area, hoping that they might find Liz alive and unchanged, trapped beneath the waves. After the rising and setting of two suns, Betty and Curtis - being of similar dispositions- came to the conclusion that Elizabeth likely was lost to them eternally, and they thus chose to discontinue their search. However, Owen, possessing far more determination due to the belief that Liz's actions had been caused partially by his own foolishness, refused to conclude his endeavours for yet another day. Luckily, upon that rising of the sun, Liz - who had fought the currents of the river and thus "drowned," believing herself then to be forever gone from the lives of those for whom she cared, was found, as in her addled state of mind the image of the hull of what truly was Owen's boat appeared greatly similar to a watch which had been lost to her - a family heirloom which she had forgotten while surrounded by the cares of Earth. In a half-crazed train of thought, there were summoned stores of strength which she had never known herself to possess, and she therefore found herself capable of swimming to reach the surface, being brought on board a solid surface for the first time in three days. Had she remained upon the ocean floor, forever trapped by her physical drowning and the weight of the water above, the reverse-aging process merely would have continued at the rate of normalcy - a terribly slow, deliberate time of torture that Nature itself seemed to have devised for those acting in folly yet incapable of secondary death.
 After having spent two weeks within one of Elsewhere's healing centres, Liz's relationship with the ever-attendant Owen was considerably mended and they thus set upon the path to enjoy the remainder of their reverse childhoods together, seeming eventually to be naught but youthful companions in later years after the retirement of the two from their avocations. However, points of interest remained within the story as Curtis Jest, being close in biological age to Betty, realized that their meeting upon the day during which Liz's actions  had caused great issue seemed almost to be a fateful occurrence. Despite being a reluctant respondent to his initial romantic endeavours, having (much like Liz) believed herself to be beyond the difficulties of romance, the two would, in years to come, form an incredibly strong bond, eventually being married within Betty's beloved garden. Over the course of the remaining years of her life and person, Liz came to more thoroughly accept that she would not experience many of life's joys and sorrows, of which she had dreamed lacksidaisically as an Earthly youth, being content in the knowledge that the lives all persons lived seemed to be truly unique and endless cycles, that therefore would be indubitably filled with all that one such as herself had wished for at an angry nearly-sixteen-years-old while newly deceased. The remainder of the tale merely outlined the eventual decline of several characters, with Sadie the dog soon being released into the turmoil of the Earth, while in a display of irony,  Lucy, her pug upon Earth, died at the age of thirteen years and soon joined her within the lands of death. Eventually, Liz's own release was brought about just two years prior to Owen's, and in the custom of those who functioned happily within Elsewhere, her return to the Earth was greatly celebrated, in the hopeful manner of those who knew her within Elsewhere. For although happiness could never be assured within any portion of life, those with which she had lived in the latter years of her afterlife wished only that this novel being could retain memory of the ability of all persons to create their own forms of good cheer and endless Utopia.