Mañanaland

They drop into the cold water. Lola helps both Churro and Isadora to swim, “ferrying the little brigade up the middle of the river” (186). However, they are still being pursued and the men aim to catch them by the approaching riverbank. Max and Isadora reach a beach, then keep heading north on land. Swimming up the river has allowed Max and Isadora to put distance between themselves and the men, but they need to keep moving to avoid being caught.

Max worries that they are lost. Lola rushes towards what seems like a dead end, but it is the hidden, secret bridge they are looking for. They find a door with a peregrine falcon knocker. It is Yadra’s door.

Max greets Yadra like Buelo always told him: He knocks four times and announces himself as a “pilgrim, true of heart” (190). He states his name and introduces Isadora and the pets. Yadra responds with the phrase, “I am Yadra, nothing more, nothing less” (191), like Buelo said she would. Yadra is not a troll or a witch, although that’s what people say. She was once a hidden one, except she’s not from Abismo. She’s from the same country as Max: “I didn’t run away from another country. Cruelty doesn’t only happen across borders. Unfortunately, it happens everywhere, even in our own backyards” (195). Yadra’s parents disapproved of her life choices and turned their back on her. Guardians helped Yadra find her way in the world and offered her support.

Yadra helps Max and Isadora feel safe and comfortable. Max confesses to Yadra that he left without his family’s permission and that he did so to find answers about his mother. Max wants to help Yadra escort Isadora to the next guardian, since they are taking her to Mañanaland and that’s where his mother is, too. Yadra agrees, since Yadra knows Max is “motivated by goodness” (199). However, she warns him that not all lost things can be found. Despite Yadra’s cryptic warnings, Max is not swayed.

They go to sleep early since they will be leaving in the middle of the night. Isadora struggles to fall asleep and asks for a story before they leave. Max starts to sing her the lullaby he thought he heard at the tower, and to his surprise Isadora joins in. She tells him: “All mothers sing it to their children. My mother sang it to me…and her mother sang it to her” (202). Max wonders if his mother sang him the lullaby, too, and if that’s how he knows the song.