Closed for the Season

After lunch and an incident involving Arthur and some fancy cookies, Logan and Arthur make their way to the Magic Forest. As they ride their bikes, a group of five boys their age accosts them. One of the boys shames Arthur for the state of his bike and begins taunting and bullying them. Danny, the primary bully, is Mrs. Donaldson’s grandson. Johnny notices the scene and stops the boys from escalating the situation any further. Logan’s knee is scraped and bleeding from the incident. Arthur discovers that Johnny gave the reporter Billy Jarmon’s number so that he could be her tour guide. Arthur calls Billy a bum and Johnny warns him to watch his mouth.

Afterward, Logan and Arthur continue their ride to the Magic Forest. Danny Phelps is Arthur’s “number-one enemy” and Arthur goes on to tell Logan how dumb the entire Phelps clan is (42). Both Danny and Arthur used to play together when they were little, before Mrs. Donaldson died. The landscape around them gets more and more rural as they bike towards the amusement park. Over an hour later, Arthur speeds down a hill with his hands up in the air. After hiding their bikes in a mass of kudzu vines, they enter the jungle and eventually sneak through a gap in the fence into the amusement park. 

As they begin exploring the park, Logan and Arthur begin discussing the comic strip “Zippy the Pinhead” (46). Arthur is convinced that Logan is simply not smart enough to get the humor, but the latter insists he is just as smart as Arthur. They crawl into the mouth of Willie the Whale, a giant fiberglass figure that has been spray painted over the years. While Arthur regales Logan with past experiences at the Magic Forest, Logan hears someone approaching. Logan is terrified and is unable to stop thinking about his mother’s warnings about “lonely places” (47). Just then, they realize that the people they heard were just Nina and Billy. According to Arthur, Billy has already been to jail at least twice. They overhear snippets of Nina and Billy’s conversation. Billy believes that the money is still on the amusement park property. They also hear Billy warn Nina about Mr. DiSilvio, the owner of the park property and the father of the town realtor. 

Arthur and Logan reveal themselves to Nina and Billy; the man is furious at the sight of them. Arthur and Billy begin arguing about the safety of the park but Nina steps in. Nina suggests that Billy give the boys a ride home and he reluctantly agrees to meet them and their bikes at the front gate. It begins to rain. 

Logan asks why Arthur provokes Billy on purpose, to which the boy replies that Billy is “a despicable ignoramus” (53). They meet the adults at the front gate with their bikes and get into the pickup truck just as it begins to rain. Arthur begins talking about the Aesir and Thor, the god of thunder; he mocks Billy for not knowing anything about it. Billy threatens to make Arthur walk home, and the boy finally begins to quiet down. Billy eventually drops them both back at home with their bikes. Arthur’s grandmother calls him inside and when Logan heads home, he “got a long lecture on the importance of telling people where [he] was going and when [he] was coming back” (56).

As Logan is eating dinner, his father warns him not to go to the Magic Forest. Later that night, he overhears his parents talking about him. Rhoda, the realtor, has apparently told Logan’s mother not to let him befriend Arthur. Logan’s father distrusts Rhoda and says as much, supporting Logan’s friendship with Arthur. Logan smiles to himself and seems, for the first time, genuinely excited by the adventures that he and Arthur will have together.