Sebastien returns fully aware that Señor Pico killed his friend. He is full of rage and Amabelle worries he will attack Señor Pico, who has access to an arsenal of weapons. Sebastien says they cleaned Joël off in the river and then Kongo, Joël’s father, carried the body off. He then adds that no one can find Kongo at the moment. Sebastien notices that Amabelle is sweating and she admits she had the nightmare about her parents drowning again. He urges her to imagine a different version of her life. He promises her that this is his last season working in the sugarcane fields, that he is sick of being considered “burnt crud at the bottom of the pot,” and that they can invent a better life for themselves (56).

Amabelle reflects on a painful fever she contracted as a child, possibly as a result of her parents’ unscrupulous benevolence towards others in need. During this time, she believes she sees a doll her mother made her dancing and speaking to her, but her mother blames her fever for those hallucinations. Her parents tend to her illness and Amabelle regains her health.