Contents
The Emperor’s Guard
Overview
August, Jack, Amos, Miles, and Henry search unsuccessfully for August’s lost hearing aids in the dark. Fearing further trouble, they choose not to report the seventh graders. The boys close ranks around August as they return through the crowd, underscoring their new loyalty and August’s growing sense of safety.
Summary
August, Jack, Amos, Miles, and Henry backtrack through the dark grass to look for August’s hearing aids but quickly realize the search is futile. The night is so black they must hold on to one another to avoid tripping, and Henry admits the devices could be anywhere.
Amos suggests returning later with a flashlight, but August ends the search, and they head back through the cornfields toward the outdoor movie area. The seventh graders are gone. When Henry asks if they should report the attackers, August refuses. Amos accepts the decision but warns August not to walk around alone again.
As they near the screen and concession stands, August feels disoriented without his hearing aids, like being “miles under the earth.” To protect him in the crowd, Amos walks beside August, Jack on the other side, with Miles leading and Henry behind, forming a protective ring.
They move through the milling kids with August’s hood up and head down. The formation makes August feel guarded and supported, like he has his own emperor’s guard, marking a shift from isolation to solidarity with his peers.
Who Appears
- August PullmanNarrator; loses hearing aids, declines to report bullies, and is escorted protectively by friends.
- AmosTakes charge after the attack; suggests flashlights, warns August to stay with them, walks beside him.
- Jack WillStays close to August during the return, part of the protective formation.
- MilesHelps search; leads the group through the crowd as part of the guard.
- HenryAdmits the search is hopeless; asks about reporting; brings up the rear to protect August.