Playing Beatie Bow: Chapter 1  Summary & Analysis

Fourteen-year-old Abigail Kirk was originally, as an infant, christened Lynette, a name which her mother Katherine regrets giving her, as she finds it ugly. For the first ten years of her life, “Lynnie” Kirk was “happy as a lark,” hot-headed but devoted to her parents—especially her father, whom she saw as a “king.” When Abigail’s father Weyland left her and her mother and went off with another woman, he promised Lynnie that he would come home often, but in response Lynnie hit her father on the nose. After he left, Lynnie commanded her mother to never call her by her name again.

Katherine tried to explain to her daughter that just because her father wanted to leave their marriage, his departure had no effect on his love for Lynnie, but the girl only retreated further and further into herself, refusing to answer to her given name. Things only got worse when Kathy sold their family home and moved into an apartment unit that Weyland—an architect—had given to her. Her daughter was incensed that Kathy would have accepted such a gift, despite the fact that the apartment was a fine, expansive unit in a high-rise tower in Sydney.

“The ex-Lynette” eventually stumbled upon a new name through her grandmother, with whom she had a contentious relationship. After “ex-Lynette”’s grandmother complained to Kathy that Kathy’s daughter had become “a little witch,” the girl decided she wanted a witch’s name, and selected Abigail as her new name, despite her mother’s protestations. Abigail took the name and vowed that when she was old enough, she would change her surname as well.

Abigail, now fourteen, is a thin, plain girl who is studious and clever but reserved and quiet. She is not very well-liked at school, and the other children think she is odd because she shirks trends and has no interest in boys, but Abigail does not mind—on the inside, she feels “a hundred years older and wiser than this love-mad rabble in her class.” She purposefully hides the truth of herself away from everyone, including her mother, and cultivates an expressionless, bland exterior. Lately, Abigail has been longing for someone to share her secrets with, though she admits to herself that even she does not know what the secrets of her inner self truly are.

The May holidays arrive—they always make Abigail feel “forlorn and restless,” and rather than helping her mother at her antiques shop she spends her days sulking about the house. Abigail is profoundly aware that something is missing. When she was younger, she always assumed it was her father—despite her hatred for him, she missed him terribly. Now that Abigail is older, she begins to realize that the “empty place inside” of her is not due to her father’s absence—it is a part of her, and she does not know what it is, or why it is there.

Abigail has a close friendship with her mother. Back when their family all lived together in the suburbs, Kathy had collected and kept vintage and antique odds and ends. After Weyland left, Kathy rented a storefront on a high street and opened an antiques shop called Magpies, which has become popular over the years.

Abigail, bored and lonely, gets up from her brown armchair and goes to visit the Crowns, her neighbors. Justine Crown is the mother of four-year-old Natalie and six-year-old Vincent. Natalie is sweet, but Vincent is a monster. Abigail feels protective of Natalie, who often has fevers and nightmares. As soon as the Crowns’ door swings open, Vincent teases Abigail for having “Dracula teeth.” He asks his sister, calling her “Fat Nat,” if she can see them too. Despite herself, Abigail instantly becomes self-conscious, listing in her head all the things she does not like about herself—most of all, her flat and narrow figure.

Abigail steels herself against the monstrous Vincent’s nagging and offers Justine to take the two to the playground for a while, so Justine can have some peace. As Abigail leads the children out of the building, she cannot help but admire a plaque in the lobby which lists her father, Weyland Kirk, as an architect of the Mitchell building.

Down at the playground, a harsh wind is blowing. Vincent runs off immediately to play with the other children gathered there, most of whom also live in Mitchell. Abigail observes the children “racing dementedly back and forth,” clearly playing some kind of group game. Abigail asks Natalie if she would like to join the game, but Natalie shakes her head and begins to cry. Natalie tells Abigail that the game the children are playing is called “Beatie Bow,” and it scares her—nevertheless, Natalie says, she likes to watch.

Abigail and Natalie watch the game—a girl stands in the middle of a circle of children, playing the figure of a mother, or “Mudda.” A child makes a scraping sound, and the others then ask “Mudda” what the noise is—she insists it’s just the dog at the door. A second child makes a horrible moan, and the others ask what the noise is—“Mudda” replies that it is just the wind. A third child drops rocks on the ground, and Mudda tells the chorus of children that it is only “the cow in the byre, the horse in the stall.” At this point, Natalie puts her hands over her eyes. Mudda then points past the circle of children—a girl in a white sheet is walking toward them. Mudda cries that Beatie Bow has risen from the dead, and the circle of children breaks—they begin shrieking and running across the playground.

Natalie explains that if the person playing Beatie Bow catches someone, that person then becomes the next Beatie Bow. Natalie tells Abigail that the game does actually frighten many of the children who play it, since so often they stay and play after dark. The only girl who never seems to get scared, Natalie says, is a “little furry girl” who always stands in the corner of the playground and watches.

Vincent approaches Abigail and asks if he can play once more—Abigail tells him that it is time to go home, and it is already too cold for Natalie. Vincent makes a rude gesture at the two girls and then runs back into the building’s lobby. Abigail follows him in, and as she stands with him waiting for the elevator, she can see that he is trembling all over. Abigail decides to tell Justine about the “too-exciting game” Vincent has been playing.

Inside the apartment, Abigail offers to stay until dinner so that she can entertain Natalie while Justine cooks and gets ready for dinner. Justine suggests Abigail help Natalie sew some new clothes for her teddy bear, knowing that Abigail enjoys sewing and makes many of her own clothes. Abigail’s grandmother hates all the clothes she makes, and often comments on their ugliness, but Abigail’s mother defends Abigail’s creativity.

Abigail and Natalie pick through a bag of fabric, testing swatches against Natalie’s teddy. Abigail tells Natalie about a dress she has nearly finished for herself, made from an old Edwardian curtain. As the two girls sift through the fabrics, Abigail spots a strangely-shaped piece of yellow crochet—it is very fine work, nearly like lace. Justine comes into the room, and, seeing Abigail with the rag, asks for it, saying she’ll use it as a dishcloth or something—it’s been around forever. Abigail, though, asks if she can keep it—it will be just the right yoke for her new high-necked Edwardian curtain dress.

Abigail says goodbye to the Crowns and heads home, where she carefully washes and dries the fabric. Abigail examines the pattern more closely and sees that it is a design of a delicate plant with a flower rising up out of five heart-shaped leaves. Between two leaves, Abigail makes out two tiny initials: A.T. When Kathy arrives home, she admires the piece of crochet and offers to sell it in the shop, but Abigail declines. Abigail stitches the yoke to her dress, trying to make the stitches as fine as she can. As she works, she realizes she has seen the flower in a book before—it is called Parnassus Grass. Abigail heads to bed and floats easily off to sleep. She dreams of the smell of burnt sugar, and a closed door with an iron fist for a knocker; tied to the door knocker is a yellow rag.