“The Ratliffs own the moon that floats over the lake, and the sun and the clouds. It is a place that has been good to them, as much a part of them as a member of the family. The idea of returning year after year to a single place appeals to Gogol deeply.”
“I miss one angel face in the little world of sisters- dear Mary- sainted Mary- Remember lonely one- tho, she comes not to us, we shall return to her!”
She wants to return to her brother to bury him, is contaminated by radiation, and collapses.
She wakes up in a provisional hospital in Herleshausen, where she witnesses the hardships of others. She learns of the extent of the disaster from television and a nurse.