Life After Life: A Lovely Day Tomorrow (III), Nov 1940 Summary & Analysis

Ursula can hear Mrs. Appleyard trying to soothe Emil. Ursula feels alone, wishing for a warm body for comfort—or a dog. Ursula knows when the sirens will start, as though she can hear an echo that comes before the siren. She is about to run for the cellar when she notices a dog the opposite doorway. She races down the stairs, passing Lavinia and Ruth.

Ursula runs outside and grabs the dog. She then hears the loudest bang she’s ever heard. She takes a blow to the forehead and feels a horrendous pain in her ears. Something else hits her head and she loses consciousness. She is woken by the dog licking her face. She struggles to sit, her head feeling thick and stupid. She calls the dog “Lucky,” but when she speaks she nearly chokes on the dust in the air. She wonders if everyone in the apartment is dead.

Ursula stumbles into the street. Two firemen—one of whom looks like (and is later revealed to be) Fred Smith—are attaching a hose to a hydrant when one of them yells, “the wall’s coming down!” The whole wall in front of Ursula tilts forward, falling in one piece and bringing darkness down with it.