A Colorful Symphony is the tenth chapter of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Characters[]
- Milo
- Tock
- The Humbug
- Alec Bings
- Chroma the Great (debut)
Plot[]
Alec, Milo, Tock, and the Humbug continue their walk in the forest, but they lose their way. There's a nearby house, so they go up to ask its resident for directions. Alec says the person who lives there is a giant, but the man who opens the door just looks like an average-sized person. He says he's a small giant and sends them to talk to the "midget." When Milo and Tock get to the other end of the house, the person who opens the back door looks just like the "giant." He says he's a big midget, and then he refers them to as the "fat man." On the third side of the house, the same man appears (this time, as the "fat" man) and refers to Milo and Tock as the "thin man." The thin man appears at the fourth door of the house, still the same person. But when Milo points this out, the giant/midget/fat/thin man asks him to keep it to himself. The man plays all these parts so he can feel special. But the man tells them to go away instead of giving him directions. The Humbug has slept through all of this, so Milo wakes him up and encourages them to keep going. Alec keeps playing tour guide and explains that most of the people that he knows live in a city, called Reality. They come upon a large clearing in which lies a magnificent metropolis. The city, Alec says, is called Illusions and is really just a mirage. Its twin city, Reality, turns out to be all around the travelers. Alec explains that Reality was once as beautiful as Illusions, but people in Reality decided that things would be much more efficient if they went everywhere as fast as possible and didn't bother to stop and appreciate things along the way. As a result, the city withered away. Alec next leads the group to an enormous open-air orchestra concert of over a thousand musicians, all conducted by Chroma the Great. Chroma waves his arms, and the musicians seem to be playing their instruments, although Milo doesn't hear anything. Alec explains that this orchestra doesn't play traditional music, but is responsible for providing all the colors in the world. The group has just arrived in time to watch the orchestra play the sunset. Chroma talks with Milo and shows him what would happen to the world if the orchestra didn't play anymore. All the colors of the entire globe would just fade out. Chroma says he's tired and is going to take the night off. He puts Milo in charge and asks him to keep an eye on the orchestra overnight and to wake him at 5:23 a.m. for the sunrise.
Chapter Guide[]
< It's All in How You Look at Things (Chapter 9) | Dischord and Dynne (Chapter 11)>