Good-by and Hello is the twentieth and final chapter of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Characters[]
Plot[]
Milo comes upon a tollbooth like the one he assembled in his bedroom and passes through it to find himself right back where he began. He realizes that days or weeks have passed while he has been away and hopes that no one has been worried. As it turns out, however, only a few hours have passed. It is near nightfall and Milo, who is exhausted, decides to go to bed.
The next day begins like any other. Milo goes to school where he is distracted by thinking of making his next trip through the tollbooth. He rushes home from school planning to hop in his electric car and have another adventure. When he reaches his bedroom, however, he finds that the tollbooth is gone. In its place is a note addressed "FOR MILO, WHO KNOWS THE WAY." The note explains that there are many more boys and girls in need of the tollbooth and suggests that thanks to the lessons he has learned, Milo can explore many more wonderful lands all by himself. The tollbooth was just the first step, it seems, and now Milo is free to do all the exploring and adventuring he desires. Milo contemplates this, looking around at his room in a whole new way and seeing all sorts of wonderful and interesting things. Feeling more excited to be in his own world than he ever was before, Milo decides that he's ready to make his own adventures. "Well, I would like to make another trip," he thinks, "but I really don't know when I'll have the time. There's just so much to do right here."
Chapter Guide[]
< The Return of Rhyme and Reason (Chapter 19) | N/A