A knock upon the memory of a door

"A knock upon the memory of a door" is the ninth chapter in the first book of The Starless Sea. It is the sixth story in the book Sweet Sorrows and the ninth chapter overall.

Summary
A girl is exploring in the woods near her home. She finds a door knocker. She has always wanted to use one on a door, but is too short. She finds a door lying on the ground, and knocks on it.

When she does so, the door opens into the Starless Sea, and the girl falls. The door is destroyed in the process, but the girl survives the fall.

Major Characters

 * Eleanor - unnamed, described as "the girl"

Minor Characters

 * None

Trivia and Connections

 * The door is describe in anthropomorphic terms as "remember[ing] the time when it was complete." Within the "fairy tale" segments of the book, inanimate objects are often treated in this way; for example, the paper star that had been unfolded and refolded into a unicorn.
 * Though Eleanor later reads Sweet Sorrows, she does not recognize this chapter as being about herself.

Analysis
This chapter introduces another new character, Eleanor, and describes how a person might accidentally find their way to the Starless Sea. It also emphasizes how old these doors are, part of a world that has fallen apart.

Eleanor thinks of herself as an explorer, and the narration emphasizes that there is a difference between being lost, and moving forward even though you do not know your way. Perhaps this is why Eleanor keeps her mind as she sails the Starless Sea, whereas Simon becomes lost in time.

Quotes

 * A girl lost in the woods is a different sort of creature than a girl who walks purposefully through the trees even though she does not know her way.
 * She is young enough to carry fear with her without letting it into her heart.
 * The door is delighted to be knocked upon after so long.
 * When she lands she is all curiosity and scraped elbows and dirt-covered eyelashes.