Will Stanton Timeline and Summary

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• It's going to be Will's eleventh birthday soon, and all he wants is some snow. As he's walking around town, Farmer Dawson gives him an ornament and tells him that the Walker is abroad and tomorrow will be bad. Huh? He's not sure what any of that means.
• Will goes about his normal day, feeding the chickens and talking to his brother before heading to bed.
• The next morning, he wakes up to snow. He is super excited, and as he explores the snow, he comes upon two ornate doors in the middle of the woods.
• Naturally, Will goes inside and finds an old lady and man waiting in there for him. They explain to him that he's an Old One, a guy who can live forever and has magical powers.
• Luckily, Merriman is there to explain to Will that he needs to collect six Signs from all over the world. These will help the Old Ones defeat the Dark—oh and by the way, the Old Ones can travel through time.
• Before Will can wrap his head about this, the Dark appears and tries to take him until the Lady sacrifices herself to save Will. She's not dead, but she'll be gone for a while.
• Will goes back home. He meets the Walker on the road the next day; the guy has the next Sign for him, but is reluctant to give it up.
• One of the Dark shows up and tries to hurt Will, but luckily Merriman appears out of nowhere and saves him. He explains to Will that he has to be more careful in the future and helps him get the Sign from the Walker.
• Later, Will is told by Merriman to read the Book of Gramarye, a text that holds the mysteries of the universe. Will reads it for ages and learns everything there is to know about life, time, and magic.
• Merriman takes Will to a time long ago, when the Walker (a.k.a. Hawkin) was just a guy who betrayed them by turning to the Dark. Merriman is really upset, and Will wishes there were something he could do.
• A snowstorm has begun and Will and Merriman try to get everyone in one location to keep them safe. Mary, Will's sister, goes out in the snow and gets lost.
• Will finds out that the Rider kidnapped Mary and tracks him down to get his sister back.
• He's collected a few more Signs now, so he might trade one for his sister's life. Luckily, though, he doesn't have to—the Rider fights him, but Will manages to escape through water.
• Will meets Merriman on a boat and they collect the next Sign together.
• Now that all the Signs are compiled, Will and Merriman go to the woods to meet the Hunter; he'll fight the Rider head-on.
• The battle takes place, with Merriman and Will watching. Pretty soon, Merriman announces that the Hunter has won. Yippee. The Dark is destroyed—for now.
• Will, Merriman, and the other Old Ones get together for a party before Will goes home to his family.