Scarlet Ibis Short Summary

In the story Scarlet ibis the narrator retells events that occurred in the past. When the narrator is six, his little brother is born. He is born in a caul; he had a big head and a small body which was red and shriveled like an old man’s, so everyone thought he was going to die. But he didn’t, the little brother is still alive, and when he is three months old, their parents give him the name William Armstrong, but the narrator or the older brother does not agree.
The narrator is disappointed that his little brother is disabled and he had high hopes that his little would at least be able to run and jump and play with him. When his mother suggests that his little brother might not turn out to be "all there," the narrator is even more upset; however, when the baby stares right at him and smiles, the narrator knows that he is "all there" after all. When the baby is two years old, he learns to move around and crawl by himself. As soon as he does, they decide they need to give him a new name that fits him better; they settle on Doodle, because he only crawls backwards, just like a doodlebug. Only their Aunt Nicey does not think this name is fitting; she believes that he should be treated with more respect, since caul babies might turn out to be saints.
He takes him to a place they call the Old Woman Swamp, and Doodle starts to cry because it is so beautiful. From that moment on they go down to the swamp often and find themselves in wildflower crowns and necklaces. At other times, though, the narrator is mean to Doodle; most notably, he takes Doodle to see the coffin that was made for him when everyone thought he was going to die, now sitting forgotten in the barn. He forces Doodle to touch it, and threatens to leave him alone with it if he does