In chapter 14 of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, using what words they have in the instructions as clues, Doon and Lina follow the river in the Pipeworks to the hole in the Pipeworks wall the river flows through. There, among other rocks, they find the rock upon which the letter E has been drawn in curvy lines, E for egress. At this spot, both kids lay on their stomachs so they can peer over the riverbank, straight down at the rushing water, where they see a ledge. Along the wall of the riverbank, they see the iron rungs of a ladder. Both Doon and Lina carefully descend the ladder to the ledge below, first Doon then Lina. Once safely on the ledge, they see what looks like an "entry hall" carved into the wall of the river. As they proceed into this hallway, Lina is the first to recognize the door spoken of in the instructions.
There is barely enough light from the Pipeworks to see by, so Lina does most of her seeing by touch and observes that the door is made of metal and has a metal handle with a keyhole. To the right of the door, Lina finds a small steel panel. Running her fingers over the panel, Lina "felt a dent on one side," which she pressed to easily pop open the panel. Inside the panel, she sees that a "silver key was hanging on a hook." Beyond the door, Doon and Lina find candles, matches, and one boat. Farther in the room, they find another entryway to a room filled with hundreds of boats, enough for all the citizens of Ember to use to travel the river, which helps Doon and Lina reach the conclusion that the river leads the way out of Ember.
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