This chapter begins with a man, Hector Bowen, whose mail is billed to his stage name, Prospero the Enchanter, receiving a suicide note attached to the coat of his five-year old daughter.
The theater manager takes the silent girl to Prospero's office, and upon seeing his daughter for the first time, he says what any parent would say: "Well, fuck."
This is the tip of the iceberg for the years of abuse toward Hector's daughter that follow.
Reading the note without any emotional reaction, the only fact that he takes away is that he is now the primary guardian of his daughter, Celia.
After joking that Celia's mother was not clever enough to think to name her Miranda, the little girl narrows her eyes and the teacup on his desk shatters.
His humor instantly gone, he glances at the shards of porcelain and Celia watches as the teacup mends itself.
Then, like any good parent, Hector Bowen inspects his daughter by grabbing her face.
"Hector Bowen takes his daughter's face in his gloved hand, scrutinizing her expression for a moment before releasing her, his fingers leaving long red marks across her cheeks.
'You might be interesting,' he says."
The theater manager takes the silent girl to Prospero's office, and upon seeing his daughter for the first time, he says what any parent would say: "Well, fuck."
This is the tip of the iceberg for the years of abuse toward Hector's daughter that follow.
Reading the note without any emotional reaction, the only fact that he takes away is that he is now the primary guardian of his daughter, Celia.
After joking that Celia's mother was not clever enough to think to name her Miranda, the little girl narrows her eyes and the teacup on his desk shatters.
His humor instantly gone, he glances at the shards of porcelain and Celia watches as the teacup mends itself.
Then, like any good parent, Hector Bowen inspects his daughter by grabbing her face.
"Hector Bowen takes his daughter's face in his gloved hand, scrutinizing her expression for a moment before releasing her, his fingers leaving long red marks across her cheeks.
'You might be interesting,' he says."
There's already a sense of magic established in this book, real magic, not the kind Prospero pretends to do onstage, and the best thing about his daughter, to him, is the fact that she's inherited his gift.
Months (of abuse) pass, and the first chapter ends with Hector sending his own letter across the ocean, and it reaches its destination despite having no address (again, magic).
This chapter, of course, is an introduction to the book, and years pass before the major events of the plot, but we've established two things:
1. Magic
2. Hector is a douche
1. Magic
2. Hector is a douche
Thoughts so far? Again, I'm trying to post within a week of the previous one, so at the latest, Chapter 2 should be out by next Saturday.
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