Passage from Chapter 3, "The First Letter"
"Cold feet in wet shoes, the horizon darkens, it is time for me to exit this paradise. Climbing down from the widow's walk, I throw a coincidental glance up the stairwell to the heavens. As quick as a twig snaps, I glimpse a streak of light sparking across the cobalt sky. It is the first time I felt I had a real mother, beautiful for only a moment."