Thea Beldaniel, reminiscing to van Rijn about her childhood, does not realize until too late how much she is giving away. Children accept and take for granted whatever is presented to them. So: when you step out of your house, assuming that you live in one of course, do you enter a yard, a street or something else? Thea:
"'...went out of the household [my emphasis], into the ruined part of the huge old, old building...'" (p. 531)
She took this for granted but it is all news to van Rijn. There is more. She accompanied one of her master's sons because:
"'...he wanted someone to carry his weapons, even their toddlers have weapons.'" (ibid.)
This is not only strange but disturbing. They explored and found some machinery not rusted much in "'...a high tower room...'" where there was "'...a hole in the roof...'" (ibid.) and they had a view "'...across the desert...'" (p. 532)
Then she realizes that she is saying too much. She has said a mouthful: armed squatters in a decaying building in a desert...
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
That "...huge, old, old building..." reminded me of Mervyn Peake's similarly vast and ancient building, Gormenghast.
I struggled to read Peake's Gormenghast books but eventually gave up on them. They simply did not "grab" me.
Ad astra! Sean
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