“The voice cut into Helen’s murky sleep, and as she cracked her eyes open, the morning sun glared through the cleft in the curtains. A woman stood over her, hands on hips. Helen felt her own fingers that dangled over the side of the bed being pulled on, and she knew Lyric was there. Squinting, she turned her head and saw the child watching her. Helen had no idea how long Lyric had been there, perhaps minutes or hours or years, as if she lived in that spot, unaging, just waiting for the curse that was cast over Helen to lift.” GriefMagicSadnessSadBedSoldierCurseChild Book:The Ocean's Daughter : Source: The Ocean's Daughter :
“At last Stuart looked away from Helen and back to the piano as he picked up on Helen’s cue. In the Mood filled the small living room the way fragrance fills a garden after rain. Helen felt almost tipsy, perhaps from the music or the look Stuart had given her, or because people so rarely dance without being tipsy. Lyric bounced on Helen’s hip, the girl’s thin legs bopping against Helen’s body. Then as Helen swung and spun the child over the rug, the most remarkable thing happened. It started like a freshly sprung leak, then the moment before it came, Helen saw it in Lyric’s eyes. The leak busted, a water main of laughter bursting and arching into the room. Lyric’s laugh was the most beautiful sound Helen had ever heard. Her first thought was that Mum had been right—there is magic on this earth, and at last Helen had found it, hiding, inside this little girl. To Helen, it felt as though she'd spent so many days in the cold of winter, and was now hearing the birds return.” LoveJoyHopeMusicMagicLaughterDancingPianoChildTipsy Book:The Ocean's Daughter : Source: The Ocean's Daughter :
“At last they came to a hill and abandoned their bikes at the bottom. As they crested the knoll, Helen felt as though they were creeping upon some great secret and on the other side they’d find a giant sleeping or a black X with three shovels beside it. What they found was magic by a different name. Planes buzzed on runways like bees in a jar, and when one took off, a roar filled the air. As it lifted away from the earth, a breeze swept over their hilltop, and it left Helen wondering if they had been touched by the magic or if it was truly only a breeze.” ChildrenRealMagicChildhoodDiscoveryPlanesMagicalSiblingsRunwayAirplanes Book:The Ocean's Daughter : Source: The Ocean's Daughter :
“How many times, since she was just a child, had her and Mum hung clothes together here as Mum told her stories? Some real, some pretend, some Helen couldn’t quite tell the difference between. For decades Mum insisted that as a child a true mermaid had been her friend. The mergirl had gotten injured by a fallen rock near Mum’s home, and she claimed to have helped the creature back to health. When Helen was small she accepted the tale as truth, but when she grew and dropped her belief in other fairy tales Mum would insist this was different. “Her tail felt smooth when I would slide my fingers down it, but the scales were sharp if I slid my palm up. I don’t have to pretend it’s true or convince you. I held magic in my hands. It wasn’t the first time, but it was the first time I realized I had.” “But there’s no such thing as mermaids and magic,” Helen had refuted once. Mum had lowered herself to meet Helen’s eyes. “Oh, there’s magic in this world. Do you think that just because you can explain something that makes it not magic anymore? How a wildflower grows is magic. The first snow of winter? Absolutely. Stand on any theater’s stage and you can’t deny it’s there. Sit on any shore and you’ll always feel it.” RealRealityMotherBeliefNatureMagicMysticalMagical RealismMagicalMermaids Book:The Ocean's Daughter : Source: The Ocean's Daughter :