Characters & Family Tree
Arabella
Flap. Aim. Keep going.
But that’s the tip of the iceberg. These letters are about how I remembered I had wings, and that I could fly not because I had them, but because I had the courage to use them.
We need to go where faerie tales are made. Afterwards, the faeries can tell the story if they want.
Isabella
I think we both know I believe that what Dad sent me as a birthday present was just nonsense. All this “Save Isabella” propaganda is just a waste of time.
James
“Entirely bonkers, Alice! But I’ll tell you a secret: All the best people are,” James said while curtseying, bending his knees all the way to the floor and smiling.
Dominga
Other than my birth year, I don’t know where to start, but if I must unbox the family, it’s best to start with Dominga. I would send a photograph of her with this letter, but there is none, of course. Dominga, for some reason the family never understood, never appeared in photographs. It has been so long that I sometimes wonder if Dominga ever existed, or if she was just an imaginary faery that floated down from the mountain, chasing a hen.
Have I ever told you about Dominga before? She was my nanny, a native from the Cabécar tribe that lives on Costa Rica’s Mount Chirripó. It was impossible for anyone who spoke to her for more than 10 minutes not to fall in love with her: shaped like an apple, with burnished skin, high cheekbones, and the longest, darkest hair I have ever touched in my life.
Jose Gallina
Later that evening, I heard Don Tino tell Papa that the first thing that struck the men was that no recolector felt intimidated by them. I guess that was because Papa’s Napkin Principle #4 was, “Honour everyone, not because you are less or because you are more, but because you are equal.”
Henrrietta Jones
“The scarf belonged to Amelia Earhart,” Auntie said to me. “She gave it to your mother Henrietta back in 1933, when we both attended a signing for her book The Fun of It. Shortly afterward, your Grandpa Jones announced that he was going to teach us how to drive, but Henrietta refused. She said that if she was going to put herself through the trouble of learning something, it might as well be for a machine that could fly. For a while we all believed that she was going to do it, as she was very determined. But eventually, all she did was imitate how Amelia dressed, and wore the scarf every day. One day, an old friend of Father’s who was training to become a pilot came to stay at the inn, and offered to teach her. However, after he suggested this, Henrietta avoided him until he left. I learned how to drive, she reread all of Amelia’s books until she met your father, and Amelia flew solo across the Atlantic.”
Abuela Gallina
Let’s continue time travelling with our ancestors. Everyone trusted Abuela’s dreams, ever since she refused to get on board the Titanic, claiming she had dreamed that the Statue of Liberty told her the huge ship would never enter New York Harbor. Abuela’s blind belief in her gut feeling was fierce, so neither Abuelo nor Papa dared try to persuade her otherwise. Mom admired Abuela Gallina: both flew around the world reading books from Mr. Height’s shelves, dreaming and crocheting, while Abuelo Gallina and Papa worked, and the whole family waited for me to be born.
Abuelo Gallina
Years ago, a medium had told the marchioness that Mr. Height wanted to see the world … but when the marchioness lost her fortune, my Mom’s Mom (Grandma Jones) was dismissed, along with the rest of the household staff. The marchioness decided to give the bookshelf to her prettiest housemaid, which was my stunningly elegant Grandma Jones. When Mom and Papa got married, Grandma Jones shipped it over as a wedding present, as she knew it was Mr. Height’s opportunity to fulfill his destiny. But the shipping agent made a mistake, and dispatched it to Puerto Rico rather than Costa Rica. (I think many tourists still sometimes make this same mistake.) It took my Papa’s papa (Abuelo Gallina, who looked just like Papa but older) three months to track it down and bring it to Casa Grande; the only reason he succeeded was my Abuela Gallina’s ability to trust her dreams.
Let’s continue time travelling with our ancestors. Everyone trusted Abuela’s dreams, ever since she refused to get on board the Titanic, claiming she had dreamed that the Statue of Liberty told her the huge ship would never enter New York Harbor. Abuela’s blind belief in her gut feeling was fierce, so neither Abuelo nor Papa dared try to persuade her otherwise. Mom admired Abuela Gallina: both flew around the world reading books from Mr. Height’s shelves, dreaming and crocheting, while Abuelo Gallina and Papa worked, and the whole family waited for me to be born.
Grandma Jones
Perhaps the 1950s was when time started to pass by faster for me. I began igniting my passion for changing the world, like Grandma Jones, although I did not yet know her fantastic story about the suffragette movement. But eventually, it was inevitable that we would fantasise about romance, like the one my Abuelos Gallina shared; falling in love and getting married was what was expected of me.
When they were little girls, Grandma Jones told Mom and Auntie the rules of the fairy tale garden, and so Theresa, Auntie, and I always made sure we left some sweets by the gate before we closed it. Grandma Jones invented the blackcurrant-flavoured ones, which the elves especially loved. This kept the elves happy, so they would not go into the Feathers Inn and mischievously take things from the guests.
Grandpa Jones
Now, if Abuelo and Abuela Gallina came from a long line of wealthy plantation owners, Grandpa and Grandma (which is what I called Mom’s parents) came from a long line of servants. Until World War I entered the human imagination, Grandpa was the caretaker of the horses at the same manor house where Grandma worked; after seeing the horrors that the horses endured during the war, he moved to London and became a chauffeur. Henry Ford was his hero, as his assembly line model for mass production was the way to make sure automobiles replaced horses for good. Grandpa Jones loved animals for what they are: part of the family. That’s almost all I know about him, but it is one of the most important lessons a human can learn; I hope you can agree.
Auntie Mary
Auntie Mary flew like a white-winged dove into the kitchen and gently moved the lily-white cups— sprinkled with pale, hand-painted roses—to the tea room. Auntie poured water over the jasmine flowers, which started floating and dancing with the pale roses. I thought of Dominga’s stained tin pot; Auntie Mary did too. We looked in each other’s eyes, smiled, and started talking like two old friends.
Cecilia
Before I forget, have you thought about my offer of Mr. Height? Cecilia asked me again if she could have the bookshelf. She keeps on calling it by its name, and I have a feeling Mr. Height will like her. Actually, I am not sure Mr. Height has liked anyone since Mom died, so it’s good news for both of them.
Henry
By now, you must be getting impatient, so let’s get al grano (to the point). You know your father was here in Costa Rica last week. We got in the habit of drinking our morning coffee together each day; then the day came when James went into your grandfather’s office. Right now I’m taking a deep breath, trying to mentally compose a sentence that will allow you to appreciate the unpredictable trip we took down memory lane while looking through your grandfather Henry’s pictures. Its been a month since my Henry passed away, and we miss him so much. That day we travelled through time; just like in the old days, we started making fun of your grandfather, especially when we found some pictures of his pale white face burned by the Indian sun—in Jaipur, if I remember correctly. I could almost hear his thick accent, asking James and me to let him finish going through his paperwork while we giggled and ran down the hall like two little children.
Gallina Family Tree
The monument of Christ the Redeemer was built in Rio, and Gandhi made his Salt March. Papa was finally introduced as Mom’s boyfriend, something everyone at the inn was aware of apart from Grandpa Jones. Auntie Mary approved of Papa. Al Capone was imprisoned for income tax evasion, and Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. King Edward abdicated, and the first Nazi concentration camp was established. Papa proposed to Mom. The Spanish Civil War began, and the Hoover Dam was completed. Mom accepted the proposal. Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic. Mom tried to get a pilot’s licence.
