The Bewitching

The narrative returns to Alba’s family farm in 1908. Alba shares another moment of sexual tension with Arturo, but the two do not kiss. She recalls her father finding Arturo’s temperament mercurial, and she realizes that her father might have been correct: Arturo enjoys flattery, and his moods often shift quickly and without warning. Later, she sees a mysterious light in the trees outside of her room and once again hears the otherworldly screeching that does not come from any animal she can identify. She tries to alert her mother, but her mother grows angry. She says she’s overworked now that she’s a window, and Alba is an “indolent” young girl who prefers her own imagination to the chores that keep the farm running. Alba realizes that her mother will not help her. If the family is indeed bewitched, Alba will have to fight it on her own.

The narrative returns to 1998. Noah takes Minerva to the factory. He tells her about his parents, who were killed in a car accident. Their marriage had been unhappy in large part because it was arranged by Carolyn. In their family, Noah explains, marriage is about money rather than love.