Grandfather Connor always wore a bear pelt coat during the winter. To young Vanessa, the coat seemed sinister; it only made her grandfather more bear-like, as he already had a stern demeanor and a habit of pacing. When men who were courting Edna came over, Grandfather would retreat to the basement, which Vanessa called “the cave.” There, he would sit in a rocking chair, and the creaking floor would resonate through the house.

One cold Saturday, Grandfather Connor approaches Vanessa while she is skating. He tells her that her father and mother are out of town, and that she will be staying the night at the Brick House. Her brother, Roddie, stays with Grandmother MacLeod, whom Grandfather Connor refers to as “the old lady,” even though she is younger than him.

As they walk to the Brick House, Vanessa’s thoughts drift to her writing. Recently captivated by themes of love and death, she has started crafting a tragic love story set in ancient Egypt—a period she admits knowing little about. In her tale, a hero is doomed to carve a sphinx in the desert for a cruel Pharaoh; she debates which character to kill off, as she usually chooses the one she likes least.