Thief Lord - Double Entry Diary

All Lost, Chapter 39, Page 248

Prosper is in agony. His brother is gone and he is feeling alone in the world. He remembers how his mother talked about the moon when she told them stories of Venice. She told them that the moon could make dreams come true. He asked the moon what to do but got no answer.

“Prosper knew that... [the moon]...wasn’t going to help him get his brother back.”

“Prosper sat in Ida’s boat and let the tears run down his face. He had believed that this was his city – his and Bo’s. He used to believe that if they came here…they would be safe…”

“He had felt safe as a king in the center of his realm, protected by lions and dragons-and by the water all around them.”

I picked these excerpts because of their emotional charge. I know how profoundly difficult it can be as an adult to face adversity, but to experience such tremendous loss as a child is heartbreaking for me to even consider. Throughout these passages I could feel the extreme depth of Prosper’s pain. After the loss of his mother he devoted himself to caring for his brother. Finding out that Bo was gone robbed him of his purpose in life. He went from feeling like a king to a helpless child, powerless and completely alone. I am sadly reminded of how little control we sometimes have over the circumstances in our lives despite our best efforts, and how despondent that realization can make us.