# II: The Phantom Hands explained — Brood of the Witch-Queen > Chapter companion for Brood of the Witch-Queen by Sax Rohmer. ## What happens Robert Cairn visits Sir Michael Ferrara's house and speaks with Myra Duquesne, who describes strange nocturnal occurrences including phantom hands and a chilling presence. Meanwhile, Cairn investigates a mysterious death at a hospital, recognizing the deceased as a woman he had seen at Oxford in connection with Antony Ferrara. The chapter deepens the sense of supernatural threat and the connection between Ferrara and the unfolding events. ## Themes in this chapter ### Appearance vs. Reality The phantom hands and the mysterious death challenge characters' perceptions of what is real versus supernatural. ### The Limits of Rationality Cairn and the medical professionals struggle to explain the death and Myra's vision through rational means. ### Possession and Identity Sir Michael's altered behavior and the strange influence over him suggest a loss of self or external control. ## Character check-ins ### Robert Cairn Visits Sir Michael's house, investigates the hospital death, and learns of Myra's terrifying experience. ### Myra Duquesne Describes seeing phantom hands and hearing chanting; is visibly distressed and pale from nursing Sir Michael. ### Sir Michael Ferrara Unwell, refuses to see visitors, behaves strangely, and has made repeated requests for his solicitor. ### Antony Ferrara Implicated indirectly; the dead woman at the hospital is the same one seen at his Oxford rooms. ### Walton Junior house-surgeon who shows Cairn the body of the mysterious deceased woman. ### Dr. Sime Phoned Cairn about the unusual hospital case, which involved rare nervous symptoms. ## Key lines > He shuddered, as though from a physical chill. The house of the famous Egyptian scholar, dull white behind its rampart of trees, presented no unusual appearances to his anxious scrutiny. Cairn felt a cold shiver as he looked at Sir Michael's white house, which seemed normal despite his growing unease. _Highlights Cairn's foreboding and the contrast between ordinary appearance and hidden danger._ > I saw—oh, how can I tell you! You will think me mad! Myra hesitated, fearing that her account of the phantom hands would be dismissed as insanity. _Emphasizes the theme of appearance vs. reality and Myra's fear of not being believed._ > Two hands were stretched out over my uncle, two hands that swayed slowly up and down in the moonlight! Myra described seeing a pair of hands moving rhythmically above Sir Michael in the moonlit room. _Key supernatural image that drives the chapter's mystery._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/brood_of_the_witch_queen_se/chapters/ii-the-phantom-hands - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/brood_of_the_witch_queen_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/brood_of_the_witch_queen_se/chapters