Short Fiction · Chapter
She Can’t Be Ours explained
The princess's aunt, a witch, has deprived the child of gravity, causing her to float away whenever held.
What happens
The princess's aunt, a witch, has deprived the child of gravity, causing her to float away whenever held. The king and queen discover this when the baby floats to the ceiling, leading the king to doubt she is theirs, while the queen suspects the witch's interference. They retrieve the baby using steps and tongs.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Illusion
The apparent loss of gravity creates an illusion that the child is not theirs, challenging the king's perception of reality.
Family and Sacrificial Love
The king and queen's distress over the baby's condition reflects their parental concern and love.
Characters to notice
- The Princess
The baby princess who has been bewitched by her aunt to lack gravity, floating to the ceiling and laughing.
- Watho
Referred to as 'Princess Makemnoit,' the atrocious aunt and witch who deprived the child of gravity.
- King Ralph
The king who is astonished and frightened when the baby floats, and who doubts she is his child.
- Agnes
The queen who suspects the witch's involvement and is cleverer than the king.
Key passages
“She can’t be ours, queen!”
The king exclaims that the floating baby cannot possibly be their child.
Expresses the king's shock and doubt upon witnessing the supernatural effect.
“Her atrocious aunt had deprived the child of all her gravity.”
The witch aunt had taken away the baby's ability to be affected by gravity.
Introduces the central magical conflict of the chapter.