About this story
Does Poo Sing feel ill? You step into this one-chapter preview with Boy D'Arcy-Muir at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. The front door shut before he could ask which adult would decide the next time his father was ill. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
How it opens
Four-year-old Boy sat strapped in a feeding chair while his father staggered around the dining room singing and swearing.
Does Poo Sing feel ill? Boy will stay quiet so his head stops hurting.
Mrs. D'Arcy-Muir had taught him to interpret drunkenness as illness and used his presence to protect furniture from rage.
Captain D'Arcy-MuirWhat is the little beggar staring at? Take him away if he starts crying.
Choose
Ask Gerty to carry the chair into the next room while the captain sings.
Stay between the chair and the captain until another adult arrives.