Somewhere Beyond the Sea

After a few hours, the spell on the guesthouse is lifted and Marblemaw is able to leave. Zoe interrupts her angry tirade to suggest that she might like to see a demonstration of one of the children’s magical abilities. Phee tosses an orange toward Marblemaw; with alarming rapidity, it sprouts and grows an enormous orange tree, knocking Marblemaw against the guesthouse’s porch. Marblemaw is not frightened. She awards Phee two courtesy points. At dinner on Monday, Marblemaw tries to convince Talia to shave off her beard, saying that Talia will never find a husband if she does not make her appearance more feminine. Talia is offended because, among gnomes, healthy beards are an indication of healthy gardens. When Marblemaw continues to harass Talia on the subject, Lucy makes a mustache appear on Marblemaw’s face, telling her that it is permanent and will grow back quickly each time she tries to shave it. On Tuesday, Marblemaw sits in on the children’s classroom lessons, making derogatory comments and disgruntled noises. When she begins to lecture them about how the world really works, they get up and leave the classroom for their mid-morning break. As Linus and Arthur take tea in the garden, they see Marblemaw walk past and then overhear her talking to Talia about her beard again. Talia threatens to bury Marblemaw in her garden if she brings the subject up again.

On Thursday, Sal—in his dog form—and Calliope are playing tag in the house. Marblemaw yells at Sal to stop chasing the cat. She calls him “filthy” and suggests that he belongs outside when he is in his Pomeranian form (326). When Marblemaw reaches for him, Calliope attacks her. Marblemaw retreats to the guesthouse, telling them, “You haven’t heard the last of this!” (328). Finally, on Friday, Lucy creates three sentient mud people from the island’s dirt. He announces that they are called Barry, Janet, and Turnip. Marblemaw is disgusted with what she sees as Lucy’s sacrilegious action, and she tells Arthur that he cannot seriously think he will be allowed to adopt the children when he lets them behave like this. Arthur tells her that he is already the children’s father and that she does not have the power to change this. She tells him that he is violating many DICOMY regulations that govern his position as the director of the orphanage. Arthur says that he officially resigns his position. When she accuses Arthur of lying to her over and over during her inspection visit, Sal steps in and tells her that they know the truth about her, and they know that she is the liar. He points out that her pretense of caring about what is best for them is hypocritical since she has not bothered to find out anything about the children as individual people. Arthur announces that he has had enough—it’s time for Marblemaw to leave Marsyas. When she refuses, Zoe asks the mud people to escort Marblemaw to the docks. Addressing Zoe as “your majesty,” the mud people comply (338). At the docks, Zoe places a spell on Marblemaw that will prevent her from ever returning to the island. Zoe raises the salt road, and Marblemaw begins the walk over the ocean to the mainland village.

In the days immediately following Marblemaw’s expulsion from the island, Arthur and Linus enjoy watching their children return to their usual summertime activities. Sal spends time with Arthur, learning about the finances and operation of the island. Zoe tells Sal that she has been angrily hiding away for centuries, but Arthur and the children have shown her that this is no way to live.

Linus, Arthur, and the children go into town one day. There are reporters everywhere, eager to talk to the family about their defiance of DICOMY. As they head for J-Bone’s record shop, Lucy stops in the street, announcing that, “They’re coming” (350). Black sedans and government agents surround the family. More cars arrive, and Marblemaw and Rowder get out. Villagers, reporters, and tourists begin to gather. Rowder tries to disperse the crowd, but they remain to observe what is happening. Rowder announces her intention to remove the children from Arthur and Linus’s custody. Arthur tells her no. She is surprised, but she tells him that he has no authority to stop her. She explains that, many years ago when Werner came to Marsyas Island to offer him a proposition from DICOMY, it was nothing more than a DICOMY experiment to discover whether Lucy could be influenced by others—not a serious attempt to reopen the Marsyas orphanage on a permanent basis. Lucy asks her why she is so interested in him, and Rowder says that he is special, more powerful than other magical beings. Lucy takes a step toward Rowder, looking very sad. He tells her that she has no light inside her, that she is like a black hole. Rowder pales when Lucy offers condolences for her father’s death at the hands of a magical being. Lucy explains that it was not her father’s fault; the magical being “had […] spiders in her brain. And she couldn’t make them sleep” (358). He tells Rowder that it is okay to be angry and sad because this is what it means to be human. Rowder lifts her hand to slap Lucy, but Lucy teleports himself out of her way.

Arthur points out that this is the second time that a DICOMY employee has tried to physically harm one of his children. He offers Rowder one last chance to join him and Linus in their effort to change the world for the better, but she declines and insists that she will take the children. Rowder accuses him of deliberately planning this very public confrontation. He simply restates his offer. When Rowder orders the agents to move in and take the children, the Marsyas village crowd surges forward to surround and protect the family. Zoe appears, floating down from the sky in regal costume. She tells the government forces that they are not welcome in Marsyas. Rowder begins to order Zoe to register herself with the government, but Zoe interrupts to tell her story.

Centuries ago, her family and all the other sprites save for Zoe herself were slaughtered by government agents. Zoe retreated deep into the forest on the island and swore she would never have anything to do with humans again—until Arthur came along. Inspired by him, she decided that protecting magical beings would also be her life’s work. Zoe explains that, as the last of her family line, she is now queen of Marsyas. She produces a document, signed by a long-ago human king, acknowledging Zoe’s dominion over the area. Zoe uses her magic to awaken the magic in Marsyas village and begin the process of connecting it to the island once again. She casts a banishment spell on all the assembled government agents, teleporting them back to the city. The villagers and tourists all cheer, and Arthur gratefully realizes that the change he has been trying to effect in human attitudes toward magical beings has really begun. Zoe tells the assembled reporters that Marsyas will be a haven for any magical beings seeking a safe home. Then, she takes the Baker-Parnassus family with her to the docks. They join hands, and Zoe uses their combined magic to raise the land between the village and the island and the land all around the island. Now, instead of a village and island separated by the sea, there is one large peninsula. Zoe invites everyone to explore their new home.

In the fall a few months later, it’s Arthur and Linus’s wedding day. The family has spent time exploring the new Marsyas and getting to know it well. It has become a major tourist destination, and many magical beings have moved in, seeking refuge from the outside world. Linus and a few other teachers have created a school for the magical children, and people in various other professions are arriving—Marsyas now has its own official lawyer, and a psychotherapist is arriving shortly. In the outside world, there has been much press coverage of the showdown between Rowder and the Baker-Parnassus family. Opinions are divided between those who support Rowder’s actions and those who abhor them. Rowder has been removed from her position at DICOMY. Her replacement is Doreen Blodwell, who reveals herself to be a satyr and promises to make positive changes in the way DICOMY and DICOMA treat magical beings.

Arthur dresses in the pink suit that the children have chosen for him and heads for the ceremony; he is touched to see that there are roughly 500 guests—both magical beings and humans from the village. All of the Baker-Parnassus children stand up for their fathers in the wedding, and David officiates, making a moving speech about being taken into the family and given a real home. Arthur and Linus exchange heartfelt vows and kiss, and the novel ends with the entire family embracing happily.