There is a moment in the Jamie Poole Diaries (Destiny of the Departed) when a character named Nassor the Jackal, clan chief of Larupus, stands in his hall and makes an accusation against his own daughter. He blames her for the death of her mother. He blames her for the weather.

There are moments in a life that become portals. You don't always recognize them when they happen. They look ordinary — a Saturday afternoon, a bookstore, someone handing you something and saying, I think you'll like this one. I did.