Chapter 3 Summary

Rosa Diamond watches out the windows of her beachfront property home for the ghosts of Norman conquerors. The widow, eighty-eight years old, has long had the second sight that has given her glimpses into human battles of the past. She does not fear ghosts. She considers their presence to represent nothing more than unfinished business. Her house is built near the site of a castle conquered by the Normans and each night she sees their ghost ship sail through her living room as it heads toward the receding ocean. All her life, she has seen ghosts and other strange things with her second sight. When she sees Gibreel and Chamcha on the beach, she is mesmerized by Gibreel. She grabs her cane and rushes to greet them. On the snowy bank, Gibreel and Chamcha are dazed from their fall. Gibreel is exultant, dancing...