Summary

Daniela wakes up at midnight. When Julián tucks her back in, he tells her Verónica “just called” and will be home soon (41). She took her pregnant friend “to the hospital” and got two flat tires on the way (41). “Daniela isn’t worried” about Verónica’s return, but asks Julián to sit with her because she is afraid of the dark (41). He lies, saying he “wasn’t afraid of the dark” at her age (41). In reality, Julián has been terrified “of going blind” since he was a child (41).

Julián tells Daniela “another story from ‘The Private Lives of Trees’” (41). Recently, he feared Daniela was getting too old for his stories. One night after spending the day with Fernando, she told him she did not want a story and could “go to sleep” by herself (41). Julián...