The Magician's Assistant

Sabine travels to Nebraska, and Dot and Bertie are happy to see her. Bertie’s fiancé, Haas, is with them; Sabine notes how much he dotes on Bertie. At Dot’s house, Dot shows Sabine Parsifal’s old room, which hasn’t changed since his childhood.

Sabine sleeps in Parsifal’s room, imagining what he would have felt and thought as a boy. In a vivid dream, Sabine meets Phan again. He is in snowy Nebraska with her, and he assures her that everything will be fine. He believes that her presence in Nebraska will allow her to get some distance and discern important patterns. Sabine is confused by this observation, but she is overjoyed to see Phan.

Sabine wakes up at 1:30 in the morning. She smells cigarette smoke and meets Kitty in the kitchen. Sabine is startled to realize how closely Kitty resembles Parsifal. They talk, and Kitty tells Sabine about Parsifal’s notebook of aliases and stage names. Sabine realizes that Kitty was the Nebraskan version of Sabine in Parsifal’s life: a supporting presence to complete his ensemble, and “a girl who knew how to smile and wave” (165).