The Temple of My Familiar

Lissie and Hal

Hal writes to Suwelo, informing him of Lissie’s death. He encloses slides of her most recent paintings, saying they are incredible, but strange. He also sends cassette tapes that Lissie made for Suwelo to be given to him upon her passing.

In the tapes, Fanny mentions how Suwelo never spoke about his parents in all his time spent with Hal and Lissie. She encourages him to do so, to work through and let go of the pain he feels about their deaths. She also advises him to make amends with Carlotta for using her body while behaving like she is a “being without substance” (258).

Fanny reveals that she lied about being a Black woman in all her lives; she has occasionally been a white woman and also a man. Fanny recalls the dream memory of another, ancient life. She was the son of an African woman who was the queen of her people and had a lion named Husa as her familiar. The queen kept her son close and rubbed various ointments concocted from nuts and berries onto his skin.

The queen’s son grew up, and when he was old enough to mate, he found a playmate who liked him back.