It was a simple desire  not to be like her mother  that led Karen to create her own story her own mythology a mythology of difference and strength Tn the tale that she constructed for herself there were significant moments in her progress such as the day she was twelve years old and her brother quickswung a golf club behind him and hit her full in the eye At the first moment of impact she was convinced of immediate blindness But the bone hod protected her as the doctor from the highwalled house later assured her The golf club had clean missed the eye and she was left with only a few stitches that healed to a pole drawing of past suffering When she opened her eyes in the doctors whitewalled consulting room overlooking the tennis courts ond saw her mother clear before her muttering predictably and paradoxically about both miracles and small mercies she knew that she was saved for some purpose