"Felix." His father's angry voice echoed from directly in front of him.
With a defiant lift of her head, Fanny met her father's enraged gaze:
"I want to play with the girls."
His father physically rose to stand in front of him.
His mother looked away, unable to bear the sight, yet said nothing.
Fanny bowed her head, her teeth clenched tight.
Smack!
A searing pain spread from the right side of Fanny's cheek.
Smack!
Before she could protest, the rough palm struck her from the other side.
His father's voice was filled with authority, like a king giving orders to his servants:
"Are you a girl or a boy?"
Fanny persisted:
"I am a girl."
Disappointment flickered in her father's eyes.
His sinewy hand was raised once more.
And then, with a heavy stroke, it descended.
Darkness consumed Fanny's vision as she fell to the ground.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a pristine white bed, with her mother sitting beside her:
