Faerie (11 page)

Epilogue

Two weeks after the weekend pass, I was discharged from the hospital, never to return again. I continued therapy with Dr Bélanger as an out-patient for many years, and I continue to see her regularly.

Now I'm twenty-eight. I am slender, but I haven't been on a scale since I bid the hospital goodbye. My numerical weight doesn't reveal the big picture. According to the doctor, I'm healthy. I'm not suffering from any physical or mental disorder. There is no diagnosis. But my condition persists. It causes me to hold steadfast to my imagination, the prism of sensations, the marrow of feeling, the true and hidden world in between. I am a photographer. It's not just something I do for a living; it is a lifeline, the thing that keeps my heart beating, my lungs breathing, my wings fluttering.

Acknowledgments

I am indebted to the people who helped make this book happen: publisher Brian Lam, the editors Susan Safyan, Robyn So, and Linda Field. I would also like to acknowledge the continual support of my friend Kathy Adams, and of course the ongoing love and encouragement of my family, my father Harinder Marjara and sister Amita. Thanks to all of you.

EISHA MARJARA has written and directed several award-winning films, including the critically acclaimed NFB docudrama
Desperately Seeking Helen,
the witty and satirical
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
, and the German-Canadian film
The Tourist
. Her latest,
House for Sale
, has won numerous film festival awards.
Faerie
is her first novel. She lives in Montreal.
eishamarjara.com
Credit:
PHOTO BY EISHA MARJARA