AUTHOR’S NOTE

Claribel is not just a character; she is a living metaphor for what it means to live in a body that doesn’t always cooperate, with a mind that sometimes travels beyond what others can see.

I, too, live with a chronic condition—cervical osteoarthritis—that has taught me pain and fragility are not enemies, but part of the journey.

Writing this story was my way of transforming that experience into something that could speak to others:

to those who suffer in silence, to caregivers, to those who don’t know how to go on… and also to those who love fantasy as a way to heal.

In Claribel there is a little girl who dies every night, yet learns to live with what that means.

In me, there is a man who writes seeking comfort and truth, knowing that sometimes letting go is the most loving act we can offer.

I hope that, as you close this book, you take with you a bit of the peace we discover when we accept that even in the dark, there is beauty.

Thank you for reading, for feeling, and for walking alongside Claribel on her journey.