Chapter Eighteen Summary

The story of the bard of Lima, Crisanto Maravillas, begins with his birth in room H off of a small alleyway in the Plaza Santa Ana. Crisanto was born crippled in his legs to parents Maria Portal and Valentin Maravillas. Crisanto remains dwarflike in appearance because his legs barely grow, but his parents love their only child anyway. Crisanto soon learns that his talent is in music and his muses are his poetry and the young woman he falls in love with. Crisanto's mother helped bake goods for sale at the convent, so Crisanto was allowed to hang around and wait for her. He meets a young orphan there named Fatima and loves her instantly.

Crisanto teaches himself music by ear and before long begins to compose songs. One day when Crisanto is around eighteen years old, he is banned from...