Summary

David was surprised when his mother, Emily, gave birth to a daughter, Petra. The entire household had kept quiet about it, unwilling to acknowledge the baby’s existence until she had been officially examined and approved by the inspector. Joseph impatiently awaited the inspector’s arrival day. To spite Joseph, the inspector took his time. When the inspector finally arrived, he examined Petra and issued a certificate of approval that she was in the True Image. David remembered how some of his other siblings had not been approved and had been sent away.

A few days later, David was in a bedroom when his aunt Harriet arrived to visit. Harriet had recently had a baby too. David overheard Harriet speaking to Emily; Harriet’s baby had a physical defect and she begged her sister to temporarily swap Petra with her baby to fool...