The Imagery of the Stairs
Deane’s mother tells him “There’s something there between us. A shadow. Don’t move.” Deane speculates that the shadow belongs to a ghost: “I went down, excited, and sat at the range with its red heart fire and black lead dust. We were haunted! We had a ghost, even in the middle of the afternoon. I heard her moving upstairs. The house was all cobweb tremors.” The ghost’s form is not plainly perceptible for it is outright dark. Furtive trembles allude to the actuality of ghost haunting which originates from the stairs. Deane’s mother’s assertion persuades young Deane about the ghost’s actuality.
The Imagery of Fairies
Deane writes, “People with green eyes were close to the fairies we were told; they were just here for a little while, looking for a human child they could take away. If we ever met anyone with one green eye and one brown eye we were to cross ourselves, for that was a human child that had been taken over by the fairies. The brown eye was the sign it had been human.” The ‘green eyes’ are the principal elements of the fairy standing. Based on Deane's portrayal, the fairies are mythological; hence, their eminence is grander than humans’. Unique eyes illustrate the link between humankind and fairies based on their divergent colors (Green versus Brown).
