Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Arthur takes his seat before the four government officials: Burton, Haversford, Sallow, and Rowder. Both Burton and Haversford are older, but Sallow is young and Rowder is Arthur’s age. Arthur finds Rowder particularly off putting, although—aside from her too-perfect posture—he cannot identify why. Burton opens the hearing with a claim that their purpose is to examine current government regulations regarding magical people. He references the current leaderless state of DICOMY and its sister agency, the Department in Charge of Magical Adults (DICOMA), in the wake of the recent dissolution of Extremely Upper Management. When Arthur finally begins his testimony, he feels as if he has been waiting for many, many years for this opportunity. He describes the abuse he suffered, including six months being held in isolation in the orphanage’s dark, moldy cellar without books, visitors, or even schoolwork to occupy him. Haversford thanks him for his testimony, saying he is brave to share his experiences so honestly. Burton asks about the firing of the government official that subjected Arthur to this abuse and the million pounds Arthur received as compensation. He says that he considers this adequate compensation and wonders why Arthur now seems to be coming after the government again.