The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act Two - Lux Aeterna — Chapter 4
Overview
David Martín meets Isabella outside Santa María del Mar and confronts her about following him. Isabella asks for mentorship and a chance to be his assistant. David agrees to evaluate her talent if she delivers her best twenty pages to his letter box. Their nascent mentor–apprentice dynamic is formally set.
Summary
Over breakfast near Santa María del Mar, David Martín notices a teenage girl covertly watching him from the church steps. He sends the waiter to invite her to order something, prompting the girl, Isabella, to approach his table. She reveals they’ve met before: for years she delivered his groceries from Can Gispert.
They exchange wary banter that tests boundaries. Isabella admits Señor Sempere thinks she has talent and asks David to read her work and offer advice. Pushing further, she requests to become his assistant, listing tasks from organizing papers to research and cooking, while David challenges her assumptions and confidence.
David, intrigued yet guarded, proposes terms: Isabella must bring only her best twenty pages, which he will read before deciding anything; she should leave them in his letter box. Relieved, Isabella agrees and prepares to leave.
Before she goes, David asks why she chose him. Rejecting flattery, Isabella answers with blunt honesty: he is the only writer she knows. David watches her depart, recognizing the start of a possible mentorship grounded in candor and resolve.
Who Appears
- David MartínWriter-protagonist; tests Isabella’s resolve and sets terms to review her best twenty pages before considering mentorship.
- IsabellaDetermined aspiring writer; asks David for guidance and an assistant role, agrees to submit twenty pages; admits he’s the only writer she knows.