Octavia E. Butler - Earthseed, Book 1 -… [674]

Today, my parents had to go downtown to identify the body of my brother Keith. … I haven’t been able to write a word since Wednesday. — , Octavia E. Butler - Earthseed, Book 1 -…, 674

Note

The turn hinges on what is not in the first sentence: ‘had to go’ carries the obligation, and ‘identify the body’ arrives after the destination, so the horror is held off until the grammatical end. The blank line then does what the journal form allows — a gap where writing stopped, and the resumed entry admitting the failure to write before it admits the death.