Daphne Vane literally had something happen to her for which there were no words. But even what could not be described still has devastating consequences. Daphne faces not just the ruin of her mission, but possibly the permanent loss of her freedom, as she confronts her jailer over the meaning of her traumatic experience. It all goes down in “After the lightning strikes . . .” chapter 16 of To Ride the Lightning Bolt, my weekly serial about a young American woman who is far, far different from what she appears to be.

A woman in chains, as Daphne is in this chapter, is often a subject for paintings and sculptures with an erotic content. I saw this sculpture of Andromeda, chained as a sacrifice to a sea monster, in the studio of Daniel Chester French (1850 – 1931). It so much impressed me with its power at the time that I bought a poster of it that looked similar to this photo, and hung it in my office at work.