Oraculum

When Pomona thought of the violin, Sherlock Holmes and The Butterfly Lovers were the first things that came to mind.

The eccentric detective who lived on Baker Street enjoyed playing the violin. Not only was he a highly skilled performer, but also an exceptionally talented composer. He loved music and liked to relax his body and mind within its atmosphere.

But he lived in the city. Hearing his melancholy violin murmuring through the long, silent nights was like hearing cats yowl in spring—annoying as hell and enough to keep people awake. The neighbors would call the police.

The Butterfly Lovers was beautiful, telling the love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Its mournful tale was deeply moving, and the violin music was lovely too. But when it was played every day and every month, it became as brainwashing as Christmas songs, practically a Pavlovian conditioned reflex.

Whenever a girl suddenly appeared somewhere full of boys, whatever they had been doing, they stopped.

Boys were unhappy when girls wanted them to stay and play house with them. When boys played football, they felt they could not enjoy themselves with girls tagging along. And if a girl did better than boys in class, the boys would bully her for it.

Even Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed women ought to be inferior to men. They belonged in the home and should not compete with men outside it.

It was difficult for women to compete with men. Zhu Yingtai had disguised herself as a man to enter a boarding school, which must have brought countless inconveniences in daily life. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro did not need to disguise herself as a man, nor did she live in a dormitory, yet she faced just as many challenges.

Like Cecilia Venier, she was illegitimate. But Elena's mother had