"Fairies are a sort of person whom it is unwise to piss off," he says. "They can curse or bless people with various calamities or advantages. My father ran afoul of a fairy when he was young and stupid and earned himself a hereditary curse - he didn't know about the hereditary part until he had me, or he wouldn't have - my pain never fades, and if I'm stupid enough to have children, they'll be born with the same problem and a headstart of everything I've already accumulated. My mother got another fairy to bless me such that I can cope, but that one isn't hereditary and I wouldn't like my hypothetical kid's chances even if it were."