John Mischief and his brothers

Pictured are John Mischief (the big head) and his seven brothers. So, there are eight brothers' Mischief in all. John Mischief and all his brothers are infamous thieves throughout the world of Abarat. The only time that the Mischief brothers have been caught they escaped off the boat they were held on by jumping overboard and into the Sea of Isabella. This little story is what draws me to assign my lifeboat dinghy the title of Brothers' Mischief.

I am drawn to the characters of the Mischief brothers for numerous reasons and one is because they are a picture of the theory/concept of multiplicity. The next time you have a decision to make, whether it be big or small, notice the internal conversations that go on inside your head. Go on, sit down and take a couple of deep breaths and purposely listen to (and even interact with) these voices. You might from time to time notice that these voices can feel like they are going on in different parts of your head. You may even notice your body reacting or feeling differently when these different parts voice their views. This is one manifestation of the theory of multiplicity.

Clive Barker is the creator of the pieces of literature in which the Mischief Brothers exist and have their being. Currently there are two books. The first is Abarat, and the second is called Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War. Of course I highly recommend you read these. Clive began creating this piece of speculative fiction by painting the characters and the world. The resulting inspiration led to his developing the written story. He is currently working on Book III, and is promising that there will be a total of V books.