But if Mandy was a fairy, why was Mother dead? “You’re not a fairy.” “Why not?” “If you were, you would have saved her.” “Oh, sweetie, I would have if I could. If she’d left the [unicorn] hair in my curing soup, she’d be well today.” “You knew? Why did you let her?” “I didn’t know till she was too sick. We can’t stop dying.” Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Chapter 4