Nevertheless, it wasn’t until he reached the age of six that Max began talking in full sentences and immediately exhibited a complete command of language far exceeding his years. One day, seemingly as if by magic, Max simply spoke up.

“I think when we go to Martha’s Vineyard this summer, we should rent the yellow house that has its own pond and boat,” he said. “I loved going on that lake last summer and would love to be able to go every day.”

When they recovered from their shock, Jane and Herbert were overjoyed.

At the same time, Max achieved extremely high scores on intelligence tests, putting to rest any fears his parents had harbored.

While this turn of events came as a complete and welcome surprise to Herbert and Jane, it was beyond annoying to Louis, who became even more intense in his role as Max’s childhood nemesis.

Max knew from the beginning that there was a purpose to his life and an important destiny that he had been called upon to fulfill. This understanding wasn’t something tangible, however, There was a voice in his head that spoke of a reason for which he had been born, yet there were no words—just colors and powerful vibrations. His inner world, this secret playground, was filled with beauty and elegance, and it made Max very happy.

He seemed to be able to summon knowledge on any subject but had a particular attachment to the art of mathematics and exhibited an uncanny ability and proficiency with numbers, which constantly swirled around in his mind, vibrating in a multitude of colors. Even before he could talk, he was able to multiply triple-digit numbers in his head.

And this talent adopted a three-dimensional component. He imagined boxes placed vertically and horizontally and at tangents without end. He envisioned each box as a universe complete unto itself and would contemplate the shape, direction, and lack of beginning or end within each box and collection of boxes.

Such exercises afforded him great pleasure, as did most things in life. However, there remained one constant reminder that all was not perfect.

Louis.

Despite the violence and sadism he experienced at the hands of his older brother, Max considered Louis his best friend. Their uncanny link caused Max to feel great empathy for his sibling, and it seemed as if they both remembered that blissful paradise that had been the womb.

From the moment of his birth, Max accepted that wherever he was, he was exactly where he was supposed to be in life and was completely at peace with the idea.

Louis, on the other hand, was angry that he had been forced to leave that perfect state of being and that the world had greeted him with a stranglehold. Thus, he had come into this world kicking and screaming and remained in a constant state of revolt.

That Max felt no such thing angered Louis even more, and he was determined to make his brother’s life as miserable as his own by virtue of force and fear. Even as toddlers, Louis would attack Max, pinning him to the floor and choking him, and then retreat as soon as Max started to cry. When the adults came running, he had achieved a safe distance, and they never realized the level of the violence. Since Max couldn’t express himself, they remained utterly ignorant.