Here's the first postulate:
1. Let y = the grandmother.
y! gives the result: a murmur, “Why, you’re one of my babies! You’re one of my own children!”
y-1 = an untimely recognition, the eruption of an unfortunate accusation of identity: “The product of two constants, a (NICE) and b (FAMILY) is always c (THE MISFIT), regardless of the ratio of its factors. One can show this property via division as well: c/a = b and c/b = a.”
y-1-1 = a sudden caprice of memory: a plantation house near Toomsboro with a secret panel, silver from the treasuries of the Confederacy hidden within; reward as yet only rumored, one must believe unfound.
y-1-1-1 = an irrational decision to hide one’s cat in a basket underneath one’s valise so that one’s cat does not asphyxiate him/her/itself on the gas burner when y is not a member of the set “positive integers at home.”
y-1-1-1-1 = a selfish desire to visit some of one’s connections in Tennessee.
My sincere thanks to John and to JMWW's editor, Jen Michalski. And, of course, to Ms. O'Connor.