Ofkyle

Ofkyle was the Handmaid assigned to the household of Commander Kyle after the death of his first wife, Tabitha. Her arrival signaled that Commander Kyle's new wife, Paula, wanted a biological child of her own, as she did not consider Agnes, Tabitha's adopted daughter, to be her own. Ofkyle's name, like all Handmaids, was a patronymic derived from her Commander, meaning "of Kyle." Her original name, which Agnes later discovered in the Bloodlines Genealogical Archives, was Crystal.

Life in the Household

Ofkyle was a quiet, almost invisible presence in the household. Agnes, initially instructed to ignore her as was the custom, became fascinated by her after learning that her own biological mother was a Handmaid. Agnes would secretly enter Ofkyle's room, searching for clues about her identity, but found nothing personal—only the standard-issue red dresses, white underthings, and a spare bonnet. Ofkyle's face was a "blank, like a gloved thumbprint," but Agnes sensed a whole other life beneath the surface. When Ofkyle became pregnant, the household's attitude toward her shifted dramatically. The Marthas fussed over her, bringing her larger meals and flowers, and Paula glowed with anticipation. Agnes, however, felt a dark cloud of jealousy and loneliness, as the coming baby absorbed all the love and attention that had once been directed at her.

The Birth and Death

Ofkyle's labor was a traumatic event witnessed secretly by Agnes. The Birth Day began with the arrival of the Birthmobile, a red van carrying a dozen Handmaids, followed by cars of Wives and two Aunts with a medical bag. Agnes, having just gotten her first period, was supposed to be resting but crept up the stairs to observe. From the master bedroom, she heard Ofkyle's anguished groans and the Handmaids' chanting. The sounds were terrifying, like an animal in pain. The labor went wrong: Ofkyle began losing too much blood, and a real doctor was summoned. He cursed in shock, a sound Agnes had never heard from a man. The baby, a healthy son named Mark, was saved by a Caesarean section, but Ofkyle died from the procedure. Agnes later found her body wrapped in a sheet in her room, her face flat white and her eyes open. She kissed Ofkyle's forehead and promised never to forget her.

Aftermath and Legacy

Ofkyle's funeral was a small affair, attended by the Handmaids who had been present at the birth and the entire household. Aunt Lydia gave a speech, praising Ofkyle's "ultimate sacrifice" and "noble womanly honour," but Agnes saw the truth: they had cut Crystal open to get the baby out, and she had not chosen to die. The death cast a shadow over Agnes's life at school, where the other girls viewed her as accursed. Years later, when Agnes had access to the Bloodlines Genealogical Archives as an Aunt, she searched for Ofkyle and found her original name: Crystal. For Agnes, this discovery was like finding a handprint in a cave—a sign that Crystal had existed and was real. She never forgot her, and the memory of Crystal's silent, staring eyes and the brutal reality of her death shaped Agnes's understanding of the cruelty inherent in Gilead's system.