Psellos' father invited his son to his monastery and told him that his soul was being covered in darkness. Then father and son had a satisfying philosophical discussion. Michael, however, felt depressed and decided to visit Theodote, his mother. She welcomed him like a visitor from a distance, and invited him to stay. But they were woken at midnight by the doorkeeper, who reported a message from his father's monastery, that he was seriously ill. He rushed to his father, followed by Theodote, and found he had a high temperature, breathing quickly. He took his pulse (a skill learned long before), and it was irregular. He did not know whether to tend father, mother or himself. His father told him he was dying, that he should not grieve, but console his mother. As his father died, cradled in his arms, Michael wept and lamented, but was stopped by his mother, who pulled him away, conquering her own grief. She complained that all his pagan learning had not taught him self-control and the meaning of Christian death. He acknowledged the lesson. After the funeral of his father, he prayed for him and then fell asleep and saw a dream of his father, handsome and happy, who embraced him and told him of his joyous reception in heaven. After his death, Theodote increased her ascetic practices, provoking protests from her spiritual adviser that she was far overstepping the mark. Once he persuaded her to order a fish to eat, but she was morally unable to eat this luxury, totally at variance with the life she had chosen. So she told her maid (her confidant) to go out and give it to the first person she saw. This was a poor old woman, who was extremely grateful