Obert Skye

“I think anyone who builds a house without a pole sliding into a secret room is just plain crazy.”

“Where did you get that candy again?" Leven asked, worried."The pile said 'flavored'," Clover answered back, his face a chocolatey mess."Flavored?" Leven said exasperated. "Are you sure?""Yes," Clover argued. "F-l-a-w-e-d--flavored.”

“There is nothing quite as painful as a truly awkward silence.”

“I found a copy of Leven's birth certificate and was surprised to see his birth name listed as E. Leven Thumps. I assume the E. stands for Elton, and I have no idea why they didnt spell it out, but it's intresting to think that it took exactly eleven whacks or thumps to down the oldest tree.”

“Perhaps nothing is more magical then the book. Paper, glue and some words and you are taken away from where you sit, stand, dance, or lean.”

“There is no dignity in a crying toothpick.”

“I hate it when people tell me how I am doing. Why are you here I aasked. Nice to see you too he smiled. I brought you something. He handed me the small stuffed koala. I thought it might keep you company. Thanks I said embarrassed. I can't wait to introduce him to all my other stuffed animals at home.”

“Stupid deer," I said, embarrassed about being startled. "We need a ladder.""I think they're easier to shoot with a rifle.""I'm not talking about the deer," I said, hitting Milo on the back of his shoulder. "We need a ladder to look over the wall.""Or a catapult," Milo said seriously.”

“Mercury dropped the purple car and shot up into the air, whistling like a shooting star. The woman in the car next to me looked up at me like I was a superhero. I smiled at her and jumped down, trying to be smooth. I landed wrong and went sliding on my face. I glanced back at her. She appeared less impressed than before.”

“…Magic is often a tricky thing. Often it is explainable. People fly through the air in planes and live underwater in submarines. Plants grow within weeks and cities operate and sustain millions of people. A person can talk to practically anyone almost anywhere around the world instantly. People’s images are transported by photo in the time it takes to press a button. Dinosaurs seem real, huge apes exist, and other worlds are a movie ticket away.”

“What's that darkness over there?" Leven asked."It's not good." Clover said."Then what is it?"'Bad," Clover suggested, sounding as though he wasn't all that impressed with Leven's level of knowledge."I understand opposites," Leven said, frustrated.”

“Clover missed his "me-time.”

“You'll soon understand that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty and power of their dreams.”

“Enjoy Mr. Binkers," he added."As soon as you leave I'm going to hug him," I said.”

“You get some rest. We'll talk later.""I'd rather not," I said nicely."Rest is important," he insisted.”

“Apparently I wasn't in the mood to listen to myself.”

“You seem to be attracted to trouble," he said."Yeah, she's real pretty," I replied."Your tongue is sharper than mine ever was."I stuck out my tongue and tried to look at the tip of it.”

“Then, there are the places you would rather not go-a tax collectors' convention, a sewage treatment plant, or maybe the home of someone who keeps spiders as pets and insists on taking them out of their cages and making you hold them.”

“The car emitted on last gasp and rolled to a stop, in the middle of the Altlantic Ocean. "We're here," Leven tried to joke.”

“Cats learned how to fly that evening,...”

“What-ifs are for fools. We are here because are meant to be.”

“A true thing about seeds is that they don't always stay seeds. In addition, most seeds grow up to be something. Some become plants or trees that then go about producing more seeds. Some seeds get popped and eaten and...well, you probably have a pretty good idea of what happens to things after they get eaten.Some seeds are dried, some are pressed for oil, and some simply end up in bean bags or as the rattle in a baby's toy. It's probably fair to say that the life and times of a seed isn't necessarily the most exciting thing in the world, but what the seed lacks in excitement, it makes up for in miracles.It's a miracle that a tiny seed can change from a dot in your palm into a towering tree whose wood can be made into the home you live in or the paper books are printed on.”

“You're kidding, right?" Ezra barked. "We're not just going to wait." "I suppose we could help people clean up a bit," "Girl!" Ezra called out. "Big eyes!" Winter turned from what she was looking at. "Are you talking to me?”

“Not likely. Dreams are pretty and usually involve horses or rainbows or castles, or big-”

“Well, it's not my fault that you can't manage your money.'You threw away my purse.'I thought it was an enemy.”

“I am what I am because I have made myself so.”

“You're going to be okay," Winter said reassuringly.You don't understand," Leven snapped.What don't I understand?" Winters voice was stern. "Sorry you feel bad, but its not like you just met a person so beautiful that now you feel completely worthless."What?" Leven said. "What are you talking about?"Isaw the way you fell over yourselves to stare at her."That was Geth."Don't argue, you two," Geth said.Were not arguing." Leven felt light-headed.No," Winter confirmed. "We're just...." Winter looked at Leven. Leven looked right back at her. Winters cheeks burned red and her green eyes outshone Leven's. The two of them stared at one other. Leven closed his eyes.What are you doing?" Geth asked, concerned. Winter closed her eyes too and leaned closer. Both of them looked panicked and out of control, but it didn't stop them from moving closer and kissing each other.Clovers jaw dropped and he pulled something out of his void just so he could let go of it in shock. Even Geth looked caught off guard, as if he'd been given news that he never thought he'd hear in his lifetime. Leven stumbled back and looked at Winter. His face was almost as red as hers. He looked at Geth and Clover and then back to Winter.Well that was interesting," Clover said happily.I don't know what....." Leven tried to say.No, I......" Winter said. "Its not you.... it's just that my... I think I left something down below.”

“You can be only what you give yourself the power to be.”

“That said, I, Beck Phillips, take full responsibility for being stuck in m y school's pitch-black venting system with my friend Jason, behind me and a garbage bag full of angry bees in front of me. ”

“I shouldn't have said it, but the word slipped out of my mouth as easy as air. it wasn't exactly the kind of work any well-behaved student would use, which sort of explained why I had just used it. And it certainly isn't the most elegant way to start off a story, but it honestly represents what I was feeling. Besides, I could have said something a lot stronger. But not everybody wants to read a story with those kinds of words and thoughts being expressed in the very first sentence. "Stop swearing," Jason screamed. ”

“Winter looked at Leven. Leven looked right back at her. Winter's cheeks burned red and her green eyes outshone Leven's. The two of them stared at one another and then, as if they were destined to, thay began to lean into one another, Leven closed his eyes."What are you doing?" Geth asked concerned.Winter closed his eyes too and leaned close. Both of them looked panicked and out of control, but it didn't stop them from moving closer and kissing each other.Clover's jaw dropped and he pulled something out of his void just so he could let go of it in shock.”

“The word thing is an interesting word. At first glance it looks like the front half of one word combined with the last half of another. It's a versatile word. It can be good, as in, "what a nice thing," or "she has a thing for you." Or it can be bad, like "the thing under the bed," or "here's the thing, you're fired and you smell bad." Add an "s" to the back end of it and it becomes something that most people in the world can't get enough of. Things People love things. They collect things. They store things. They cherish things and then move on and cherish other things. People also buy things. Some buy a lot of things simply because their neighbors have those same things--which is a weird thing if you really think about it. It's remarkable what we'll do for the sake of things when in reality things couldn't care less about us.”

“What-ifs are for fools”

“Don't predict disappointment while hope is an option”

“[Clover] secretly hitched a ride with a nice German couple and their new baby...Clover appeared to the baby, so as to be a delightful, soothing surprise. Well, the child did like Clover. In fact, she held him and cooed. When the parents turned around to look at her and saw their child holding a furry, living creature, they needlessly panicked.”

“What was that you gave me to eat?" Winter panicked.A Filler Crisp," Clover said, his eyes seventy percent concerned and thirty percent mischievous.”

“You have food?" Winter scolded. "I thought you said you were hungry."I'm hungry for other things besides what I have," [Clover] argued.”

“There are some things your mind has been hiding from you.”

“He came into the world like a delivery that no one knew what to do with, and nobody wanted to sign for.”

“Believe, it is our best defense.”

“Terry was beside himself. Not literally. This story would be that much more painful if there were two Terrys, able to stand next to each other and simultaneously curse Leven.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. That's a saying, or a bit of advice, or a catchprase, or a string of words used to confuse people less intelligent than you. In any case, it means: Life is tough, so you'd better fight hard-or something like that.”

“There would be little reason to lie down at night without the possibility of seeing things bigger and more amazing than the average day might bright about. Why pick up a pen or type on a keyboard if there's no imagination or wonder left to behold? I would hate to be in the position of hoping for nothing simply because my brain can no longer dream.”

“Thrust the sword into the dark”

“What are you up to?""I was trying to climb that tree. But I fell. Now I'm bored.”

“There are so many impatient people in the world. It seems everyone wants something right this second. We don't want to wait in lines, we get fidgety when our food takes too long to cook, and we have no tolerance whatsoever for anyone who holds us up from doing anything we want to do the moment we want to do it. I'm bothered right now that I'm having to wait till the end of this sentence to see what word I end up on. On, who knew? It's particularly hard to wait for things that are days or weeks or even months away. Calendars mock you, clocks pester you, and the rotation of the earth seems to slow by at least forty percent. I suppose, however, that if you were preparing to take over the world and you needed one final piece to fall into place, but that piece had to be slowly dragged over the dirt so it didn't die, that would be really hard to wait for. I'd feel sorry for whoever that happened to, but then again they were trying to take over the world and all.So please, no sympathy for Azure.”

“There are times in a person's life when he or she must make a choice to believe. I choose to believe the sun will rise tomorrow. I also choose to believe that if you go to bed hungry you will wake up ready to eat. I've met a group of men in a faraway country who choose to believe that if you stand on a tree stump for an hour you will gain sympathy for trees. I am already quite sympathetic to trees, so I choose to think they are bonkers.”

“Listen,' Clover said. 'Don't worry about not being able to come back, I've lived both places, and trust me, you won't be getting the short end of the stick if you end up in Foo. I mean, candy alone...”

“I vowed to never, ever talk or reason like an adult.”

“I'm man enough to know when to scream.”