“It's amazing how something that had, in concept, seemed so insignificant to my life could not become my entire world.”

“When your life has had few events to occupy it, it's amazing how a simple encounter can seem like an entire three-act play.”

“It is remarkable how a seemingly insignificant action or event can change entire lives.”

“Sometimes it was daunting, knowing how easily I could break things. This one simple curse seemed to dominate my entire life.”

“I had discovered something; there was a pleasure in becoming something new. You could will yourself into a fresh shape. Now all I had to do was figure out how to do it out there, in my life.”

“The sound of her breathing reminded me, as it so often did, of how vulnerable she was. And how vulnerable we were because of how much we loved her. The fear - that something could happen to her at any moment, something I'd be helpless to stop - had become so omnipresent in my life that I sometimes pictured it growing, like a third arm, out of the center of my chest.”