“You want to know everything? Look at yourself. You discover a truth and can barely function.”

“The green fractals of the forest and the eons of faint star clusters above—my math’s teacher’s order in the universe—were nothing like the thoughts that jumped at me like thieves. When your friend has a boyfriend, you are supposed to back off.”

“Philomena spun a tale about a butterfly that turned back into a caterpillar—saying that the butterfly would rather live in the cocoon for years than fly under the sun for only a few short days.“Butterflies don’t last,” said Philomena solemnly.”

“I tried to force myself to say goodnight, get up and walk away. But the words wouldn’t form. The world closed in, grew small and tight—the space within a snow globe. Cradling my arms into my chest, I leaned forward, and my mouth found his. His lips were cold, his body tensing.”

“None of us moved for a moment, and I knew why. The possibility of finding Aisha like that was too much, too grisly.”

“When you get beef from the butcher, you don’t feel bad for the cow that has been killed. But if someone asked you to wield a knife and kill the cow yourself, you wouldn’t be able to do it.”“Are you saying that you are a cow?”“Exactly.”“What?”“You found me alive and couldn’t bring yourself to kill me. It would have been alright if the storm had finished me off. I am like that cow and the storm is the butcher. Do you see now?”“Yes, I see. You absolutely insist that you are a cow. I am not arguing.”

“I have come to realise that your are the most important person in the world to me, and I wanted to know if you would consider... if you would do me the honour of becoming my wife”