“He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any. but I did - some little distance off, but fresh and clear""Footprints?"

“He was gobbling mincemeat, meatbone, bread, cheese, and pork pie, all at once: staring distrustfully while he did so at the mist all round us, and often stopping—even stopping his jaws—to listen. Some real or fancied sound, some clink upon the river or breathing of beast upon the marsh, now gave him a start, and he said, suddenly,—”

“My mom would never ride an ATV,' he said. 'But you did.''Is that a good thing?' I asked.He traced my lips with his fingertip. 'Yes.'My body melted like a candy bar on the dashboard.”

“He took a deep breath. ‘To marry me,’ he said quietly. It was easier than he thought. Icarus did not fall from the sky; the ground did not open; the earth did not wobble on its trajectory.”

“Each unto himself has his own world that he looks out upon, and though someone else were to stand on the very selfsame inch of ground your feet were placed upon, guided by chalk marks, he would not see the same things you did.”

“The baby woke up before you did. I took him to the other room to let you get a little more sleep. We've been watching a game.""Did he cry?""Only when he realized the Astros were having another first-round play-off flame out. But I told him there's no shame in crying over the Astros. It's how we Houston guys bond.”