“The girl hurried away, but then Pippi shouted, "Did he have big ears that reached way down to his shoulders?""No," said the girl and turned and came running back in amazement. "You don't mean to say that you have seen a man walk by with such big ears?""I have never seen anyone who walks with his ears," said Pippi. "All the people I know walk with their feet.”

“As the children were sitting there eating pears, a girl came walking along the road from town. When she saw the children she stopped and asked, "Have you seen my papa go by?""M-m-m," said Pippi. "How did he look? Did he have blue eyes?""Yes," said the girl."Medium large, not too tall and not too short?""Yes," said the girl."Black hat and black shoes?""Yes, exactly," said the girl eagerly."No, that one we haven't seen," said Pippi decidedly.”

“You big crybaby," I whispered into his ear. "Now you know why your mom warned you not to hit girls. Sometimes they hit back.”

“Mr.Clayton?Didn't you see her ears?You mean ears turning bright red means you're in love?I don't know, he mumbles, and looks down, his ears are bright red.”

“That’s my good girl,” he growled in my ear. And there it was. His good girl? Why did I always have to be the good girl? Fuck that.”

“I have something for you," he said. He dug into his pocket and brought out something, which he pressed into her hand. It was a gray stone, slightly uneven, worn to smoothness in spots."Huh," said Clary, turning it over in her fingers. "You know, when most girls say they want a big rock, they don't mean, you know, literally a big rock.”