“Will set his fork down and began cheerfully, in the manner of Edward Lear's Book of Nonsense:"There was once a lass from New YorkWho found herself hungry in York.But the bread was like rocksThe parsnips shaped like -" ”

“Tessa set her fork down. "Would you like to meet him? I could summon him up in a trice if you like. Being a warlock and all.”

“What is this?” he went on now, spearing an unfortunate object on a fork and raising it to eye level. “This… this… thing?” “A parsnip?” Jem suggested.“A parsnip planted in Satan’s own garden.” said Will. He glanced about. “I don’t suppose there’s a dog I could feed it to.”“There don’t seem to be any pets about,” Jem—who loved all animals, even the inglorious and ill-tempered Church—observed.“Probably all poisoned by parsnips,” said Will.”

“As she looked, the smoke puffing out of the chimney stopped curling upward and began to take on the shape of a wavering black question mark.Sebastian laughed. "I think that means, Who's there?"Clary pulled her coat closer around her. "It looks like something out of a fairy tale.""Are you cold?" Sebastian put his arm around her. Immediately the smoke curling from the chimney stopped forming itself into question marks and began puffing out in the shape of lopsided hearts.”

“We don't know for certain that she's a warlock, Jessie," said Will.Jessamine ignored him. "Is it dreadful, being so evil? Are you worried you'll go to hell?" She leaned closer to Tessa. "What do you think the Devil's like?"Tessa set her fork down. "Would you like to meet him? I could summon him up in a trice if you like. Being a warlock, and all.”

“This...this...thing?""A parsnip?" Jem suggested"A parsnip planted in satan's own garden," said Will. He glanced about. "I dont suppose there's a dog I could feed it to?""There dont seem to be any pets about," Jem-who loved animals, even the inglorious and ill-tempered Church-observed."Probably all poisened by parsnips," said Will.”

“He'd felt like a jack-o-lantern for the past few days, as if his guts had been yanked out with a fork and dumped in a heap while a grinning smile stayed plastered on his face.”