“Someone's having a pity party and didn't invite the rest of us.”

“Duncan,we're still in prison," Frederic said dryly. "You're not going to see anything except this cell. Which has spiders, by the way. Have you noticed the spiders?" "Indeed I have: Carmen, Zippy, and Dr. T," Duncan said.”

“Please tell me he's not skipping.”

“You're a way-getter-inner, I can tell.”

“Wild card, got it," Duncan said. "Just like in Crazy Eights. I can be a diamond; I can be a spade. Whatever you need me to be, I'm that thing. That is so me.”

“Duncan, what are you?""Human!" Duncan cried, trembling with excitement."More specific," Liam said, still dramatically."A five-foot-two human!""I'm going for hero here," Liam hinted under his breath.”

“On still another road, a green-haired man wobbled by on peppermint-stick stilts; a fiery-plumed bird of paradise perched on his shoulder. But he's not in this story, so don't pay any attention to him.”