“My Gullah grandfather is bringing a bag of dust to a vampire war. I feel better.”

“Permission to buy apricots and oranges from my own trees, the ones my great grandfather planted and i kept alive in drought and war”

“Larry's zombie bag was a nearly virulent green with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on it. I was almost afraid to ask what his vampire bag looked like.”

“Which reminds me, there's a vampire hand in your freezer's ice maker." Seeing my aghast expression, she added, "Don't worry. I double-bagged it.”

“I started to feel that nagging sense of shame again, an acute awareness of my own inability to share in his [my grandfather's] optimism.”

“The shower hadn't washed away the hurt, nor had it disguised the tear stains on my face. But I still felt a little better. As better as any vampire could feel after having her BFF drive a stake through her heart.”