“....he said it was interesting. He used the word 'textured'. He said 'smooth' is boring but 'textured' was interesting, and the scar meant that I was stronger than whatever had tried to hurt me.”

“You interest me,' he said, and his tone suggested this fact itself surprised him, meant something more to him than perhaps it should: a man surprised by being interested was living a piss-poor facsimile of life, in her view.”

“No," he finally said. "I don't think you're boring. I think there are times you don't allow yourself to be interesting...but clearly that can change.”

“Maybe we're just supposed to try our best, whatever that is," he [Chord] said, "and hope whatever happens is meant to happen.”

“I said to my mother, Henry VII is interesting. No he's not, my mother said.”

“And the man then said Oh, please: Just let me know if you come upon bark textures that recall the erosion patterns of human hope...And then he disappeared behind a tree...and the forest fell into silence...”