“The river split for the jump of a red-gilled silver salmon, then circled to mark the spot where it fell. Spoonbills shoveled at the crimson mud in the shallows, and dowitchers jumped from cattail to cattail, frantically crying "Kleek! Kleek!" as though the thin reeds were as hot as the pokers they resembled.”

“That day, they jumped into the river together. It was hot and nobody needed any clothes.”

“The air smelled like Bayou Teche when is spring and the fish are spawning among the water hyacinths and the frogs are throbbing in cattails and the flooded cypress.”

“We've dug our holes and hallowed caves Put goblin foes in shallow graves This day our work is just begun In the mines where silver rivers runBeneath the stone the metal gleams Torches shine on silver streams Beyond the eyes of he spying sun In the mines where silver rivers runThe hammers chime on Mithral pure As dwarven mines in days of yore A craftsman's work is never done In the mines where silver rivers runTo dwarven gods we sing or praise Put another orc in a shallow grave We know our work has just began In the mines where silver rivers run”

“You don't even like swimming! You can't jump in without holding your nose," she points out.True.But if I were at the country club with the other kids my age, I would glide in from the shallow end or just plain jump in and drown. At least I'd die cool.”

“This can't go on all the time...all this franticness and jumping around. We've got to go someplace, find something.”