“Clockwork could not run counter to its nature. The seconds, minutes, and hours moved only forward. Patient, precise, and unstoppable. Memory was an indulgence, an illusion that broke like a wave upon the juggernaut of time. The past remained the past.”

“He waved to the city and said good-bye.The city responded by carrying on the way it always did, traffic moving forward uninterrupted, without slowing, as if it were trying to demonstrate its permanence and show him it would still be there if he ever wanted to return. That promise was the best and only thing he could ask of it.”

“Sharing his memories felt like handing over a sharp knife. A knife that others might handle carelessly. A knife that could be used to hurt him.”

“In the early morning hours, Hannah read at the table by the dim light of dawn. She leaned in close to the pages, chin resting on her folded arms, eyes racing over the words, like chasing butterflies over the hills, to catch as many as she could before going to work. She wondered at how such tales of magic could be contained by mere paper and ink for her to read again and again.”

“The hours trampled her on their way through the day.”

“One cannot apologize for one's nature.”

“I hate them!' she cried. 'It's not fair!''No, it isn't,' Frederick said gently.'I can't do it all!''No. You can't.' After a long moment he said, 'But you can do what you can.''And what if that isn't enough?'Frederick held her shoulders and took a step back. He looked in her eyes. 'Enough for what?''For my family.''What more could they ask for than what you've given?”