“I ate him," said the homunculus, biting into his sausage.The kids couldn't hide their looks of horror.He smiled, sausage juice running down his chin. "Oh, don't worry - I cooked him first. I'm not a barbarian.”

“Don't worry about me," I finally said. "Really. I'm more worried about you." And even more worried about where Graves is."Are you?" A fey smile lit his face, and I caught my breath. It was a shock to see him look so happy. "Well, then.”

“Tadas was sent to the principal today," announced Jonas at dinner. He wedged a huge piece of sausage into his small mouth."Why?" I asked."Because he talked about hell," sputtered Jonas, juice from the plump sausage dribbling down his chin."Jonas, don't speak with your mouth full. Take smaller pieces," scolded Mother."Sorry," said Jonas with his moth stuffed. "It's good." He finished chewing. I took a bite of sausage. It was warm and the skin was deliciously salty."Tadas told one of the girls that hell is the worst place ever and there's no escape for all eternity.""Now why would Tadas be talking of hell?" asked Papa, reaching for the vegetables."Because his father told him that if Stalin comes to Lithuania, we'll all end up there.”

“He was just hungry, Papa. He's going to die.He's going to die anyway.He's so scared, Papa.The man squatted and looked at him. I'm scared, he said. Do you understand? I'm scared.The boy didn't answer. He just sat there with his head down, sobbing.You're not the one who has to worry about everything.The boy said something but he couldn't understand him. What? He said.He looked up, his wet and grimy face. Yes I am, he said. I am the one.”

“Teasingly she took the apple from his mouth. Juice ran down his chin. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned over and licked the sweet juice from his chin.I will have to admit though, that I will never look at an apple in quite the same way.”

“So, Chris," he said. "You couldn't make a smaller cut?"Nick's eyes were closed, but he smiled."Chris asked me to bite him first."Gabriel gave him a disguested look."You are one sick bastard.""I was desperate." Chris smiled, too, but then he dropped it. "Desperate people do crazy things.”