“Yeah? Can you draw a skeleton riding a motorcycle with flames coming out of it? And I want a pirate hat on the skeleton. And a parrot on his shoulder. A skeleton parrot. Or maybe a ninja skeleton parrot? No, that would be overkill. But it'd be cool if the biker skeleton could be shooting some ninja throwing stars. That are on fire.”

“What is it you’re interested in exactly?” the man askedslowly. “Just the color?”“I think we both know,” said Adrian cunningly. “I want thecolor. I want the ‘bonus effects.’ And I want it to lookbadass. You probably can’t even do the design I want.”“That’s the least of your worries,” said the guy. “I’ve beendoing this for years. I can draw anything you want.”“Yeah? Can you draw a skeleton riding a motorcycle withflames coming out of it? And I want a pirate hat on theskeleton. And a parrot on his shoulder. A skeleton parrot.Or maybe a ninja skeleton parrot? No, that would beoverkill. But it’d be cool if the biker skeleton could beshooting some ninja throwing stars. That are on fire.” “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” said thetattooist.“That’s not what the ladies are going to say,” said Adrian”

“Maybe you're graduating from fireballs to lightning bolts," Adrian suggested. "I bet it'd be a lot like throwing ninja stars. Except, well, you could incinerate people.”

“No. . .I mean, I'm sorry he. . .You know, said those things to you." "It's part of being a 'good' family. Everyone's got skeletons in their closet.”

“Right,' I scoffed, 'Alpha Yam Ergo.'Adrian nodded solemnly. 'A very old and prestigious society.''I've never heard of them,' said the girl who'd claimed the first shirt.'They don't let many people in,' he said. In white paint, he wrote his fake fraternity's initials: AYE.'Isn't that what pirates say?' asked one of the girls.'Well, the Alpha Yams have nautical origins,' he explained. To my horror he began painting a pirate skeleton riding a motorcycle.'Oh, no,' I groaned. 'Not the tattoo.''It's our logo,' he said.”

“Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you, and your future is a a skeleton walking one step in front of you. Maybe you don't wear a watch, but your skeletons do, and they always know what time it is.”

“These are things you should learn. Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you; your future is a skeleton walking one step in front of you. Maybe you don’t wear a watch, but your skeletons do, and they always know what time it is. Now, these skeletons are made of memories, dreams, and voices. And they can trap you in the in-between, between touching and becoming. But they’re not necessarily evil, unless you let them be.”