“Set screamed something in Ancient Egyptian. I was fairly sure it wasn’t a compliment.“I will rend your limbs from their sockets!” he shouted. “I will—”“Die?” Carter suggested.”

“The Ancient Egyptians were not fools, Carter. They built the pyramids. They created the first great nation state. Their civilization lasted thousands of years.”“Yeah,” I said. “And now they’re gone.”

“Yes, I know," he said, impatient. "I am going to rend you from limb to limb. Someday. When I feel like it. In the meantime, you will not faint, you will get warm, and you will stop being distressed." His nostrils pinched. "I don't like how it smells.”

“You are fairly smart," I said after a while."You are fairly good at compliments," he answered.”

“Easy as a child breathes a wish at a dandelion...is exactly how hard it would be for me to tear your limbs from their sockets.”

“I wasn’t in the habit of spewing out personal facts in a church setting. While I was here, I was bound and determined to keep it to myself. If no one was going to stand up and shout, “I’m straight,” then I wasn’t going to wave my Pride flag.”