“Above the street, like a hanged man, swings the spot-lit sign of the neighborhood's best restaurant, closed a long time ago.”

“She had passed the in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound road sign a long time ago. Hell, she was cruising the neighborhood streets of tonnage by now. Limping backward, she raised her middle finger to the Fae King.”

“The long horizon, the lunging, clotted sea like a swinging door opening, closing, opening.”

“For a long time, she held a special place in my heart. I kept this special place just for her, like a "Reserved" sign on a quiet corner table in a restaurant. Despite the fact that I was sure I'd never see her again.”

“When F. W. Woolworth opened his first store, a merchant on thesame street tried to fight the new competition. He hung out a bigsign: "Doing business in this same spot for over fifty years." Thenext day Woolworth also put out a sign. It read: "Established aweek ago: no old stock.”

“…she remembered watching a summer sunset from this very spot. Not so long ago; just a lifetime.”