“Words can fall hard like a boulder loosed from a cliff.Words can drift unnoticed like a weed seed on a breeze. Words can sing.”

“Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue though it may take some time before they can taste it.”

“Razo hopped back up and adopted a posture that said he was completely unruffled, never had been, and in fact was ready to do something manly like lift boulders or swallow live worms.”

“I’ve always believed that as an author, I do 50% of the work of storytelling, and the reader does the other 50%. There’s no way I can control the story you tell yourself from my book. Your own experiences, preferences, prejudices, mood at the moment, current events in your life, needs and wants influence how you read my every word.”

“Though it's still not right. I have other best friends, and this is different. Besides, Mike is my absolute best friend.""Yeah, I was going to say..." Mike nodded..."That's right, honey. Felix, you're...something different.""Amen," Mike said."You're not like a good neighbor or a companion for Saturday shopping, and certainly not like my husband. But you are something more than what the word 'friend' can contain. Mike has my heart, completely, eternally, no second thoughts." She grabbed Mike's hand. "But you have my...say, my liver."Felix frowned, pondering that. "Livers are good. Positively essential, from what I remember of biology. And good eating, if the need arises. Very well. I will be your liver...”

“I let my head fall back, and I gazed into the Eternal Blue Sky. It was morning. Some of the sky was yellow, some the softest blue. One small cloud scuttled along. Strange how everything below can be such death and chaos and pain while above the sky is peace, sweet blue gentleness. I heard a shaman say once, the Ancestors want our souls to be like the blue sky.”

“I can see that one can never pay back Gilsa for the fear that she will give again.”