“A persistent breeze lifted the thin curtains, fluttering a few moments of tranquility into the turbulent day.”

“It had always seemed to Emily, ever since she could remember, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside-- but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond-- only a glimpse-- and heard a note of unearthly music.”

“Shadow children, thin and small,Now the day is left behind,You are dancing on the wall,On the curtains, on the blind.”

“A heroin-thin boy with enough rings in his eyebrows to resemble a shower curtain rod...”

“See that day as I remember it. A day in June, River Severn rolling to the sea, diamonded with sunlight, gulls gliding over the quays on a mild breeze that lifted the Red Dragon standard over Camelot. A quiet enough day for the end of my world.”

“My heart flutters a little. Or something inside my heart flutters; an artery worn so thin that a flap has come loose, is waving about, in the current of my blood.”