“This is bizarre," I say."I think it's beautiful," he says.I give him a look."What?" He laughs a little. "They each have an equal role in government; they each feel equally responsible. And it makes them care; it makes them kind. I think that's beautiful.”

“I could win you a goldfish.""I don't think that's be fair to the goldfish," Gemma said. "I've had about a dozen of them, and they all seem to die within days of me getting them.""Oh, yeah." Alex smiled crookedly. "I remember you making your dad bury them out in the backyard.""They were my pets, and they deserved a proper burial.""I better be careful around you." Alex stepped back from her cautiously, giving her a wide berth. "You're a goldfish mass murderer. I don't know what you're capable of.""Stop!" Gemma laughed. "I didn't kill them on purpose! I was little. I think I overfed them. Out of love, though.""That's even scarier," he teased. "Do you plan to kill me with kindness?""Maybe." She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to look menacing, making him laugh.”

“Well," I said finally, knowing he was waiting, "you make me laugh."He nodded. "And?""You're pretty good-looking.""Pretty good-looking? I called you beautiful.""You want to be beautiful?" I asked him."Are you saying I'm not?”

“No. I believe in free will. I think we make our own decisions and carry out our own actions. And our actions have consequences. The world is what we make it. But I think sometime we can ask God to help us and He will. Sometime I think He looks down and say, 'Wow, look what those idiots are up to now. I guess I better help them along a little'.”

“You don't care what others think - which might be understandable. But you don't care even to make them think as you do?""No.""But that's...that's monstrous.""Is it? Probably. I couldn't say.”

“I think it's fair rude to make him a tree and not know what kind he is.”