With the advent of winter, her eyes seemed to take on a greater transparency, a transparency that lead nowhere. Occassionally, for no particular reason, Naoko would gaze into my eyes as if searching for something. Each time I was filled with odd sensations of lonliness and inadequecy.

Death was not the opposite of life. It was already here, within my being, it had always been here, and no struggle would permit me to forget that.

It's not right for one friend to do all the giving and the other to do all the taking: that's not real friendship.

Once thing goes wrong, then the whole house of cards collapses. And there's no way you can extricate yourself. Until someone comes along to drag you out.

I'm a writer, not a professional runner. It's fun and it helps me write. I need powerful concentration.

As time goes on, you'll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn't, doesn't. Time solves most things. And what time can't solve, you have to solve yourself.

The silence grew deeper, so deep that if you listened carefully you might very well catch the sound of the earth revolving on its axis.