Is this what it means to go back to square one? Most likely. He had nothing left to lose, other than his life.

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.

I began to draw an invisible boundary between myself and other people. No matter who I was dealing with. I maintained a set distance, carefully monitoring the person’s attitude so that they wouldn’t get any closer. I didn’t easily swallow what other people told me. My only passions were books and music

Don't pointless things have a place, too, in this far-from-perfect world?

My imagination is a kind of animal. So what I do is keep it alive.

Like a Chinese box, the world of the novel contained smaller worlds, and inside those were yet smaller worlds. Together, these worlds made up a single universe, and the universe waited there in the book to be discovered by the reader.

When I'm running I don't have to talk to anybody and don't have to listen to anybody. This is a part of my day I can't do without.