No big deal. We all have blood in us, the trick is keeping it inside.

For the first time I could remember, I felt weak, woozy and stupid— like a human-being. Like a very small and helpless human-being.

And as always seems to happen when I have reached the point where I am ready to take decisive action, everything began to happen at once.

It was such an unexpected and genuine smile that if I only had a soul I'm sure I would have felt quite guilty.

Money to me had always been merely something the sheep used to show each other how wonderful they were.

It took me a moment. I blinked, and suddenly it swam into focus and I had to frown very hard to keep myself from giggling out loud like the schoolgirl Deb had accused me of being. Because he had arranged the arms and legs in letters, and the letters spelled out a single small word: BOO. The three torsos were carefully arranged below the BOO in a quarter-circle, making a cute little Halloween smile. What a scamp.

What a terrible thing life can be.