But sons are a different matter to a man. More a duty than an indulgence.

They would place their hands together inside the circle so that they could walk in each other's dreams. It forged a bond that could not be broken. The circle represents love in eternity. For there is no beginning and no end.

She bestowed the blessing of a wild girl's lips.

Goodbye," I whisper at last, when it no longer matters and there is no one to hear it but the window.

We create the illusions we need to go on. And one day, when they no longer dazzle or comfort, we tear them down, brick by glittering brick, until we are left with nothing but the bright light of honesty. The light is liberating. Necessary. Terrifying. We stand naked and emptied before it. And when it is too much for our eyes to take, we build a new illusion to shield us from its relentless truth.

I do not want to pass the time. I want to grab hold of it and leave my mark upon the world.

It keeps her purity vacum-sealed to preserve its freshness for her future husband.