At first, she could not talk. Perhaps it was the sudden bumpiness of love she felt for him. Or had she always loved him?

We expressed love for this dog by ... knowing without showing that we cared for him.

His eyes were cold and brown - like coffee stains.

It's not so much that the old friend is a better friend. It's just that you know the person better, and you know they don't really care if you're acting like a poor, grovelling idiot. They know you would do the same for them.

The first couple of times, he simply stayed - a stranger to kill the aloneness. A few nights after that, he whispered “Shhh, I’m here, its alright.” After three weeks, he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man’s gentleness, his thereness.

You might argue that I make the rounds no matter what year it is, but sometimes the human race likes to crank things up a little. They increase the production of bodies and their escaping souls.

Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you've finished just to stay near it.