And he waited. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like a small forever.

I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content. I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.

You don't get explanations in real life. You just get moments that are absolutely, utterly, inexplicably odd.

You're no help," he told the lime. This was unfair. It was only a lime; there was nothing special about it at all. It was doing the best it could.

Words can wound, and wounds can heal.

The cat dropped the rat between its two front paws. "There are those," it said with a sigh, in tones as smooth as oiled silk, "who have suggested that the tendency of a cat to play with its prey is a merciful one - after all, it permits the occasional funny little running snack to escape, from time to time. How often does your dinner get to escape?

"Some things may change," said Wednesday, abruptly. "People, however... People stay the same."