Sitting on the train I watch the scenery speeding by, notice a cobweb in the top corner of the window, undulating with a gentle breeze I can’t feel. I lean back in my seat and take my book out of the carrier bag. Turning it over in my hand, it feel...
And, er, these stories about you..." "Oh, all true. Most of them. A bit of exaggeration, but mostly true." "The one about the Citadel in Muntab and the Pash and the fish bone?" "Oh, yes." "But how did you get in where half a dozen armed and trained m...
Think of music as being a great snarl of a city [...]. In the years I spent living there, I came to know its streets. Not just the main streets. Not just the alleys. I knew shortcuts and rooftops and parts of the sewers. Because of this, I could move...
When a man’s face contorts in bitterness and hatred, he looks a little insane. When his mood changes from elated to assaultive in the time it takes to turn around, his mental stability seems open to question. When he accuses his partner of plotting...
She remembered one of her boyfriends asking, offhandedly, how many books she read in a year. "A few hundred," she said. "How do you have the time?" he asked, gobsmacked. She narrowed her eyes and considered the array of potential answers in front of ...
Back inside, I’m shown an antique cabinet in which members of the community, famous for their homegrown produce, dried herbs. The Oneida Community was an upstate tourist attraction right from the start, second, Valesky says, to Niagara Falls. I’m...
OMG, I think I’ve become a feminist. I mean, I’ve always been in favor of women voting and being paid the same as men for doing the same job. But then, the other day on the train, I didn’t get up and give a woman my seat. I thought about it. Bu...
Last reason for reading horror: it’s a rehearsal for death. It’s a way to get ready. People say there’s nothing sure but death and taxes. But that’s not really true. There’s really only death, you know. Death is the biggie. Two hundred year...
Once it happens you can’t remember how you started out: innocent, barreling into the tunnel, shooting out at each station like a dolphin out of a dim green pool. Pneumatic doors inhale open, puff shut, lock with a solid thump. Up and down the line,...
When he told F. of his disgust at the eyelid's movement, he must have been sixteen. When he decided to study medicine, he must have been nineteen; by then, having already signed on to the contract to forget, he no longer remembered what he had said t...
Aren't they supposed to be hiring someone else to train me, ANYWAY?" "Yes," he said, getting up and pulling her to her feet with him. "and I'm worried that if you get into the habit of making out with your instructors, you'll wind up making out with ...
Most of us are not raised to actively encounter our destiny. We may not know that we have one. As children, we are seldom told we have a place in life that is uniquely ours alone. Instead, we are encouraged to believe that our life should somehow ful...
Tommy: This is amazing! John Reilly: Hello! It's been a long time! Nokes: Who the fuck are you guys? [John and Tommy each pull up a chair and sit down at Nokes' table] Nokes: Hey, who the fuck asked you to sit down? Tommy: I thought you'd be happy to...
Bruce Wayne: I know who you are. Let me tell you about this guy I know, Jack. Mean kid. Bad seed. Hurt people. The Joker: I like him already. [laughs] Bruce Wayne: Now you know the problem was... he got sloppy. You know? Crazy. He started to lose it....
John Milton: Maricela, ¿su esposa? El momento que saliste del apartamento, ella estaba arriba con Carlos. Mira, amigo, están a la pipa fumando crack. Están en la cocina compartiendo un "jumbo", y después, en tu misma cama, él se la va a meter po...
Rita Vrataski: [after Bill gets hit during training] You all right, Cage? Lt. Col. Bill Cage: I think I broke something... Rita Vrataski: What? Lt. Col. Bill Cage: My back. The only thing I can feel are my lips. Rita Vrataski: Now listen carefully. T...
Arthur: Move aside! This is the king's road - and the knights you joined arms against were his very own. Lancelot: I await the king himself. His knights are in need of training. Arthur: I am King. And this [draws the sword] Arthur: , is Excalibur, sw...
Trautman: I don't think you understand. I didn't come to rescue Rambo from you. I came here to rescue you from him. Teasle: Well, we all appreciate your concern Colonel, I will try to be extra careful! Trautman: I'm just amazed he allowed any of your...
Conductor: [stopping Gandhi on the train in South Africa] What are you doing in here, coolie? Gandhi: I reserved this car. I have a ticket. Conductor: How did you get hold of it? Gandhi: I sent for it by post. I am an attorney. European Passenger: An...
The Bride: [Describing her pregnancy to Bill] Before that strip turned blue, I was a woman. I was your woman. I was a killer who killed for you. Before that strip turned blue, I would have jumped a motorcycle onto a speeding train... for you. But onc...
[last lines] George: [talking about their dream] We're gonna get a little place. Lennie: Okay, yeah, we're gonna get a little place and we're gonna... George: We're gonna... Lennie: ...have... George: [Lennie mouths what he says] We're gonna have a c...
