“She knows that feeling too. Of believing that each time someone says her name, its to tell her that something bad has happened.”

“The string slices into the skin of his fingers and no matter how tough the calluses, it tears. But this beat is fast and even though his joints are aching, his arm's out of control like it has a mi...”

“I wish everyone would stop crying, Tom. Uncle Joe would be so angry about it." But she's crying herself now. "He'd be so angry at us, Tom, for crying so much when all he did was laugh.”

“Stani walks in later, glaring at them both.Bloody bastards. One minute punching each other, next minute reading poetry. Whats wrong with everyone this week?Tom can tell that”

“Worse still, he doesnt know how to follow the piper anymore because its a path Tom has lost faith in.And the piper knows it. Tom can see it in his fathers eyes now. And the more he stares, the clea...”

“What about the contacts your mum had? his dad asked.I rang and spoke to four very polite computers who gave me all these options and then cut out on me. Then I tried the post office, because they w...”

“And won’t he grow up to be the healthiest of young men, all because she kept him safe? Ready for the world. Ready to one day conquer it. To travel. Get on a train. Go to work. Get blown out of her ...”

“World peace can be achieved only if there is nothing left to conquer”

“As long as there will be something to conquer, world peace will be a pipe dream”

“Ill affect you slowlyas if you were having a picnic in a dream. There will be no ants.It wont rain.”

“But suppose the endlessly dead were to wake in us some emblem:they might point to the catkins hangingfrom the empty hazel trees, or direct us to the raindescending on black earth in early spring. ...”

“Life is but a dream for the dead.”

“Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”