“She looked at his face and saw a monk and a detective, both beautiful and bizarre.”

“The earth is a mosaic, and most fail to notice the gossamer tesserae floating down from the realm of the mind that form its images of beauty and horror.”

“The secret to excitement is discovering new paths, and having the courage to take them.”

“As she slid into her fifties, with grace I might add, she learned the art of hatred, pulling on the pain from a broken heart. She kept this pain alive, growing on the outskirts of her soul, like a copse of trees that constantly needed pruning.”

“She remembered something she overheard at a dinner party -- Everyone loses their mind at least once in this lifetime. Everyone.”

“Hidden by diaphanous clouds of mist and fog floating gracefully over vales of heather and flowing runnels, she began to dance.”

“She prayed to the gods of love and the gods of destruction, for they are one and the same.”

“They kissed in the middle of the sidewalk, letting the crowds of people flow around them like water around an island.”

“The wind went mute and the trees in the forest stood still. It was time for the last tale.”

“The evening pulsed with omens gentle to the eyes, and Valentina had a romantic crush on it all, like every good witch should.”

“There is a point where the universe can deliver you from the verge of regret. I know your love for me will take you there.”