“Stories are how we connect. Evolution isn’t seriously about thumbs but about how we use language – that’s what raises us above dumb animals, right? Language?”

“A tongue in a bag. Teeth. A room drenched in blood.”

“They believed the devil would rise from here,” she said. “I’m serious. They thought he would come up through the cracks in the ground, that there would be an earthquake and he would rise. Dust. Fire. The end of the world. They calculated the day and built churches to protect themselves.”

“So what about the cats?”“What about them?”“The cats he killed. He killed all those cats. Dumped them in the tank.”“So he didn’t like cats.”“With a slingshot.”“They were strays. Nobody missed them.”“But you don’t kill cats. That’s not normal.”Rino shrugged. “Cats are cats.”

“At some point the body offers only disappointment.”

“Telling stories to make himself into something that he isn’t. We all do it. We all tell stories to make ourselves look better.”

“Stories are how we connect. Evolution isn’t seriously about thumbs but about how we use language – that’s what raises us above dumb animals, right? Language?”

“You are the stories you tell, whatever their basis in fact or experience. It’s who you are.”

“And then ... perhaps someone will write a book about making a film about a story that is taken from this book which is taken from a real-life story that was copied from a story in a book. You know?”

“...WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY...that counts?...that carries meaning?...that made the day worthwhile?...what will you do tomorrow?”