And then he feels that familiar sensation of drifting—when his body untethers from the material world and he soon dissolves into a fine, floating mist that evaporates into the atmosphere.

Darkness always follows.

Hitting up homes peopled by those with nothing much to lose was an easy score. The less you had, the less likely you were to defend it. But this home was different. Its residents had a lot to lose and the will to fight for it.

I don’t know why I was still talking about the rapture. I certainly didn’t believe in it. Regardless, it remained a thief…

To be encased, Clint had always thought, was foolishness. Why allow yourself to be open to such sorrow?

I loved Rena as much as a patient could love their gynecologist. We had tea together in her office. I cried when she asked how I was doing, and she showed me pictures of her terriers.

She turns her back for me to fasten the rows of metal hooks. Why isn’t our small, tender freedom enough?

The most entertaining thing about Miguel is that when he was 13 he dislocated his shoulder playing basketball and can now pop it in and out of place. There is nothing particularly interesting about Miguel.

I eat my Oreos with relish. No—I mean I relish in the Oreos I eat.

I point my camera towards B. Lovely and she is sitting on the curb.

You’ve been dreading this day since the moment you found out you were pregnant—perhaps even before.

Directly after the arrival of the Armada, this model made sense, as the gap between Unthulanian and Human cultures prevented a commensurable exchange of practices…

I pushed my nose to within an inch from the rug. I sniffed, and sniffed, and I smelled something…not quite right, but I couldn’t place it.