My spirit is heavy with the time I squandered driving in first gear, one light shining dimly to dispel the darkness, all the way holding on to the promise my ancestors cherished that love always is.

Claire returned the reply that was expected of her. It was like a secret understanding, this exchange of phrases between the two of them, whose meaning, though obscure, had acquired almost ceremonial significance with the passing of years. “There are no shadows other than the ones we cast.”

Everywhere else Persephone was just another goddess of the Pantheon, but in Locri, she was the goddess.

There is always something to distract us, something urgent, usually unpleasant, so I’m going to say this really fast, before I lose your attention: last night I heard the roar of the planet spinning on its axis, the deafening breath of an enormous creature.

Have you ever watched the moon rise on the ocean on a bright summer night when all the stars are out and by their light alone, you see your shadow?