"His eyes go wide while a gasp of wonder passes his lips. He turns his body fully toward us. His lips moving like a fish out of water, gasping for breath. He gives his head a shake and stutters out, “Mer—mermaids. There are fish with women’s bodies or—women with fish bodies sitting upon the rocks. I—I never knew..."

"He had withdrawn solely for his own personal pleasure, only to be near to himself. No longer distracted by anything external, he basked in his own existence and found it splendid."

"Deep in my heart, an unsung song longs to know when my footsteps will not paint the shoreline of this beautiful sandy beach. Will anyone remember me and sing my unsung song along the waves and feel the breeze with love?"

"I remember when my aunt died, the thing that pissed me off the most was going to get groceries the next day and seeing all those people who didn't care... Didn't understand why I was so upset when I saw her brand of cigarettes behind the counter."

"I'm very quiet. In the beginning, my brother would play the piano, and I would sing, because that's what my mom and dad did. And then along the way, somebody teased me for even thinking that I could get up there. That stayed with me, and I became very shy."