"Bitter?" said the barmaid and he nodded. What a strange thing to call a drink. Bitter. Aloes. Sorrow. For something that was supposed to make you fe… - Bernard MacLaverty

We went on a school trip down the Rhine one summer and I saw a crucifixion that made all others pale for me. It was a painting. And it was the first thing like that which had any effect on me. I stood and stared at it for so long the teachers lost me and had to come back for me.

How can something be utterly simple and amazingly complex at the same time? Things are simple or complex according to how much attention is paid to them.

Neil offered his arm as she lowered herself from the step to the ground. "What a polite young man." "That's my mother's fault."