He returns to the helm. A perfect stillness lies around him; all is bathed in starlight. He could easily doze off himself, so profound is his content… - Justin Cronin

And to you, the sleepers in my keeping: you have lived for countless lifetimes, you shall live for countless more. They will be different from the ones you've always known; your days of idleness and ease are gone. This is not a punishment - far from it. It is my gift to you, that you should be redeemed.
I will give you childhood, so that you might know innocence.
Age, so you will know the prize of youth.
Children, so that you will care for the future.
Toil, so that you will know the value of a day.
The body's failings, so that you will know its worth.
Death, so that you will cherish the bittersweet beauty of life.
We are, each of us, born a sparkling soul, clothed only in our newness; now you will learn to be another.

Before she became the Girl from Nowhere-the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years-she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte.

As long as we remember a person, they're not really gone. Their thoughts, their feelings, their memories, they become a part of us.