The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. … Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply b… - Peter S. Beagle

Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.

The universe lies to our senses and they lie to us, and how can we ourselves be anything but liars? For myself, I trust neither message nor messenger; neither what I am told, nor what I see. There may be truth somewhere, but it never gets down to me

The Blue Jay's Lullaby —


Spiders and sowbugs and beetles and crickets,
Slugs from the roses and ticks from the thickets,
Grasshoppers, snails, and a quail's egg or two — All to be regurgitated for you.

Lullaby, lullaby, swindles and schemes,
Flying's not near as much fun as it seems.

Traditionally, people are always supposed to feel empty, devastated, when a god leaves them. Nobody seems to wonder how the god might feel. Leaving the only people who almost understood.