James

by Percival Everett

“Ain’t people a part of nature?” “If’n dey is, den dey ain’t no good part. Da rest o’ nature don’ hardly talk to no human peoples anymo. Maybe it try from time to time, but peoples don’ listen.

Telling his story was allowing him to forget how cold and miserable he was.

If’n ya gots to hab a rule to tells ya wha’s good, if’n ya gots to hab good ’splained to ya, den ya cain’t be good. If’n ya need sum kinda God to tells ya right from wrong, den you won’t never know.”

He’d made an impression on me, and though I didn’t know what he was asking me to do, I understood his advice to be profound.

in which direction does one run from lightning?

“I ain’t never heard such a sad story as that in all my dishonest and sneaky days,”

I saw the surface of her, merely the outer shell, and realized that she was mere surface all the way to her core.

“What would they have done to you if they had figured out that you were exactly what you were pretending to be?”

“Something wrong? Something bothering you? I thought you’d be pleased I got over my nervousness.” “It’s okay to be a little nervous.”

“Do you believe you can subdue the overseer?” I asked Morris. “I know I can. I want to. When?”