The Elementals

by Michael McDowell

There’s no point in advertising a circus when everybody hates the clown.”

“To have a family is real strange,” said India thoughtfully. “All these people you wouldn’t have anything to do with except that they’re related to you.

The words yesterday and tomorrow might have been excised from their vocabulary: for yesterday had entertained nothing that was worth today’s speech, and tomorrow could promise no change from today.

anyone who could perform menial tasks in a menial’s capacity without loss of dignity was someone to be admired and wondered at.