Summer in Orcus

by T. Kingfisher

Summer’s mother believed that books were safe things that kept you inside, which only shows how little she knew about it, because books are one of the least safe things in the world.)

In real life, though, a very dramatic statement is usually met with awkward silence, and then somebody makes a joke to try to break the silence, and somebody else decides they need a cup of tea.

Grown-ups are strange creatures, and many of them are useless, but even the worst of them has authority.

Tell me about your journey, and start a little before the beginning, because we are usually wrong about where things begin.”