The Annihilation of Foreverland Quotes

“This is where I had the epiphany, Danny Boy. I would come up here to sit every morning and this is where I received the calling. I knew what mankind needed. We needed to harness the power of the mind, the most powerful weapon a man possesses. If we can control the mind, Danny Boy, we get what we want. That’s your answer, son. If you could have anything in the world, it should be the power of the mind.” The mind is a weapon.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Not this.” Zin held up the sandwich. “I feel like I’m barely here, like a puppet down to one string. I can barely remember anything. It’s like everything that was me is still in Foreverland.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Zin rubbed his eyes then shuffled to the sink. When he turned around, his eyes were at least open. So was his mouth. “The mouth-breathing is starting to annoy me, you know,” Danny said. “Then look the other way.” “Can’t you just breathe through your nose or something?” “I’m too tired.” Zin started for the bed. “Ah-ah-ah.” Danny pulled the hard chair from the desk. “Have a seat, my friend. You’re eating and then we’re going to the Yard. If your skin gets any lighter, you’ll officially be Caucasian.” “I didn’t realize it was that easy.” “You see yourself lately? You’re a ghost.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Sometimes death provides life, Mr. Jones. I believe that is something we can all agree upon.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Mr. Jones folded his arms, once again. “You are introducing anarchy. I hardly see how that will benefit those involved.” “Sometimes death provides life, Mr. Jones. I believe that is something we can all agree upon.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“The Director looked at Mr. Jones. His beard did not conceal the smile. Fair man? His delusion knows no bounds. The program thrived from the self-centeredness of these old men, the infection of false entitlements that comes from money and power. Their universe revolved around their petty concerns and anything that affected them. They couldn’t see the bigger picture, they couldn’t see opportunity when they looked in only one direction. Stay open to life, gentlemen. Let it unfold and the universe will provide you with endless paths on your journey. Fact is, they got lucky.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Zin shrugged. A few seconds later, he glazed over. He’d been on the island much longer than Danny and asked all the same questions, made all the same arguments when he first woke up in the Chimney. But you bang your head with a hammer long enough, you come to realize it only hurts when you swing. He’d put the hammer down long before Danny arrived. Explanations only made his head hurt.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“He took the cup to the sink. There, in the mirror staring back, was a circular bandage in the middle of his forehead. He touched it, gently. The fog cleared. The Haystack and the fan and the mist. The needle. Vertigo smacked him. He held onto the sink. It got worse. He sank to his knees and crawled to the bed while the memories settled. It was strange how his mind was like water and the memories swirled like grains of sand. There was something he was supposed to remember but it was so hard. Summer camp? FBI? Damn, he couldn’t remember it now. He had journeyed through the needle to some… dream. Foreverland. It was torture to get there.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Danny felt this type of fear spreading through his groin like cold fingers once before. A memory emerged in the soupy sea of memories inside his head. He remembered getting pulled out of the back seat of a car with his hands cuffed behind his back by someone. But then like everything he tried to remember, there were gaps. There were FBI shirts, and big doors—”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“His knees locked and he pushed his weight against Mr. Jones’s hand. It wasn’t the dim light coming through the skylights or the giant steel fan that waited to chop them up or the smell of urine or the dank-dungeon cells that lined both sides of the aisle that made Danny step back. It was a sense of panic, of fear, that saturated the atmosphere like an electrical current, tingling in his bowels. The boys ahead of him didn’t seize up, but they stutter-stepped. Like the end of a ship’s plank was dead ahead. Danny felt this type of fear spreading through his groin like cold fingers once before. A memory emerged in the soupy sea of memories inside his head. He remembered getting pulled out of the back seat of a car with his hands cuffed behind his back by someone. But then like everything he tried to remember, there were gaps.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Remember, I’m watching, boys.” Mr. Jones pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at the rest of them. Danny needed him to leave for a whole lot of reasons. If the rest of the Investors were as decrepit as Mr. Jones, they would be as much help as a box of kittens.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland

“Can I go home?” Chuckle. “Not unless you’re a real good swimmer. We’re on an island, Danny Boy. It’s about five square miles or so, but there’s nothing but water as far as the eye can see. Even if you’re a good swimmer, I don’t recommend it. Sharks and ship-eating coral and the like will tear you up.”
― Tony Bertauski, The Annihilation of Foreverland