“It was a cold winter's night and the wind howled like a wolf; snow was plummeting from the sky in a frozen forest. Of course, this was normal weather in the highest area of northern Maine.”

“When there were no more dolls to play with, we began playing with shrapnel instead.”

“The decrepit mansion, guarded by extra-weepy willow trees, was haunted Haley O’Connor.”

“A wind begins to blow. It is born as a wispy breeze, and soon grows to a bolder, stronger gale. It travels across lands, picking up scents and sights and textures, and stories.”

“I didn’t need to see his face to know it was him. Who else would have little hand-drawn cartoons I could recognize anywhere sticking out of their back pocket?”

“The town I live in is tough. It’s the kind of town that no one visits, that might not even be on the map.”

“The deer’s eyes are what frighten me most about it…”

“A loud bang echoes into the forest coming from behind us…”

“Boy is alone. He lives on an empty planet…”

“At one particular time in my life, I lived in Manhattan…”

“From the corner of her eye, Anika watches the new girl navigate through the crowded cafeteria…”

“‘Idiot,’ she murmured when she saw the white Whirlpool refrigerator standing condemned on the curb”

“One summer morning, 8-year-old Annie went out into the yard…”

“The barn’s skeleton is a hulking thing. Civilizations of termites have risen and fallen…”

“I remember we were in third grade when the teacher introduced us to the infinite repeating decimals…”

“The words spun around Alicia’s head as she stared at the bug on the dirty cafe floor…”