I Want To Live! Not Die, Not

"don't Let Go!" He Orders. Harper's Hand Is Dry And Soothing, While Mine Is Sweaty With Fear. We've Never Held Hands Before. I Think About What It Means In The Village When Boys And Girls Only A Few Years Older Then Harper And Me Wander Around With Their Hands Clasped Together. They're Always Peering Dreamily Into Each Other's Eyes, Sneaking Sky Kisses...and Soon After, There's A Wedding.

Fail Big If You Have To, But Go Down Trying.

Nothing Was More Valuable Than The Printed Word.

We'll Have A 'rest Of Our Lives' Now.

The Sudden Silence Is Horrifying, And It Seems To Catch My Mother Off Guard. A Tiny Whimper Escapes Her, The Sound Amplified In The Stillness. Surely, My Father Hears Her Now; Surely He And I Can't Go On Pretending She Isn't Crying.