The Serpent King

“Remember this, Dillard Early,” Lydia whispered, her voice cracking. “You are you and you are magnificent and brilliant and talented. You’re not your grandfather. You’re not your father. Their serpents are not your serpents. Their poison is not your poison. Their darkness is not your darkness. Not even their name is your name.”

“I’m tired of watching children perish. I’m tired of watching the world grind up gentle people. I’m tired of outliving those I shouldn’t be outliving. I’ve made books my life because they let me escape this world of cruelty and savagery. I needed to say that out loud to somebody other than my cats. Please take care of yourselves, my young friends.”

Find out who you are and do it on purpose.
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.

I asked God to heal you and to make my life better someday. And he has. He sent me people who made me feel brave and like I have choices. Now I believe God gives people lots of paths they can take. Not just one.

And because there was nothing left to say and everything left to say, they kissed one more time.

She’s it. She’s everything. She’s the standard by which I’ll judge beauty for the rest of my life. I’ll measure every touch to her breath on my skin. Every voice to her voice. Every mind to her mind. My measure of perfection. The name carved into me. If I could, I would lie with her under these stars until my heart burst.

“I hope we’re always a part of each other’s lives, no matter where we go or what we do.”

And if you’re going to live, you might as well do painful, brave, and beautiful things.

Cool people will get that you’re not your father. You won’t be living in a shitty small town anymore, where people try to make themselves feel better by making other people feel smaller.

Whatever this is, I like it. However reckless, however unwise this is, I don’t care. I’d rather lose him this way than any other way.