Every tale that lasts is real, even if it’s not true.

The tale comes easy and I realize that in crafting this narrative, I am a manager of fear.

part of invention is a bloated faith in the self. Part of creation, she thinks, slicing the bread, is making believe.

When I feel most alone, I remember I am part of the cosmos, a celestial event. We are part of a system, for better and for worse.

It is easy to forget, but stories need not always have a purpose. We are quick to say that folktales have a moral or a lesson or a creed. But most of the stories that have survived the ages are told for one purpose only, and that purpose is to say this: “Being human is difficult. Here is some evidence.”

This is his first encounter with the real, and he needs to meet it gently.

What is story if not the safe harbor for our most disturbing imaginings?

That he has used a tense that designates the future means it will haunt better, more effectively. I once told him that strong stories link risk and desire.

Instead of permitting the stories to bend and fold with each new teller, the scripts are like coffins that calcify the tales.