Ambrose Ibsen > Quotes

“Breathing through his mouth, he found he could taste the air. It was the taste of an old, abandoned book; of a damp cemetery in autumn.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The Sick House

“I brought a hand to my tightening chest and kneaded at my heart like a lump of brioche dough.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The House of Long Shadows

“That's nonsense!” snapped Aaron. “Cancer is technically a part of us, but that doesn't stop us from cutting out tumors or trying chemotherapy,”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The Possession

“It is for good reason that men fear the dark. Our kind are transient, hopeless things. Things destined to live and die, leaving nary an echo in the yawning corridor of eons. I've always marveled at time, and at its ability to change things—to worsen, weaken and, however seldom, to improve—despite its intangibility. The cruelty of this world is that there is nothing in it that equates to permanence, and it is the burden of our kind to be saddled with—cursed by—that knowledge. The only commodity that endlessly endures is that invisible force that turns the pages; time.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, Forest

“stared”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The House of Long Shadows

“It is for good reason that men fear the dark. Our kind are transient, hopeless things. Things destined to live and die, leaving nary an echo in the yawning corridor of eons.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The Occupant

“My life had been reduced to a burning candle left out in the rain, the flame bobbing and dodging and only narrowly avoiding the drop that might snuff it out for good.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The House of Long Shadows

“I'd seen and experienced too much now—too much for anyone to bear without gambling away a bit of sanity—and I grieved this new stage in my life.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The House of Long Shadows

“I find myself working from home more often than not. A strict adherence to routine, along with a concerted effort to avoid distractions, is the key to meeting my deadlines and remaining productive.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, Dreams in Black Static: Eight Stories

“There's nothing more unforgivable than ruining the natural flavor of coffee with sugar, if you ask me. Polishing”
― Ambrose Ibsen, Asylum

“Abigail entered the room, leaving the door open behind her, and sat down at the foot of Amy's bed. “I don't like this,” she said with a sigh. “You don't like what?” “Aunty Becca is here,” explained the girl. Amy shrugged. “Yeah? So, what? You love it when Becca comes to visit. She's a lot of fun.” Abigail tugged at her bubblegum-colored pajama top and shook her head. “No, it's not good. The man with the doggie-face doesn't like her being here.” She looked up at her sister narrowly. “At least, that's what Frankie says. He says that, if auntie Becca is here, we may not be able to play anymore.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, A House by the Sea

“Gritting his teeth through a succession of yawns, he pushed the wheelbarrow past the stone fountain and around the boxy hedgerow.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The Possession

“That was my only option. I stood against the door in that dark room, trembling. The moonlight was so watery thin that I could hardly make out anything in my shadowed surroundings. There was a closet somewhere to my right, but I could only see it when the moonlight grew strong and was unimpeded by clouds. It felt like I was in a holding cell. There was nothing to do, nothing to see. One could only sit and await judgement. My standing in this dark room, frightened out of my wits, reminded me of the time my mother had left me locked in my bedroom with the lights out. Decades had gone by, but here I was, still the same, scared child. I was shivering in the dark just like I had that night, afraid that something would get me. I called out to my father, knowing all the while that no good would come of it. No good had come from doing so in my childhood years, either. I prayed, heathen though I was, that all of this would pass. I yearned to leave the house, and would happily forfeit any fame and fortune that might”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The House of Long Shadows

“Facing your fears can be a dangerous thing, because when you put yourself out there, there's always the chance, no matter how vanishingly slim, that your very worst fears could match the reality.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, Whispering Corridors

“Inanimate things like buildings, possessing no moral faculty, are always innocent parties; and yet, how often they are discolored and lent something of the odious by the misdeeds of their occupants.”
― Ambrose Ibsen, The Haunting of Rainier Asylum