Elise Forier Edie > Quotes

“The old folktales from Mexico often have the same beginning. "One day a man met the devil in the road," or "The devil came upon a man in the desert." This is not an old story, but I am here to tell you, I met the devil in an orchard in December. He offered me gold; he gave me pleasure; he fooled me twice and then he set me on fire.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“The old folktales from Mexico often have the same beginning. "One day a man met the devil on the road," or "The devil came upon a man in the desert." This is not an old story, but I am here to tell you, I met the devil in an orchard in December. He offered me gold,; he gave me pleasure; he fooled me twice and then he set me on fire.”
― Elise Forier Edie, The Devil in Midwinter

“There's some kind of really bad stuff going around, because we keep getting these calls. Devils in the trees, monsters walking among us, crap like that. Happy holidays, right?”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“The tree had not changed at all since his childhood. As a boy of six, he had climbed it, not realizing its age, and lacking the experience to know the signs of a rotten branch. The wood beneath his feet had crumbled, and he had tumbled with a cry, hands reaching for branches, but only scraping against bark.
And then he hadn't been falling anymore. A man caught him before he struck the ground, and tossed him up into the air again with a chuckle before setting him safe and whole onto his feet. He had been enormous, especially to his child's eyes. A giant of a man, with shoulders so wide they would barely fit through his bedroom door, and eyes as blue as summer. Red-gold hair spilled from a scrap of leather, tying it back, and even crouched before him, Ryam had fairly craned his neck to meet his eyes.
"Best to test the branches first, boy," the man had said, smiling. "Never give your weight fully to any one limb when you climb. I cannot promise I will always be in time to catch you, otherwise.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“I promise I won't laugh at you if you sneak out to bury a few Pink Ladies at the roots of our trees this December. Assuredly, you'll be doing your part for next year's crop. And who knows? You might find some buried treasure - be it gold or simple gifts of the spirit. Happy holidays!”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Written words, he told me, were forever. Stories stretched beyond death, like time itself, ever changing us, but themselves, unchanged.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Grief is a little like being in a fresh snowfall. A light, cold curtain falls between you and the rest of the world.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“It's a big wide world, after all, and Mattawa, Washington, perched on the edge of it, is somewhere in between Nowhere and Nothing At All.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“The sleeping princess is a symbol of the sleeping earth. The spell she is under is the chill of winter and the kiss of life... the kiss of the sun wakes her.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Annie stared into the flames for a while and then cleared her throat. "Has it occurred to you that maybe there's actually a monster out there?" she asked.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“The Story of the Volcano, An Aztec Myth
Once upon a time there was a princess named Iztaccihuatl, more beautiful than any woman, and a handsome warrior Popocatepetl, who loved her. They were to be married, and all the kingdoms rejoiced...”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“I thought at first, even knowing you could not die, it seemed you could not live.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Being an owl was simple. It was survival... An owl thinks only: fly, hunt, breed, live. People think, and wonder, and dream, and speak of it all.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“He would make her laugh every night that they made love. He would make love to her once for every time she giggled.
She burst into laughter then, and he grinned.
"That's one.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Women are already draped in so much fabric, there's hardly any need -- and Madeleine would have fits if she knew we were eating together this way, so poorly dressed. I can already hear her shocked gasp at the sight of your chest." She said it without looking up, as she took the seat he'd readied for her.
"I can't imagine a patch of any man's chest should shock you," he said, taking his own seat across from her, after she had been settled. "By all accounts, you wandered naked in the Garden.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Hello. Do I know you?"
She smiled, showing surprisingly tiny white teeth, like a baby's, swaddled in pink gums. She said "Esmeralda Ulloa, I would hope that you know me. But I doubt you do."
I rocked back on my heels as she leaned in close, her black eyes snapping. "Tell your uncle I have what he's looking for," she said softly. "And if he asks me nicely, I might give it to him." She smiled again. "I'd rather give it to you, though. If you ask.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Tears are like rain to the Devil: they fill his black heart with sharp, ugly blossoms of laughter.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“He said only farmers and school children really appreciated the beauty of a snow day.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“You were the first boy I ever kissed. Is that right?"
"I would hope so," he said, his mouth soft as he smiled. "You were ten years old."
I laughed but I felt tears building in my throat and burning my eyes. "You kissed me in the orchard. I dared you to do it." A memory flicked by, the orchard in bloom, heavenly scents, the thrum of bees in the blossoms.
"I wanted to, I promise ---" his laughing face, so close to mine.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment

“Foolish people never want to be reminded of how great they can be, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have to be reminded.”
― Elise Forier Edie, Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus

“Any time evil comes into a place it is because someone give it permission.”
― Elise Forier Edie, A Winter's Enchantment