Clare Smith

“Why would I want to die last?”
― Ally Wilkes, Where the Dead Wait

“Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, probably. I just wanted to mention--and it's probably no big deal--but there's a guy hanging out near the gas station staring at me."
"Nothing illegal about staring."
"Yeah, you're right. It's just that, well, he's wearing a mask."
"It is Halloween, you know."
"You're right. It's just that, he's standing out in the rain wearing this long blue raincoat."
"That's what raincoats are for."
"Yeah, I guess you've got a good point. It's just that, he's really creeping me out and I think he's like eight feet tall and his arms go down to his knees."
There was a short pause on the other line. Then, "That's not illegal.”
― Jack Townsend, Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One

“I thought back to what Dr. V had said during that visit, about preserving the integrity of my brain.
I looked Tony in the eyes and said, "Aim for the head, please.”
― Jack Townsend, Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One

“Humans are programmed from birth to push themselves way beyond what’s necessary. Self-care is demonized, except where utterly necessary for the survival of the working stock. Everyone is struggling to make it to the next step, looking forward to that moment when life is going to finally get a little better, and only then will we be allowed to relax. But there is no plateau. It’s a steady incline until death.”
― Jack Townsend, Tales from the Gas Station: Volume Four