Counterpoint Press

“You have to believe me without proof. That's what faith is — believing without proof.'
They got up from the bank of stones. It was getting late, the shadows lay cool and lengthened on the grass and the tops of the trees had the stillness around them that means the end of the day and its liquidation in the setting sun. They retraced their steps back to the house where his car was parked, and when they passed through the blighted orchard, he picked up an apple for her and she ate it. She didn't even have to look; she knew it would be whole, without worms or decay.”
― Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, At the End of the Century: The Stories of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

“Never mind that she’s been hearing this soliloquy from strangers since she was born, in the Year of the Fire Horse, twin sixes after the nineteen. Never mind the order of questions invariably changes even if the questions themselves do not: 'How long have y’all lived here? Do you even speak English? Oh, well. Your English is so good. Bless your heart, you must miss your people. You stick out like a raisin in a big bowl of oatmeal. Is it true that you worship cows? . . . Have you even heard of the Bible? Don’t get all uppity on me, don’t turn away. I know you think you don’t have to listen. But this is my country. You do. When are y’all heading back? Y’all best be getting back to where you came from, you hear? No need to overstay your welcome.”
― Devi S. Laskar, The Atlas of Reds and Blues

“When the road stretches long and dark and ragged, it’s sweetness that remains at the end of it.”
― Maggie Downs, Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother’s) Lifetime

“We're boys. That's what we're supposed to do.”
― Dennis E. Staples, This Town Sleeps: A Novel