The World Is Simple, I

My Daughter," I Said Blankly. "i See. Correct Me If I Am Wrong, But I Thought It Took A Man, As Well As A Woman, To Make A Child. Is This Infant's Father To Be A Crab, Or A Seagull Maybe? Or Were You Planning To Shipwreck Some Likely Sailor On My Doorstep, So I Can Make Convenient Use Of Him?

Nothing Comes Without A Price.

Perhaps He Could Still Weave Together The Broken Threads Of His Life. And Yet, I Wanted Him Here Now. I Needed Him Here. In The Darkness, If I Sat Very Still, I Could Almost Feel His Presence By Me, Quite Near, But Not Too Near. Didn't I Promise To Keep You Safe, He Would Say Softly. I Have Never Broken A Promise. Don't Look So Worried, Jenny. And Yet, He Would Be Careful. Careful Not To Move Too Close. Careful Not To Frighten Me. Waiting Still. I Am Your Shelter. Don't Be Afraid.

A Wonder Tale Can Be Truer Than True," I Said. I Had Learned (...) That The Deepest Kind Of Truth Can Be Found In The Strangest And Wildest Of Stories. One May Not Meet A Fire-breathing Dragon On The Way To The Well. One May Not Encounter An Army Of Toothed Snakes In The Woodshed. That Does Not Make The Wisdom In Those Tales Any Less Real.

There Is No Good Or Evil, Save In The Way You See The World. There Is No Dark Or Light Save In Your Own.