It's The Choosing That's Important, Isn't It?

Our People Made That Choice, The Choice To Go To Sameness. Before My Time, Before The Previous Time, Back And Back And Back. We Relinquished Color When We Relinquished Sunshine And Did Away With Difference. We Gained Control Of Many Things. But We Had To Let Go Of Others.

You Remember That I Told You It Was Safer Not To Know. But,' He Went On, As His Hands Moved Wuth Their Sure And Practiced Motion, 'i Will Tell You Just A Little, Because You Were So Very Brave.' Brave?' Annemarie Asked, Surprised. 'no, I Wasn't. I Was Very Frightened.' You Risked Your Life.' But I Didn't Even Think About That! I Was Only Thinking Of-' He Interrupted Her,smiling. 'that's All That Brave Means-not Thinking About The Dangers. Just Thinking About What You Must Do. Of Course You Were Frightened. I Was Too, Today. But You Kept Your Mind On What You Had To Do. So Did I.

Time Goes On, And Your Life Is Still There, And You Have To Live It. After A While You Remember The Good Things More Often Than The Bad. Then, Gradually, The Empty Silent Parts Of You Fill Up With Sounds Of Talking And Laughter Again, And The Jagged Edges Of Sadness Are Softened By Memories.

I Don't Set Out To Transmit A Message. I Don't Write With A Political Point Of View. There Are No Religious Overtones. Looking Back At My Books, I Can Say, 'oh, Yes, It Is There.' But It's Not In My Mind When I Write.

For The First Time, He Heard Something That He Knew To Be Music. He Heard People Singing. Behind Him, Across Vast Distances Of Space And Time, From The Place He Had Left, He Thought He Heard Music Too. But Perhaps, It Was Only An Echo.