Beauty And Fear Make Uneasy Companions

Mortimer's Face Twisted When The Piper Pressed His Knife Against His Ribs. Oh Yes, He's Obviously Made The Wrong Enemies In This Story, Thought Orpheus. And The Wrong Friends. But That Was High-minded Heroes For You. Stupid.

Which Of Us Has Not Felt That The Character We Are Reading In The Printed Page Is More Real Than The Person Standing Beside Us?

She Wanted To Return To Her Dream. Perhaps It Was Still Somewhere There Behind Her Closed Eyelids. Perhaps A Little Of Its Happiness Still Clung Like Gold Dust To Her Lashes. Don't Dreams In Fairy Tales Sometimes Leave A Token Behind?

So It's Happened, I Kept Thinking, You're In The Middle Of A Story Exactly As You've Always Wanted, And It's Horrible. Fear Tastes Quite Different When You're Not Just Reading About It, Meggie, And Playing Hero Wasn't Half As Much Fun As I'd Expected.

There Was Another Reason [she] Took Her Books Whenever They Went Away. They Were Her Home When She Was Somewhere Strange. They Were Familiar Voices, Friends That Never Quarreled With Her, Clever, Powerful Friends -- Daring And Knowledgeable, Tried And Tested Adventurers Who Had Traveled Far And Wide. Her Books Cheered Her Up When She Was Sad And Kept Her From Being Bored.