‘But however quickly or slowly our souls left our bodies, they would always end up here.’

‘I stayed awake for I’m not sure how long, listening to the sounds of nature outside. Somewhere in the far distance, an animal cried out. Then, I too, fell asleep.’

‘We rounded the foothills and there it was, running ahead of us. The river. The route was plain now. Follow the river until we got to the bridge. Sweetmeat’s bridge.’

‘In the blazing summer of 1981, when I was two weeks shy of twelve, my best friend and I were searching for a missing boy and found a monster.’