"Take off the suit, what are you?" ... "Smartass, musician, wisecracker, optimist. Maybe a pinch impulsive if ya really think about it."

"Don't let them reach you," he said. "As long as these golden gardens are here, I will be too". I peered up at his smiling face, breath stinking of herb soup. I grinned back, "I'll hide from the bad guys with their big, scary lanterns. I won't let them touch a stitch on me." And he scooped me up into a hug as the snow fell outside our cloudy window.