"A tree branch of deep green leaves set themselves against the floating clouds. A bird landed amongst the foliage and sat for a moment. He looked down at us swarming on the ground below. I looked up at him and his fathers. What did it feel like to have feathers?"  

"See there", he said to the children who gathered close by. "The mighty bison watch over us. Settle and I will tell you a story." An instant hush fell amongst them as they settled onto the floor. 

"The cushion clearly had a long working life, it's surface dotted with pinpricks. She leaned down to look closely at the small stitches, how neat and dainty they were, and each tiny piece of fabric so different. What sort of memories did they hold?" 

"Anne’s eyes opened and she yawned. Turning over onto her back, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blinked at the pattern of light running across the ceiling. It would be nice to go back to sleep. Then suddenly she remembered. It was today."

"The horses looked miserable as they pulled the carriages along the road, their ears set back. The cab drivers flicked the reins and kept their heads down, the water rushing off the turned-up brims of their hats." 

"John trudged along through the snow. It was all slushy, not the pretty postcard snow but the type that mounded up on the side on the road in a pile, grey from dirt and grime." 

"Ezekiel watched the bed sheets. They had wings like the seagulls he had seen on the ship. Leaning his head against the windowpane, he wondered what would happen if they turned into birds and flew away. Where would they go? Back home maybe."