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Back Stringers Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. FRONT COVER
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  63. CHAPTER SIXTY
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“Sing a song of sixpence.”

“I don’t know.”

“Pocket full of rye.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Four and twenty blackbirds.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Baked in a pie?”

“Pie?”

“Petals unfold.”

“Are you still talking about the pie?”

“Petals like a flower.”

“Have I ever seen one? A flower?”

“The Bloom of God.”

“I don’t know what that is. Who are you?”

“A friend.”

CHAPTER SIXTY

CHAPTER SIXTY

The room was magnificent. Really big. Bright and new. Lots of different people around. Very diverse. And smells. Nice smells. All different types of smells. It seemed like a place you would want to be. It seemed like the best place in the world. I wonder where this is.

I was seated at a small table, though I didn’t remember sitting down. There was a black ring about the size of – I felt my head – my head laying across from me.

Who am I, again?

I laughed a little bit. The idea that I wouldn’t know who I was. Ludicrous. It’ll come back to me in a minute. Just a minute. I’ll, uh, remember. Just sit here and enjoy the sights. The nice smells. I’m me? Remember? My name is...

Markhamishgabbyrobbysnehaamyjennykurtpaulahmed timjeromenicholas…shit.

Don’t panic.

I looked around. I didn’t recognize any of it. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine a place that I would recognize. Panicking. Need to get up and walk somewhere.

A person with a large pile of yellow hair arrived with a tray of nice smelling… food? Yes. It was food. See? I know the basics. They scooted the black ring to the side and set down the tray. This was the type of person you’d describe as sort of a man-guy.

“Hey there, buddy. How you doing?” he said, grinning widely.

Hmm. Friendly. “Me?” I said.

“Yeah, you, funny guy. Who else?”

“Where am I?”

“This,” he said, pausing reverently, “is the food court.”

“The what?”

“Hey, this is hard for you, I know. But guess what? You’re doing better. This is the first time you’ve sat still while I went and got us food. You know how many times I’ve had to track you down after you’ve wandered off?”

“Track me?”

“Friendly reminder,” said the man-guy, reaching across the table and into a chest pocket I didn’t know I had in a hideous blue zip-jacket I didn’t know I owned. “If you do wander off again, don’t lose this. It’s how I find you.” He held up a white, rectangular card, then shoved it back in my pocket.

My eyes drifted to the tray.