The following are two hunks of verbiage that I am particularly fond of. They are quite unrelated: the first is meant to be told aloud in front of mild guitar strummings by a dorky looking young folk singer in a big black felt hat. The second was written by (in my opinion at least) one of the greatest science fiction writers of this generation. I think, rather than say any more about either story, I'll just let you get sucked in (or spit out) on your own.