the smell of redwood giants
"I wish I were a different person," Meg said shakily. "I hate myself."
Calvin reached over and took off her glasses. Then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her tears. This gesture of tenderness undid her completely, and she put her head down on her knees and sobbed. Calvin sat quietly beside her, every once in a while patting her head. "I'm sorry," she sobbed finally. "I'm terribly sorry. Now you'll hate me."
"Oh, Meg, you are a moron," Calvin said. "Don't you know you're the nicest thing that's happened to me in a long time?"
Meg raised her head, an moonlight shone on her tearstained face; without the glasses her eyes were unexpectedly beautiful. "If Charles Wallace is a sport, I think I'm a biological mistake." Moonlight flashed against her braces as she spoke.
Now she was waiting to be contradicted. But Calvin said, "Do you know that this is the first time I've seen you without your glasses?"
"I'm as blind as a bat without them. I'm near-sighted, like Father."
"Well, you know what, you've got dream-boat eyes," Calvin said. "Listen, you go right on wearing your glasses. I don't think I want anybody else to see what gorgeous eyes you have."
- A Wrinkle In Time
RIP, Madeleine L'Engle. You gave me my first 'ship (I think), you taught me about mitochondria, you taught me that cherubim aren't baby pigs, you taught me Welsh, you made me want to have a double PhD, you gave me Calvin O'Keefe and Adam Eddington, you taught me about quantum physics (and unicorns), you enabled my dolphin obsession, you made me want to go to Antarctica. All at the age of eight and on.
There's a wonderful quote from A Swiftly Tilting Planet, something Gaudior says about humans wanting everything to last forever. I can never remember it.
Calvin reached over and took off her glasses. Then he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped her tears. This gesture of tenderness undid her completely, and she put her head down on her knees and sobbed. Calvin sat quietly beside her, every once in a while patting her head. "I'm sorry," she sobbed finally. "I'm terribly sorry. Now you'll hate me."
"Oh, Meg, you are a moron," Calvin said. "Don't you know you're the nicest thing that's happened to me in a long time?"
Meg raised her head, an moonlight shone on her tearstained face; without the glasses her eyes were unexpectedly beautiful. "If Charles Wallace is a sport, I think I'm a biological mistake." Moonlight flashed against her braces as she spoke.
Now she was waiting to be contradicted. But Calvin said, "Do you know that this is the first time I've seen you without your glasses?"
"I'm as blind as a bat without them. I'm near-sighted, like Father."
"Well, you know what, you've got dream-boat eyes," Calvin said. "Listen, you go right on wearing your glasses. I don't think I want anybody else to see what gorgeous eyes you have."
- A Wrinkle In Time
RIP, Madeleine L'Engle. You gave me my first 'ship (I think), you taught me about mitochondria, you taught me that cherubim aren't baby pigs, you taught me Welsh, you made me want to have a double PhD, you gave me Calvin O'Keefe and Adam Eddington, you taught me about quantum physics (and unicorns), you enabled my dolphin obsession, you made me want to go to Antarctica. All at the age of eight and on.
There's a wonderful quote from A Swiftly Tilting Planet, something Gaudior says about humans wanting everything to last forever. I can never remember it.