My mom used to take me  downtown every  Saturday , a forty minute drive, so that I could volunteer with her at a  soup kitchen . She told me it was good for building my character, but she also knew that my dad needed a break at least one day...

His  apprentice excited him, but made him feel a little bit uncomfortable.

Each morning he'd go downstairs to see young Alex already eager to tackle the day. He wasn't sure what his apprentice's morning routine consisted of but he was sure that there was some intense  exercise there and some  notebooking...

Reaching out is key.

Paul, can I tell you something?

Yeah, course. Just don't call me Paul.

She looked at him, face scrunched in a smile.

So I just texted my cousin, How's the job hunt going? and she said, Not well. I only found like two or three things. But then I...

Her back was to the windows with the blinds open so that the  shadow made her face black.

"I can't see you," he said. 

"What do you mean?"

"You're a shadow." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as she walked over to the bed and now the  sun shined upon...

V2 rocket program.

Gravity's Rainbow by  Thomas Pynchon .

A novel inspired by a single concept. That sprawled into an entire web of stories.

All coming from one human, timeless value: fear .

The  ICBM will take less than half an hour. It will arrive with no sound. It's probably better if...

When he entered the  cafe , it was shadowed. Not dark, the  sun 's light made its way, filtered, to the main area where people were seated.

People were conversing, in hushed tones, now that the music was off. The person at the counter couldn't buy their coffee . The  barista...

On the morning ride, I hardly ever kept my eyes closed.

There was this weird thing about morning, where my mind didn't meander. Leaving me wanting more. Just sitting there on the bus, I felt like my thoughts were good enough.

In the evening I'd always be curious about what other people...

For years all he wanted out of life was to be able to afford  groceries . Everybody around him wanted to  hustle and become big shot CEOs or  lifestyle business owners that the internet looked up to. But all he wanted was to be able to go to the grocery...

Man drank pure  water and it became his  blood .

Sometimes he and another man would get into an argument over water. And he would hit the other man with a rock and blood would flow out of the other man.

The first time man killed he felt invincible. By the...

They went to a swanky bistro where everything was high quality. The wood and velvet and leather that draped the well to do diners during their care free conversations. The quality of ingredients. The thick, textured paper of the menus. The wax of the burning candles.
The only thing...