176) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 12 -- Lenny's Surprising Wisdom on Surviving in a Foreign Land

176) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 12 -- Lenny's Surprising Wisdom on Surviving in a Foreign Land

“You can’t just make up a lie on the spot!” Kohra protested. “It won’t be believable!”

         Lenny fired off, “I’m Wilma Featherstein, from Carding’s Corners, I work in the Pale Boar Inn as a bartender. I’m Jessica Smithson, from High Ridge; I work on the Kempton’s Hog Farm, about three miles outside of town, right along the banks of the Spokane River. I’m Bonnie Billingsley, from Jordanville; I’m on a research trip, studying the migratory patterns of rare butterflies.”

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171) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 7 -- Old Man McKiller

171) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 7 -- Old Man McKiller

Kohra’s first moments of awareness suggested that she was stretched out on the softest bed, with the softest blanket, and felt as comfortable as ever in her life. Yawning, stretching, she opened her eyes. She was sleeping on the bare wood floor, although she did have a soft, thin cotton blanket. Sitting up, she looked around. Her pillow looked like a rock. She poked it with her finger. It was a rock.

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159) The Salvation of Eden:  Chapter 4 -- Wax Cave

159) The Salvation of Eden: Chapter 4 -- Wax Cave

On very rare days, when the daylight was at its strongest, it was like sitting behind a curtain of colours, like that story of the “rainbow” she remembered her Gramma telling her when she was really young. Apparently, they used to see them, right across the whole sky. Not in her Gramma’s life, of course. Never even in recorded history. But it was one of the stories that had persisted from Before

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116) Dealing with the Devil: Adventures in parenting, Part 4 — Role-play, kids, and personal growth
Psychology Psychology

116) Dealing with the Devil: Adventures in parenting, Part 4 — Role-play, kids, and personal growth

One of the most basic, “meta” points that I know for sure sunk into my kids’ minds from their encounter with Asmodeus (and others that have occurred subsequently), is the fact that the best lies, the most devious propaganda, the most slippery, manipulative messages, are built out of the truth.  The more truth that’s in the lie, the better it is.  The absolute best un-truths will be built entirely out of truths, put together in such a way that, holistically, as “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, they take on a different kind of meaning.

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115) Dealing with the Devil:  Adventures in parenting, Part 3 — Philosophizing with Asmodeus

115) Dealing with the Devil:  Adventures in parenting, Part 3 — Philosophizing with Asmodeus

“What happens during war is terrible, Siskenet.  Terrible, but necessary, until the Hierarchy establishes itself and stabilizes things.”

“The Hierarchy?”  Siskenet scoffed.  “You mean like, until you control everything, right?  Like, things are ‘stable’, because everyone who was fighting against you is, what, dead?”

The man shook his head.  “No Siskenet.  Hierarchy should never be imposed.  It should evolve naturally.  It’s like they say, ‘the cream rises to the top.’  Right?”

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