#serpent

In Boston serpents whistle at the cold. ↗

— Robert Lowell

#cold #serpents #whistle

An arrow may fly through the air and leave no trace; but an ill thought leaves a trail like a serpent. ↗

— Charles Mackay

#arrow #fly #ill #leave #leaves

Who are you?” Her eyes snapped open, and her voice held a hysterical edge. “Do I even know who you are?” He stepped over Walker’s battered corpse and grabbed her by the shoulders, leaned down so that his no-doubt foul breath washed over her face. “I am your husband, my lady.” She turned her face away from him. He shook her. “The one you promised to obey always.” “Simon—” “The one you said you’d cleave to, forsaking all others.” “I—” “The one you make love to at night.” “I don’t know if I can live with you anymore.” The words were a whisper, but they rang in his head like a death knell. ↗

— Elizabeth Hoyt

#lucy #simondababe #the-serpent-prince #death

I’m leaving.” Her cold lips barely moved as she mouthed the words. Horror fisted around his vitals. “No.” For the first time she met his eyes. Hers were red-rimmed but dry. “I have to leave, Simon.” “No.” He was a little boy denied a sweet. He felt like falling down and screaming. “Let me go.” “I can’t let you go.” He half laughed here in the too-bright, cold London sun before his own house. “I’ll die if I do.” She closed her eyes. “No, you won’t. I can’t stay and watch you tear yourself apart.” “Lucy.” “Let me go, Simon. Please.” She opened her eyes, and he saw infinite pain in her gaze. Had he done this to his angel? Oh, God. He unclasped his hands. ↗

— Elizabeth Hoyt

#lucy #simondabomb #the-serpent-prince #the-sun-watches-the-sun

Horror is like a serpent; always shedding its skin, always changing. And it will always come back. It can't be hidden away like the guilty secrets we try to keep in our subconscious. ↗

— Dario Argento

#away #back #changing #come #guilty

Besides alligators, the only animals to be feared are the poisonous serpents. These are certainly common enough in the forest, but no fatal accident happened during the whole time of my residence. ↗

— Henry Walter Bates

#alligators #besides #certainly #common #during

Woman is at once apple and serpent. ↗

— Heinrich Heine

#once #serpent #woman

Better a serpent than a stepmother! ↗

— Euripides

#serpent #stepmother #than

The mediation by the serpent was necessary. Evil can seduce man, but cannot become man. ↗

— Franz Kafka

#cannot #evil #man #mediation #necessary

Yes, an actual full-sized camel. If you find that confusing, just think how the criosphinx must have felt. Where did the camel come from, you ask? I may have mentioned Walt’s collection of amulets. Two of them summoned disgusting camels. I’d met them before, so I was less than excited when a ton of dromedary flesh flew across my line of sight, plowed into the sphinx, and collapsed on top of it. The sphinx growled in outrage as it tried to free itself. The camel grunted and farted. “Hindenburg,” I said. Only one camel could possibly fart that badly. “Walt, why in the world—?” “Sorry!” he yelled. “Wrong amulet!” The technique worked, at any rate. The camel wasn’t much of a fighter, but it was quite heavy and clumsy. The criosphinx snarled and clawed at the floor, trying unsuccessfully to push the camel off; but Hindenburg just splayed his legs, made alarmed honking sounds, and let loose gas. I moved to Walt’s side and tried to get my bearings. ↗

— Rick Riordan

#destruction #earthquakes #floods #funny #funny-and-random