Ephraim found a stack of postcards tied together with a faded green ribbon. He shuffled through them and found they were from every World's Fair from 1915 in San Francisco to 1939 in New York. None of the postcards hed been written on or mailed.

I really admire people who don__ need to live surrounded by lots of stuff. My bedroom is piled up with clothes and books, papers and photographs. I like to collect things, anything I can grab from wherever I__ travelling. I think it__ the sign of slight anxiety to always want something around you to represent a good moment you had, to hang on to the leftovers. But then they__e a pleasure to look at too, so it__ not all negative.

If I could store lightnings in jars, I'd sell them to sick fireflies to light their way. Only they have nothing to pay for it with but life.

For myself, I favored the abstract. I collected not just obsolete terms and words, but ideas.

In Paris, choosing a dress is a monumental decision. In Milan, it__ a kick.

A friendship forged in the fires of adversity is a strong as one that has weathered the test of time.