"The party was ending"

"The party was ending" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"What in the world are you doing?"

"What in the world are you doing?" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"It seemed they were going to be friends for the night"

"It seemed they were going to be friends for the night" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"I don't know what to say"

"I don't know what to say" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"You can't just drop a bunch of rocks in a pile to make a stone wall"

"You can't just drop a bunch of rocks in a pile to make a stone wall" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"The world is incredible at this time of day, isn't it?"

"The world is incredible at this time of day, isn't it?" - Ever Since by Donald Antrim

"Let me just slow this down a little bit here"

"Let me just slow this down a little bit here" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

"We live in a city of (rough) approximations"

"We live in a city of (rough) approximations" - fourteen threadless needles by Vito Pasquale

"I was hoping there might be a clue here"

"I was hoping there might be a clue here" - Citizen Conn by Michael Chabon

"They were waiting for me at the end of the line"

"They were waiting for me at the end of the line" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

"I couldn't sleep that night, not a wink"

"I couldn't sleep that night, not a wink" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

"Let me catch my breath"

"Let me catch my breath" - Los Gigantes by T. C. Boyle

"I think it's better to be up high"

"I think it's better to be up high" - Someone by Alice McDermott

"I hate it when corpses go walkabout"

"I hate it when corpses go walkabout" - 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs

"Don't be scared, this isn't dangerous for you"

"Don't be scared, this isn't dangerous for you" - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

"The orange light looks like a gasoline fire"

"The orange light looks like a gasoline fire" - Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

"I wanted to know how it felt to run"

"I wanted to know how it felt to run" - The Sin Eaters by Sherman Alexie

"Don't you know the grass is always green"

"Don't you know the grass is always green" - South by Southwest by Sherman Alexie

"There was a massive silence"

"There was a massive silence" - Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill

"How on earth can you be this jolly?"

"How on earth can you be this jolly?" - Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill