“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic…”
— Margaret (The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield)

Oh life, you are a wilted flower on the bare branch of undiminished desires.

Each of us is a character in the same life tale, with only our perspectives separating us.