Peter Crone Quotes

For countless centuries, magic gripped the ordinary world in a vise of terror. Fairies used to steal children away and leave sickly changelings in their stead. House cats would rob their masters. a forest was just as likely to eat you as shelter you. When you offended a beggar crone, she did not sue you in a court of law - instead, she cursed you and your children and your children's children. People ate fairy fruit and went mad with hunger. Djinni granted wishes designed to trap you in your own desires. When there was an earthquake or blizzard or hurricane, you could be be sure it was due to some king or queen feeling sad - the amount of destruction caused by lovesick royalty is incalculable!

And so it went in Bustleburgh. The city that had set out to destroy stories had been transformed into a haven for books of all kinds. And as the population read more stories, the city itself began to change. At first the changes were small: a few sprites hovering over the dusky river, or a falling star on the horizon. But then more changes came. The Wassail lost its murky darkness and shone clear once more. The eyes of the gargoyles shifted as one passed beneath them. Birds sang in three-part chorus. Mirrors reflected strange visions. Old, neglected wells started granting wishes. More than a few house pets took to uttering prophecies. As the city changed, so did the way people saw it: Old maids became crones, and naughty children became imps; the strongest men were hailed as giants and the fairest ladies called enchantresses. The once-level roads shifted and settled into twisting alleyways full of long shadows and narrow corridors - every one of them eventually leading to a small bookshop in the heart of the town.