Don't forget that gifts often come with costs that go beyond their purchase price.

When you
purchase a child the latest smartphone, you're also committing to a monthly phone bill. When
you purchase the latest gaming system, you're likely not going to be satisfied with the games
that come with it for long and want to purchase new titles to play. When you buy gifts it's
important to remember that some come with additional costs down the road that can be
much more expensive than the initial gift itself.

Twenty-five stars were neatly placed on the piece of paper. There was room for five more stars
but they would be difficult ones to earn. It had taken years to earn the first twenty-five, and
they were considered the "easy" ones.

It really shouldn't have mattered to Betty. That's what she kept trying to convince herself even
if she knew it mattered to Betty more than practically anything else. Why was she trying to
convince herself otherwise? As she stepped forward to knock on Betty's door, she still didn't
have a convincing answer to this question that she'd been asking herself for more than two
years now.

She sat deep in thought. The next word that came out o her mouth would likely be the most
important word of her life. It had to be exact with no possibility of being misinterpreted. She
was ready. She looked deeply into his eyes and said, "Octopus."

Do you think you're living an ordinary life? You are so mistaken it's difficult to even explain.
The mere fact that you exist makes you extraordinary. The odds of you existing are less than
winning the lottery, but here you are. Are you going to let this extraordinary opportunity pass?

Sometimes it just doesn't make sense. The man walking down the street in a banana suit. The
llama standing in the middle of the road. The fairies dancing in front of the car window. The
fact that all of this was actually happening and wasn't a dream.

Sometimes it's just better not to be seen. That's how Harry had always lived his life. He prided
himself as being the fly on the wall and the fae that blended into the crowd. That's why he was
so shocked that she noticed him.

The spot was perfect for camouflage. At least that's what she thought when she picked the
spot. She couldn't imagine that anyone would ever be able to see her in these surroundings. So
there she sat, confident that she was hidden from the world and safe from danger.
Unfortunately, she had not anticipated that others may be looking upon her from other angles,
and now they were stealthily descending toward her hiding spot.

The house was located at the top of the hill at the end of a winding road. It wasn't obvious that
the house was there, but everyone in town knew that it existed. They were just all too afraid to
ever go and see it in person.

Twenty-five hours had passed since the incident. It seemed to be a lot longer than that. That
twenty-five hours seemed more like a week in her mind. The fact that she still was having
trouble comprehending exactly what took place wasn't helping the matter. She thought if she
could just get a little rest the entire incident might make a little more sense.