“Small voice, I’ve been thinking

about wishing and lying. Lying’s worse, right?”

“Well,” small voice says, “They’re both ways

of turning away from the truth of what is.”

“Yeah,” I say, “but wishing can be

a starting point for making things better.”

“Hmm,” small voice says. “And lying?”

“Unless it’s to save someone’s life or something,

lying gets things off to a bad start, ” I say.

“So how things start affects how they end?” small voice asks.

“Yes,” I say. 

Small voice nods.

“Are you just trying not to have the last word?” I ask.

Small voice nods.

“Well,” I say, “You’re making progress too.”

                                                                                                                       JDG