How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
He is halfway up the short but ridiculously steep hill when he stops, for two reasons. First, the slope is just too steep to cycle up, even standing on the pedals in lowest gear. His thighs scream at him to stop, but there's something else. This exertion on the bike makes him think about the cycling he has done so far that day.
He remembers freewheeling all the way to the quay. And then he remembers coming back again, but he can't remember cycling very hard to do so. In fact, he's pretty sure he freewheeled much of the way back. If not all the way. He thinks about all the other places he's been to and now that he comes to think of it, he cannot remember actually having to push the pedals at all, anywhere, not until he came to this ludicrous hill. It doesn't make sense, and for a second he wonders if this is all some extended dream. (1.9.1-2)
This is probably the weirdest description involving the island. Not only is this place a little out of the ordinary, it also seems to have a mind of its own. Is it possible that the island doesn't want Eric to find out its secrets? Is it slanting its hills to make biking easier or more difficult depending on what you're doing?
Quote #5
Within moments he discovers the first secret of the western half of Blessed. The flowers.
He sees just one at first, then a couple. He stumbles on and sees a dozen more, and then, turning a corner in the rocks, hundreds. Thousands.
He knows it must be the Little Blessed dragon orchid. It is as mysterious as its name. A tall stem, with odd, curly star-shaped leaves clinging to it, and the flower itself, a dark purple-black thing, weirdly contorted. He looks closely, and can indeed imagine that it is a dragon's head; there are even little bumps on the upper petal that look like horns, and a long black tongue protrudes from the mouth of the upper and lower petals, like that of a dragon, black with poison and evil.
He goes to pick one, but something stays his hand. Even the scent of the flowers makes his senses swim, and he stands up, deciding to move on. (1.13.18-21)
And here's the famous flower that Eric has been looking for. Again, the description of this beautiful site is also a little menacing—at first Eric only sees a few flowers, then thousands appear. These guys look like dangerous characters, too. The creepy colors and shape are a warning sign; Eric is probably smart to keep his hands off.
Quote #6
"We do things differently here," he'd said. "What need have I of money? We have enough to cover our costs, and you are welcome visitors to our island. That is enough for us. We are always glad of visitors. Our little population has been dropping, you see. We used to be so many more, but not many babies are born on Blessed now." (2.3.4)
More of the whole doing-things-differently bit. Interestingly, though, in 2011, the island does get some visitors, but by 2073, tourism has totally dropped off. Oh, and there aren't babies being born. That's not weird at all, right?