"It is difficult. You must think about what I say."
"But the ideas recorded in a book are merely—thoughts. They have no tangible existence."
"Nor have I."
"You're not a product of my imagination!"
"Hardly."
"Are you giving me that line about 'All is Illusion'?"
"No," the boy laughed spontaneously.
"Are you a mutant, a new evolutionary development?"
"No, nor am I a machine or a monster."
"At least you're alive!"