Tin Pan Alley had disappeared years before, but Riley continued to write the songs that dwelt in his soul, even if they were long out of fashion.

The demonstrators soon forgot the reasons they were marching after a team of acrobats—paid by the government—began to perform a series of intricate and dangerous tricks for the now halted mob.

A well thrown snowball sparked the war that would eventually embroil half the world.

Bert was always in trouble with the Masons, since he was notorious for getting drunk and telling everyone within earshot the secret society's secrets.

The rumbling of his belly broke the silence in the room and all eyes turned in his direction.

They were trampled to death in the rush for the newest toy.

The mist rolled onto the roadway, obscuring the wreck a hundred yards ahead.

The suitcase sprung open to reveal, among other things, a samurai sword, a live cat and a teddy bear.

Bernie slid onto his electric scooter for his daily trip to McDonalds.

Dupre, chewing his gum ferociously, leaned in close to the man, smiled coldly and whispered "better say your prayers tonight, come tomorrow you'll be meeting your maker."

Flora was heavy-handed in all matters maternal.

The boys couldn't decide between digging a hole to China or merely setting a trap for their sister.

The man's eyes stared out from the dusty, faded photograph with a fierceness that Sadie recognized in herself.

Singled out for his good looks and athletic prowess, all D. wanted to do was play the ukulele, something the press just didn't seem to care about.

Sasha ambled through the parking lot, dressed as if heading to a cocktail party, and tried every car door handle she passed until she found an open AMC Rambler, which she proceeded to take.

The stolen truck rattled its way through the Badlands, the butt of Jim's rifle comfortably resting against his thigh as he pushed the vehicle to its limit.

Forgoing the massive instruction manual, Stan began putting the machine together, deciding when done that the handful of parts—bolts, wires and various shiny metal pieces—weren't necessary for the operation of his new kit car.

"There's only so much a person can take," mumbled Josh as he sat on his front porch cleaning his .45.

The mysterious phone calls and anonymous letters pushed Tracey to the edge and he was soon unable to shake the feeling he was being followed, taking longer and more complicated routes to work in the mornings.

Chip died trying.

Asher crawled across the lawn, a rose between his teeth, towards Lucy's window, unaware that her father was taking a bead on him from the second floor.

The silence in the courtroom came not from the rapt attention paid the attorney during his summation, but rather from the fact that everyone had fallen into a deep, dreamless slumber.

The congressman reached his breaking point, breaking his cane on the back of his opponent.

"well, you have to start somewhere,I guess," said Kiko with a shrug looking at the $2,000 rims on his brother's 1978 Impala, which was badly in need of a paint job and major body work.

The churning fan blades reminded him of bat's wings or a beating heart.

What they thought was a bomb was a box of kittens.

Dave was embarrassed to tell anyone about his UFO experience, preferring to chalk up his absence from work to a drunken road trip to Mexico.

With the ice cream parlor shuttered Phylis could no longer deny that summer had fled and the bleak winter months were on the horizon.

"When you lose someone close," he explained to his children, "it's like your insides are coiled up with memories of them that always lead to an empty hole that never goes away."

The morning was cold and a smashed jack-o-lantern lay sprawled across the sidewalk, the victim of teen angst.