“On the postcard Perdu wrote Catherine that night were the phrases Max had invented that afternoon so he could present them to Samy at dinner.
Samy found them so beautiful that she kept repeating them to herself, rolling their sounds back and forth on her tongue like a crumb of cake.

Star salt (the stars' reflection in a river)
Sun cradle (the sea)
Lemon kiss (everyone knew exactly what this meant!)
Family anchor (the dinner table)
Heart notcher (your first lover)
Veil of time (you spin around in the sandpit to find you are old and wet your pants when you laugh)
Dreamside
Wishableness”