"Communities of humans would be separated into a number of regions and isolated from one another completely… The fewer of you there were, the more plantlike you became, and in the end, the majority of the individuals who remained lapsed into dormancy. You know, I was really fond of them… They were friendly, but also respectful of one another, and most of all they had a great sense of humor… There was a way in which they seemed to be amused by the very idea of being alive to begin with." — Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami
