The voyage
July 4, 2015When he was young, he asked his mother to replace the chairs in his room with suitcases. I can stack them up and sit on them, he said. If they’re packed at all times, I’m always ready to travel.
She obliged, taking him to thrift stores in search of cheap suitcases. His room began to look like a left luggage office.
What if you can’t take them all? she asked one day. There are so many here.
But I am already on the voyage, he replied. I haven’t had to leave anything behind yet.
100 Proof 
Full of great launchpads for the imagination and wonder (very cool mom/son relationship), especially the surprise in the boy’s comment at the end.
I’m also wondering about the italics for dialogue. Sometimes my mind thinks it is *for emphasis*, although I don’t know if that’s intended. It might make me neglect the other text by comparison, upon first blush.
Adam, thanks for reading, and for raising such an interesting inquiry! The italics for dialogue are a convention that I’ve long used for stories on this site. I have often seen italics used for thought rather than emphasis, and cribbing from that playbook makes the dialogue seem more dreamlike, which is the effect I’m trying to achieve overall.
An ingenious method that hits the mark! Thank you!