I was warped early by Ray Bradbury and Edgar Allan Poe. I was very fond of Franz Kafka.

Long suffering had nearly annihilated all my ordinary powers of mind. I was an imbecile—an idiot.

Quoth the raven nevermore.

Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker: A Meeting of the Macabre.

The past is a pebble in my shoe.

Hey," said Shadow. "Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are."
The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.
"Say 'Nevermore,'" said Shadow.
"Fuck you," said the raven.