Snapshots of human experience with a hint of uncanny. Poetically written and layered with meaning, each story strikes a magical balance between clarity and ambiguity that causes them to linger in your mind well after you have read them. Though they appear simple at first glance, you cannot shake the feeling that there is a lot more to be discovered. It is one of those rare pieces that can be experienced differently with each read through. 

– Lauren Smith, Author
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Pete’s letters are never read by Cate but by a stranger. Zoe’s voice diminishes to a whisper and then to a silence to find what she is looking for. Cora is carried away by a conversation of two strangers she overheard on a bus before facing her reality. Agnes never finds out how a tattoo of a tree appeared on her shoulder. She accepts and embraces the tree as it responds to her emotions; Agnes is not alone anymore. John’s longing for his past hits a glitch. Dennis plays a mind game with his wife in a civilized way. Egan never finds the door to take him where he wants to go. Mateo questions if he knows Bella more after exchanging 46,127 words over text messages than reading her profile of 250 words. The author in the book creates a world for Pete, Agnes, Cate and others with the spur of inspiration from a painting on a stone. After he completes the last chapter, he searches for the picture of the painting he took. He realizes that it is not the same as he remembered. Maya plays her game until she gets hungry and Anthony confuses which of several caves to put the tree house back into when the rest of the world tries to figure out what is going on. Ash lets his soul go free from his body. Spiro goes the cemetery to stay alive. They enter each other’s stories to mutate and flow together.

These are stories of children at play. They are not all children but still carry the curiosity about life and readiness for action they once had. They get messy with their lives. They jump from one drip to another. They carry bits of color on every jump with them and leave some on the drips behind.

An intriguing compendium of compelling, thought-provoking, and somewhat surreal short stories – modern in both writing style and outlook.