A Collection of Tales

"A Collection of Tales" is a set of fictional short stories written for the purpose of entertainment. This book presents over thirty stories in many genres. General fiction, science fiction, fantasy, romance, action and horror are all included. The various stories tell tales of characters with happy and sad occurrences in life-like settings. Meant to promote consideration as well as to entertain, the tales introduce many topics. Why do we do what we do as humans? What would we do if we could travel in time? How can we appreciate what we know? How can we let go of resentments, and what is the cost of holding a grudge? Some stories address these thoughts; other tales simply entertain. Some stories involve fantasy beings and environments that do not even exist in reality. After all, there is an exciting story in our every moment in life. Some descriptive examples are the included stories “Zoom Ring”, “The Optometrist”, and “The Train”. In “Zoom Ring”, a team of young scientists request funding for a space station. They justify the construction of the project for the furthering of science. Their secret, however, is that they can use the space station, Zoom Ring, to travel in time. They include Einstein so he can finish his study. One character, Cith, is tempted to use Zoom Ring for her own selfish endeavors. What will happen to her? In “The Optometrist”, two sisters run an industrial remodeling firm. One sister is blinded, and it is up to her sister, Barci, to get her eyesight back. Does she accomplish her goal? In “The Train”, a young author, Bob Staulkner, and his niece, Amy Gatholowitz, submit a story to a periodical known for publishing fiction. His niece reads the story on the way back home. A young girl in the story witnesses a poisoning and shoots a train attendant. What happens next? These last three questions and many more are answered with “A Collection of Tales”. Other stories include: “The Wizard Ship”, a story about a wizard and five elves who travel to distant planets in other galaxies; “The Portal” a story about a doctor who makes a portal door to walk through enabling himself to be anywhere in a just a moment of time; and “The King and the Dancer”, a story about how a young princess was banished to a dungeon only to become the Grim Reaper. The book includes a story about two young scientists who genetically design a beetle that when consumed turns people into zombies. There is even a story involving orcs – rarely mentioned beings in common fantasy lore. This is the first edition of the book. It includes both a prologue and an epilogue... happy reading!