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We are pleased to bring our readers another collection of fresh new short stories from emerging authors. The tales in this volume draw from diverse literary streams. These fantasies, memoirs and reflections offer a buffet for short story lovers. KJ Johnson's "The Fear Beast" both terrifies and inspires as a brave young lady overcomes the beast that paralyzes and feeds on her only brother. This metaphorical tale summons us to moral courage even in the face of our most dehumanizing-but comforting-fears. Anyone who has walked the cold lonely path of divorce will find themselves walking along with Cindy Karnitz as she traverses a dark roadside ditch in "The Walk." It's a story of emotional trauma and existential pain, told through beautiful prose. Those same themes of pain and trauma are present on the other side of the globe in Patricia Casey's "Yangtze River Dolphins" as Casey explores the love of an ill-fated mother and her children along the banks of Asia's greatest river. Scott Evans, a returning author to this series, spins an exquisite tale of a down-trodden man's revenge on the powers that demean and humiliate him. In "Salinas Favors," we see a classic tale of justice issuing from unorthodox sources. Justice, although of another and more controversial variety, is also the theme of Kathryn Pollard's "You" as Pollard gives voice to an unborn child. Her story, neither judgmental nor unkind, invites reflections upon the moral inadequacies of a culture that often drives would-be mothers to desperation. Joshua Lane's "B-Ball Saved Him" strikes a more joyous note in this celebration of a life that was rekindled to meaning through the joys of team sports and participation in vigorous competition. Through his demonstrated of the sports-writing genre, Lane leaves even non-athletes admiring the power of the game. "Not Suitable Viewing for Children" by Patricia Crandall uses the power of young minds to solve a murder mystery that baffles the children's supposed superiors. In the next two stories, the authors' attention moves away from the classic who-dunnit formula of murder mysteries and toward an examination of the greatest mystery of all-death. In the "Silver Line of Power," Alex Mittelman offers images of the most elusive of all human transitions, our ability to be alive in one moment and dead in the next. Alex will leave the reader wondering, "What exactly is a human life anyway?" Corinna Underwood's "The Secret in the Sanctuary" certainly won't answer that question, but she'll leave the reader with an increased appreciation for the fragile and precious gift that we call "life." The wealth of her metaphors-a sanctuary, a school desk, a locked door, and a dimly visible window-evokes responses from both the heart and mind. We suspect that our final story, Tim Brugger's "Life on a Raft," may be mistitled. It just may be more about the end of life than it is about life. Perhaps that's exactly Brugger's point: life matters so much precisely because it also ends so soon. As always, each of these stories has won our highly competitive monthly short story contest. We continue to be delighted to bring these emerging new authors to the attention of the reading public. Phyllis Scott, series editor