AC Benus - Stories

Fourteen-year-old Simon is getting a haircut. He has choices: a crew cut or a mullet; to continue his isolation, or to murmur a personal 'open sesame.' Later, with a little help from his friends, he finds out he is not nearly as alone as he imagined. And he suddenly can face the prospects of a long summer and entering high school in the fall with hope.

Winifred Barrett is good. She was brought in to help meld two corporate identities into one, and winds up taking on more and more responsibilities. Could a career woman back then have it all? One would think not….

Through a series of her letters and journal entries, we learn the answer.

1851. Redburn is a success. Guided by a wily critic, he has seen his sea novels become popular. However, his relationship with him is troubled, and he feels 'love' may not be in his patron's heart. Against this backdrop he begins writing his first 'land novel' and conjures up a character named Pierre. This fictional young man faces many of the same pressures and difficulties as his creator. Unfortunately for both, reality comes crashing home in heartbreaking ways.

for Ross

I'll try to turn off the comments section for this...but if you see any errors in the text, please send me a private message here on GA.

**Warning: Anger ahead**

Thirteen-year-old Simon sits face to face with Father Strathmore, but what has he done wrong... experimented with drugs, kissed a boy, or lied in Confession? The priest has a vested interest in finding out, and it is a deeply personal and troubling one.

Seven Short Stories
From the Gay Heart
Of Tokyo

A young man agrees to meet an admirer on Valentine's Day, and both witness how fate can work behind the scenes.

Denys, a journalist, drifts through his days sad and desperately alone. By a stroke of unexpected chance, a runaway appears in his life. However, teenage Theo carries a lot of anger in him, and his feelings of loss are just as palpable as Denys’.

Yet, perhaps – somehow – man and boy can help fix what's broken in the other. That is, if they're able to survive what the Russians have planned for their city.