Publisher's Synopsis
"Janitor" is a story about a man whose skin pigments happen to be predominantly black, who exists in Southern society before the advent of a kinder and gentler America. Although he is not treated with respect at his custodial job or in town, he is the embodiment of affability and graciousness. One day, something dramatic happens to alter the shameful attitude of his fellow citizens toward him. "Love" is about the inviolate affection between a father and his daughter. As she lies dying on a hospital bed, he faithfully attends to her every need; it is here that we see their special bond, and the deep sorrow that compels him to desperate measures. "The Whispering Bells" is a tale about tiny creatures that seek adventure and excitement as they soar throughout the galaxies. Sometimes, they form long lines and watch young Bells catch meteoroids and perform entertaining routines on them. One of these Bells is not so cautious and he lands on a planet where he cannot fly, and this is where his real journey begins. "Crashing Into You" examines the life of a beautiful young woman and the consequences of her irresponsible actions. She speeds everywhere she goes, never thinking that her reckless driving might hurt someone; but one day she does hurt someone and goes to jail, and when she comes out, she is forced to examine her past life and the people she affected. "March of Life" takes place during World War II. American and Filipino soldiers are on a forced march by Japanese captors who mistreat and often murder those prisoners who displease them or who are unable to physically make the trek. One of the Japanese soldiers does not agree with this inhumane treatment. He finds a way to leave the island, but unfortunately lands on the Chinese coastline, and must somehow survive the very people his country is seeking to commit genocide against. "Autograph" profiles an old man who has had decades of nightmares about his role in the horrific bombing of another nation. He eventually realizes that he must go to this country and make amends with the people, but once there, he finds it is not an easy task. "Of Greater Significance than Mammon" begins with a dying man struggling to move along a snow-covered road. He is trying to get to the house where his wife and precious daughter live, but he soon collapses. A Good Samaritan comes along and learns from this man that there are assassins coming to kill the man's family. The youth now must make a decision to run, merely help, or take action. "100" depicts the struggles of one hundred men in a bleak desert. They are cogitating on the methods to prevent a fast-moving truck with a deadly cargo from reaching a nearby city. These bald-headed men, dressed in beige clothes, have no weapons and very little time to resolve this dilemma. "Soul Love" begins with a man holding onto the railing of a boat, his other hand grasping his wife's as she dangles above a tempestuous sea. Soon his grasp will weaken and she will fall into the boiling cauldron-but when his hold on her is gone, something miraculous happens. "A Purpose Given" profiles a wandering man who appears to be just like every bum or hobo who inhabits the landscape, but his past life was exemplary, and due to tragic circumstances, he has voluntarily left home and hearth to look for a greater purpose beyond his own life, and finds it.
