Autumn Country

In this way, the fantastic in these stories takes us away from our lives in the present moment, providing a moment's escape, but brings us back to ourselves in the end, like that ride on the roller coaster. Our feet find purchase once again; the journey has not only been entertaining, as we screamed in delight and fear, it has taken us somewhere and then left us off in strange territory, entertained, yes, perhaps better off for the experience, yet, miraculously, unharmed. This is the pure experience provided by these stories. Each one takes us for that ride, rewards us for our time, and leaves us in that uncharted territory which magically turns back into the world in which we live our lives. The only story I have not mentioned is the last one, and I believe I will leave it that way, concluding with a question the story asks of the reader: who or what hides in the darkness of the long arcade?Robert Pope, 2021