Short stories published in 2008

Listing 64 stories.

A middle-aged woman leads a traveling circus act through the Midwest featuring 26 monkeys who climb into a bathtub and disappear and then reappear on her bus after the show. The impending death of one of the key monkeys causes her to wrestle with the meaning of life.

A man finds God’s overcoat at a thrift shop, compelling him to do good for the people whose prayers land in his pockets.

In modern-day China, a man previously accused of being a pedophile sets out to meet and provide support for a man whose daughter has publicly accused him of being an adulterer.

A preacher teaches his janitorial robot about Christianity so the robot can help identify the logical inconsistencies in his Sunday sermons. But when the robot wants to join the congregation, the preacher and his parishioners are not so welcoming.

A Polish immigrant feels her mind slipping away, as her surroundings and even her own body seem unfamiliar. After she's diagnosed with Alzheimers, she reflects on the importance of her memories and her past.

A destitute Pakistani man asks to work for a wealthy family in modern-day Pakistan. When he loses something that he values most, the man finally learns the brutal reality of his position in society.

When the devoted wife of a Yiddish writer recruits a young man to translate her husband's work in 1960's New York, the young man must contemplate his priorities and mission in life.

Natalia, a young metal head surviving in the gloom and harsh conditions of post-communist Ukraine, enters a marriage website. She sends emails back and forth to her correspondent, Montana Bob, with hopes of using him to escape to America.

When a plane loadmaster is sent on a recovery mission for hundreds of bodies in a South American jungle, the cargo he picks up begins to haunt him and the other crew members.

An older Indian man recounts his story of "alien" encounters on Mars during Saturday tea.