Short Stories

by Ken Sanes

Traditional Short Stories About Life and Death

The Survivor
This short story about the long sweep of history is smooth
and deeply ironic, with a very strange central character. I think
a lot of readers will enjoy this.

Finding Freedom
In this work of existential fiction, a bottlenose dolphin raised in
captivity struggles to survive -- and learns the truth about life
and death. People tell me they cry at the end of this one.

A Family is Born
A short story  for the sentimentalist in you, about how a
young woman's life changes when she rescues a family of
stray cats.

The Observatory
This short story depicts a few moments in the life of a mother
and child who are in a high-rise observatory viewing area
when something happens.

Literary Fiction and Intellectual Fantasies

The Last Days of Sylvester the Cat, as Told by Himself
Sylvester the Cat discovers the nature of reality.

Archetypes Under Attack!
An intellectual fantasy about what happens when a cosmic
virus attacks the archetypes or models for everything in
existence, and the order of the universe falls apart. Hopefully,
readers will find this short story a lot of fun -- and more than a
little mind-boggling.

A Bosh-Like World
This is another work of literary fiction about the depiction
of a world where the imagination comes to life.

The Falls
A work of short fiction that weaves together a story and ideas
about parental love, the poetic imagination, science, and the
search for ultimate truth.

Seeing With a Cosmic Eye
This literary work combines the elements of fiction, an essay,
and a poem to tell a story about life in an impossible universe.
Two notes: it is for the patient reader, and your perception of
the world may change after reading it.

For Young Adult or Teenage Readers

Gleeto's Excellent Adventure
A lively science fiction story about taking a step in life
toward adulthood. This is young adult fiction aimed at
teenage readers. But older readers will appreciate the
story, as well.