by Joe Tarone

Two boys trapped in a collapsing coal mine, embraced only by pitch-black darkness and the sickening squeal of timber being slowly crushed--how could anyone find humor in such a situation? Well, George's Priority, the first little story in A Pale Horse and 40 Other Tales, does.

And how could a sprout from an old sassafras stump give a life lesson from father to son? Again, a little story—titled Sassafras—just might do it.

What of the statuesque woman whose siren-like scream of “DON'T TOUCH ME,” stopped a wedding reception cold? Even the orchestra, shocked by the scream, stopped! What was her problem? What became of her? Perhaps Don't Touch Me might answer those questions.

To KillA Friend is a story of how beauty often attracts the ugliest of acts. It is one of the few stories in A Pale Horse and 40 Other Tales that is not a happy story. Most of the others stand a good chance of making you smile.