Where the Truth Lies (Electronic book text)

This a collection of short stories, written over ten years. They range from the supernatural to human relationships; from childhood to extreme old age; from fantasy to satire. They deal with reincarnation, loss, shattered dreams, guilt, love and other aspects of the human condition. There is the plain spinster, who lives in a secret fantasy world through her writings; there is the baby snatcher; there is the ghost of a wronged woman at her own funeral. The man at the supermarket checkout exacts his own revenge on his tormentors; the teacher is summarily suspended on the word of one of his pupils. Undelivered telegrams change lives; a stone statue plays a central part in a boy's life. Other stories take place in post War Berlin, before the removal of the Wall, and in Venice, where a coupling leads to years of guilt and uncertainty. There is a satirical fairy story, mocking the modern world; there is an inept counsellor, seeking the help of her "friends." The mystery of the meaning of life is examined in a story of reincarnation, which centres on the idea that at the moment of birth, a baby knows all her previous existences, and desperately wants to return to the womb. A common theme is deception, hence the title "Where the Truth Lies."