Eva Luna

Eva Luna

He knelt beside me. “What’s the matter?” “I’m afraid?” “Of what?” “Of the sounds, of this darkness, of evil spirits, of snakes and bugs, of the soldiers, of what we’re going to do Saturday-that we’ll all be killed …” “I’m afraid, too, but I wouldn’t miss this for...
Invisible Man

Invisible Man

“Come in,” I said. The door opened slowly. A group of youth members crowded forward, their faces a question. The girls were crying. “Is it true?” they said. “That he is dead? Yes,” I said, looking among them. “Yes.”...
The Madonna of the Sea

The Madonna of the Sea

There is a Madonna at the bottom of the crystalline waters off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy, standing guard near a gap where two rocks curve in an unfinished embrace. Dead leaves and fish float above her like drifting feathers, shimmering in the swatch of sunlight...
French Exit

French Exit

“I’ve just been out riding my bicycle,” Malcolm said. “What bicycle?” “Frances bought me one for Christmas.” “That’s sad. Where are you?” “Next to the canal. Want to know what I’m looking at?” “Not really. All right.” “Right in front of me there’s a boatload of...
Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of Champions

A lot of the nonsense was the innocent result of playfulness on the part of the founding fathers of the nation of Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout. The founders were aristocrats, and they wished to show off their useless eduction, which consisted of the study of...
Walden

Walden

It is never too late to give up our prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof. What every body echoes or in silence passes by as true to-day may turn out to be falsehood to-morrow, mere smoke of opinion, which some had...