Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Small Comforts

   By Adrian Mailenna

   The stories came, heavy, dark, and ponderous.  One by one, they tore
away my shreds of happiness, until I screamed my protest, unable to stand
more.  "He killed himself!  He killed himself!  He killed his dog, then
himself!  He killed himself!  Can't you write happy stories for once?" The
silence echoed.  Eddie stood, familiar, but long silent in the circle.  "I
have a happy one." He smiled.  "It didn't hurt."

   -- Copyright 2004 Adrian Mailenna.

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   ftp://ftp.asstr.org/pub/Authors/adrian_mailenna