Must you follow cultural traditions to respect them? In this work philosophical short story fiction, the English educated narrator has returned to her African village to potentially fulfill the role of accepting Sekuru’s spirit and serving as the conduit to the tribe’s past, and advisor and protector of the community. The only problem is, she doesn’t want the role and doesn’t entirely believe in the rituals and ceremony. The tribal elders accus of her “acting white” and rebuffing their culture and traditions. She believes, however, that she can respect her culture, while rejecting the aspects of her culture she finds outdated. In the end, she decided to fake it, and go forward with the ceremony.

Are extra-judicial killings always murder? Can equality ever be progressed through violence? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, a military intelligence officer with a family history of military service goes to personally drop off the results of a Freedom of Information Request made by Fierce Lee Human (“F. Lee”), a café radical, and communist sympathizing college professor. However, things don’t go quite as planned as the government document being requested turns out to be proof that F. Lee worked with communist spies during the Vietnam War to assist in the shooting down of a helicopter containing the intelligence officer’s father. After a brief debate about communism, the narrator takes matters into his own had and shoot F. Lee, killing him.

What is worse, the attack, or the revenge for being attacked? Can forcing trauma another create empathy? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the ladies book club has morphed. It has become a project for sexually assaulted women to hunt and assault random men in return. They do this, they say, to teach men to live in fear and understand the fear women experience every day. The story centers around Ben, a man lured into a back alley who is then tased and sodomized with a broomstick by the book club women. However, unlike the other men, Ben researches and learns about his attackers, rather than going to the police, plans his revenge. After weeks of planning he lures one of the book club leaders, Marion to his car. He is planning to attack her, just as she is planning to attack him. A fight breaks out, Marion gets the upper hand, and kills Ben.

Is it okay to lie to children? How to know when faith in the unprovable is acceptable? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s daughter calls a secret meeting with her mother to ask a very serious question, is Santa Claus real? She recently saw that her present says, “Made in China” rather than being made at the North Pole. She is the moment her mother has dreaded the first steps of her daughter growing up. The narrator explains to her daughter that she wants Santa Claus to be real, but he isn’t. She also explains to her daughter the concept of “faith” both as it relates to Santa Claus, and as it relates to the manger scene they have set up for the holidays. In both cases, she explains faith in them may be good enough. Her daughter accepts this answer, related to both.

Is the love in a long marriage different? In this philosophical short story fiction, Lorene and Frank have been married for 30+ years. They raised a child together, and are settling into their golden years. Frank collects stamps and, while Lorene has a degree in Geology, she has spent her life as a homemaker. However, now in her 50’s, she has begun to realize her life needs more excitement and, more importantly, that Frank won’t be able to give it to her. He is to old, too risk-adverse, and too set in his ways. He says marriage is forever, and that he loves her, but Lorene wants more. The often quip and bicker. Finally, Loreene declares her intention to divorce and join an archaeological dig in Montana. Frank is upset, and confused, believing this is a reckless whim, but he is also hurt she is leaving. Regardless, he says, his vows are forever, and he will be waiting if she decides she wants to come home.

When there is a dating age difference, what are the factors that matter? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator’s husband is in Afghanistan for another tour of duty supervising his men. She is at home taking care of their 17-year-old son, in his Senior year of high school. The narrator learns her son is seeing/dating his English teacher, the 24-year-old who goes by MS. MS was married, but her husband was a soldier who recently died. She follows them after school where she watches them lay out a blanket in the park. She considers calling her husband for advice, but decides he will simply say she is getting worked up over nothing. She wonders if she should call the police, or contact the school? In the end, she decides this is likely a “harmless blip” in her sons life, that they are providing each other comfort in shared times of need, and things will end naturally at the end of the year when her son goes off to college.

What is the best way for those discriminated against to “change hearts and minds?” Should those discriminated against fight back or focus on helping others see the errors taking place? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator is simply going about her life riding the bus home from work. A few stops later, a wolf gets on the bus, pays the bus ticket, and has a seat. The woman has heard about wolves and is apprehensive. At the next stop a few teenagers get on the bus. They see the wolf and immediately begin teasing it. The wolf refuses to fight back until, eventually, the narrator stands up for the wolf. The teenagers get off and the woman speaks to the wolf. Police, having been notified of a disturbance, get on the bus and begin the process of arresting the wolf based on the call received. The narrator, and the other bus patrons, stand up for the wolf and explain it was the teenagers who initiated the altercation. The police leave. The wolf explains to the narrator that if he defends himself, he will be confirming the stereotypes about wolves and that it is only through others standing up on his behalf, that opinions can change.