the chapbook is posted

the chapbook today the sky is blue and white with bright blue spots and a small pale moon and i will destroy our relationship today that was going to be published but was canceled by future tense press is now on bear parade

here are one-sentence explanations for each story

richie

a lonely, anxious, depressed high-schooler is kidnapped, humilated, and finally forced to choose to be lonely and depressed and anxious in a cage underground or to be lonely and depressed and anxious in 'the real world,' mostly probably in bed, in his room, or at school

driveway

a college-student home from college realizes vaguely that in an indifferent universe that doesn't tell you why you are here, what you should do, or why (or even if) you are any different than an area of concrete or a piece of wood it doesn't really matter if he lives or dies

go to the beach

a person in a 'satisfactory' relationship experiences good feelings when he momentarily forgets, by accidentally achieving what is normally achieved only after years of practice with meditation, i think, what he does for employment

should

two people sort-of want to be in a romantic relationship but aren't sure if they really just want to be friends or what and do not discuss this or think about it or pursue anything or really think about anything

cancer

cancer afflicts a small new england town, devastating the country-side, destroying the elementary students, and crippling the toothbrush industry

dolphins

a boy who can speak the same language as dolphins is not consoled or excited by that skill due to problems with depression caused mostly by the nature of being, existence, death, and loneliness

christmas

a skilled, ambitious knight seduces a generous housewife to gain a newer, more-powerful, two-bladed sword

the walking wall

a lonely, depressed wall thinks it's loneliness and depression is only a matter of circumstance, that if it could only 'go somewhere else for a while; live somewhere else, somewhere less depressing,' it could be happy and productive

taipei, taiwan

a college graduate travels to the capital of taiwan to become a hikikomori and masturbate more

mistake

two brothers' wardrobes, hair-styles, and skin-tones are changed forever when they discover satanism

robbers

a confused woman enjoys running very fast through her house toward her phone

candace

a lonely person discovers his true calling in life: to do things that will make himself grin

drive

a high school student thinks he is ugly

canadian sandy! you will never read this story! good bye!

tao lin writes an embarrassingly whimsical, cutesy, whimsical-to-the-point-of pretentiousness 'story' about someone he knew who moved from canada to florida to canada and then, in revisions, adds exclaimation marks to every sentence, thereby somehow making the story acceptable for publication in his chapbook

the novelist

an asshole thinks he's special because he is 'working on a novel'

if there's enough demand i will provide in-depth analysis' of the themes and origins of each story, a 'ballantine-style' reader's guide, with reading group discussion points and open-ended questions, for oprah and the today show book club, and maybe a vocabulary list, for middle schoolers