A novella about how Henry Thornton came to live alone on the shores of Sullivan Bay, with an egret as his one true companion; an apocalyptic love poem; a series of interconnected stories about a retirement home; an unusual love story about a girl named Chicago; and a short story about a dead father who has left some things behind. These and 25 more stories dabble briefly in science fiction or the supernatural. But most are simply stories about a slice of life. Whether it is life, death, family, love, or something in between those elements.

NOTE: This is a republication of Mark Paxson's two early short story collections (The Marfa Lights and Shady Acres), along with the inclusion of the novella The Irrepairable Past.