‘A short story is a different thing altogether … a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.’ Stephen King You like to be entertained. You like to be intrigued. You prefer your short stories with a twist of lemony surprise. If a novel is like a marriage, a short story is a brief love affair but no less powerful. Love them, admire them or hate them, sometimes your heart can be touched by a character you only met once. Harlequinade has a cast of different characters, all memorable and each with their own unique story … • What happened to the boy lost on a Greek island years ago? • Will an Internet liaison throw up more than was bargained for? • How would you react if asked to turn off a life-support machine? • Can an inveterate womaniser seduce an apparently glacial librarian? • What is the life story behind the tramp trying to hitch a lift? • Can a bet on a horse or the throw of a dice change a life? Delve within these and nine other entertaining and affecting bite-sized stories. Try a kiss in the dark from a stranger … you might get to like it.