I read two short stories.

The first short story that I read for class today was entitled; "A Lamb To Slaughter"

I think that it was very cleverly written. The reader gets pulled into the heart and mind of the very sympathetic character of Mary Maloney. The description makes you think of a sweet old fashioned pregnant house wife. Ready and waiting in earnest for her husband to return home after a long day. She is sitting and sewing waiting for her love.

By the forth paragraph you get the feeling something is up. He doesn't seem thrilled to be back home with his pregnant and loving wife. He is very cold and uncaring.

Her reaction to the evenings events is fairly remarkable. She makes a trip to the butcher shop / grocery store. She makes a purchase of potatoes and a can of peas. When she returns home something is amiss with her husband. The first that we actually learn his name is when she calls his co-worker that he is Patrick Maloney.

The ending is spectacular. I won't reveal it, because I highly recommend that you read it.


The second short story that I read for class was called, "The Interlopers"

This story was written in a fashion that reminded me of Old World English. It was set on the eastern spurs of the Karpathian Mountains. That would include the rugged areas of, Romania, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia. The tale was woven around the longtime feud of two men. Ulrich von Gradwitz and his arch enemy, Georg Znaeym disagreed as to who exactly owned avery steep precipitous strip of woodland.

Their anger and hatred of each other at times had erased any common sense that they had. One dark, windy, and treacherous night Ulrich and some of his own henchmen were out looking for the theive who had been stealing their game animals. The wind howled with such a feirce whipping sound that it was difficult to hear anything.

Ulrich struggling to hear movement in the wooded area suddenly finds himself face to face with his diabolical adversary Georg. Without giving you all the juicy details, something happens that makes them need to rely on each other. The story was woven and crafted carefully to bring you into the fold of the story.

I highly recommend you find and read both stories. Most enjoyable.