Introduction

I don’t have a gift for brevity, so I admire it. These are stories that do a lot with a little, that inspire a nip here and a tuck there. I’ve chosen stories that left a mark after I read them – like a pinch or scratch that is felt for days. Some console like a hug, some aggravate like a stone in the shoe. There are many more I could have included, but there is something satisfying about twelve.