On "The Things I Did and Did" by Mel Bosworth (511 words) ***

Bosworth captures the odd and unlikable world of the bus. A couple is traveling across country; so is another couple. One is a couple in the "romantic" sense; one is simply two kids. They spend the trip staring at one another awkwardly, trying to sneak in time for music, bathroom, sex. Read the story here at Bull.

On "500 Kilometers to Cairo" by David Ewald (3972 words) ***

I've long been a fan of Paul Bowles's fiction, especially his stories. A critical biography I read claimed that Bowles fell out of favor among American readers the longer he stayed in North Africa. The world that he became a part of was one Americans could not understand. But that is precisely what Bowles writes about--that misunderstanding between the Arab world and the Western world.

Enter David Ewald, whose tale covers similar ground. A man visiting Egypt with a woman who is part of the world he is visiting. Although he is teaching English overseas, he is still a tourist. He has money. He has a way "home," to the America he wants to return to, along with the girl. The woman, by contrast, does not want to be in America. How can she not? And why is America so important to him? These are the questions the two strive over, and in the end, it is only after some harrowing experiences--the last caused by his own self--that the American finally begins to understand. Read the story here at Bull.

On "Don't Mess" by Jeff Kass (3798 words) ***

There is something that makes me a little queasy about Bull--the online magazine, that is. Bull is a magazine of fiction for men. The writing, I find, intriguing. I guess it's full of testosterone, or something, whatever men push out on a page that's inside them. What makes me queasy is the idea that I feel like I'm not man enough to write anything like these stories. Most of the men's fiction seems focused on, um, well, women. And that's natural, no? Most of the guys are tough ones--maybe that's where I get a bit squeamish. But I guess I have no real reason to be, since my own work has appeared on its pages.

In this story by Jeff Kass, the Bull's tough guy is a wrestler, one that can defeat just about anyone he comes across. Or so he says. Problem: Somewhere along the line someone thought it a good idea to introduce cheerleaders into wrestling, and now our men are fighting it out not just to be top dog but to be top dog for the ladies. In a magazine of men's fiction, which seems focused so often on women, it's fair to predict that wrestlers' actions are likely to remain the same. Read the story here at Bull.

On "Necklace" by Ravi Mangla (415 words) ****

Here's another story by a master of oddness. It involves teeth, lots of them, strung around a neck. In Mangla's world, such a necklace becomes a vehicle for self-transformation. Displayed, they symbolize power and hold an awkward sway over those around (yet there's an odd juxtaposition here, because teeth--outside of the skull--are essentially powerless). Watching the reactions of the others in the story is the real joy, though--and the weird buglike mating customs that go along with those reactions. A blog entry on the piece notes that the piece is about death--personal and public--and such would certainly work in the context of how death both robs us of power and, through grief, provides a tremendous amount of power over others. Read the story here at Bull.