"I think therefore I am."

But is it really that simple?

Prudence and Yannick know poverty, heartache, and injustice firsthand. When a young boy who has nowhere to turn appears in their life, they must choose what kind of people they truly are. Helping him is far beyond their means—abandoning him seems unthinkable. But, the choices they face have an ominous backdrop. Is there more to this than just what they see?

Explore your perception of existence in Thread. Dive into worlds of intrigue and mystery with this cross-genre collection of short stories. Trace the thread of reality as it weaves through the fabric of surrealism.

Thread and Other Stories is a multi-genre collection of short stories (single author) that includes science fiction, fantasy, urban fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, and espionage. There are seven stories in the collection.

1. Prudence and her older brother Yannick face extreme poverty and hardship in Thread. They live day to day on the wages they earn at low paying, difficult jobs. They face hardships that seem insurmountable for two young children. Isidore, an impoverished boy trying to survive on his own, enters their lives with even greater needs than Prudence and Yannick. They integrate him into their family life even as their world begins to crumble around them. But, there is an ominous backdrop to these events as strange entities take a keen interest in the lives of the three children.
2. A military psychologist evaluates a Vietnam war veteran who has experienced psychological damage in Shrink. The veteran’s fellow soldiers and friends must support him as the psychologist attempts to uncover the reasons behind his trauma.
   
3. Emil, Annie, and their three children—Zona, Owen, and Abner—struggle to stay safe in a steampunk-inspired fantasy world in Chance. Abner finds himself in trouble as a powerful magical being terrorizes the family farm. Only Zona’s quick thinking along with her parents’ knowledge of magic will give them a chance against the dark sorcery of the enemy.
   
4. John and Greg, bound by friendship, embark on a journey of trial and tragedy in Conflict, a 20th Century historical fiction. They must deal with death, loss, and grief as compatriots fall in battle during this poignant snapshot of the Canadian military in World War I. John and Greg show a contrast in the ways that these soldiers adapted to the psychological effects of war.
   
5. Veera, an astrophysicist, begins to experience recurring déjà vu, the source of which she cannot determine in Oversight, a science fiction adventure. She is unknowingly set on a collision course with Misha, who challenges Veera’s perception of the world as she struggles to determine what is real and what isn’t. Misha must deal with his own psychological demons as he tries to salvage a failing mission that will either end in glory or in his own death.
   
6. Dmitry is a hardened spy in the Cold War who has no mercy for his adversary Olyesa in the espionage thriller Deception. Olyesa and Dmitry navigate their way through the murky waters of agents and double agents while simultaneously struggling against each other for survival. When their divergent plans collide, it threatens to destroy them both.
   
7. Explore a metaphysical debate in the literary short story Conversation, which is woven between each of the short stories in this collection. An unnamed protagonist and an unidentified and secretive entity discuss the metaphysical and spiritual meaning behind science and what it means to know.
   

Eric Halpenny is a seemingly normal engineer by day, but a fiction author by night. He hasn't quit his day job. His preferred subject matter concerns life, existence, choice, spirituality, God, science, philosophy, and the nature of reality—all in the guise of entertaining stories. He started writing novels at the age of eight, but waited to publish until thirty-eight. He is often inspired in the middle of the night or while driving home from work. He lives in Northern California with his wife and three children. He loves inspiring quotations, and one of his favorites is from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo: "To learn to read is to light a fire." He would love to know that his writing lit the fire of reading, introspection, and hope in others.