Twelve imaginative tales of nonstandard speculative fiction: Can man ever escape life's quality of the unforeseen? How should one best prepare to secure a chance for life after death? Is the universe far stranger than we can imagine? How transferable is identity? To what heights can sorrow and a need for purpose lift a man? Will utopia necessarily be recognized when it is encountered? Is it possible for a young man to develop the wisdom necessary to face an extraterrestrial perception of evil? Can loneliness and love serve as the catalyst for the birth of something miraculous? When is a handicap of the mind an advantage? What happens to a man after his faith is removed by science? Is mankind fated to eventually return to the sea? Can a dying man save the world?The twelve tales: Little MiracleWhat if belief in God is centered in a spot in one's brain? And what if a pill could erase that belief, while boosting one's intelligence?Just Add WaterA tale of an old man who makes an important choice regarding his future, in a time when people have themselves frozen after they die in hopes of being reawakened at some later point in time.The Transfer MechanismA tale that addresses the scientific mindset and the idea that the universe we live in may be far stranger than we can hope to imagine.The Mind of JudaA tale that touches upon the philosophical question of identity, and how this question may deepen in a future of sufficiently advanced technology.WonderlandA tale about a man, a dolphin, mermaids, and how humankind might become harmfully addicted to certain future technology...Box of the SupermenA utopian tale about a man who is in need of a new cause to pursue and is unexpectedly offered one, only to find that he is unsure if he should accept.Day of the WomenA tale of a young man who receives an unexpected opportunity that surprisingly leads him on an interstellar voyage to a far distant planet, and toward intellectual maturity.Painting PenelopeA tale of a lonely artist who spends his time imagining an ideal love... and what happens when the unexpected enters his life.Great and Mighty ThingsA tale of a man who is looking for a cure to a rare disease that he suffers from, one which makes him incapable of feeling fear... His search leads him to seek out a most unusual former world chess champion and reputed big-game hunter, and to experience the extraordinary.Garden MetamorphosisA tale of a priest who decides to take the ultimate test of faith in the form of a pill known as Little Miracle, which cures temporal-lobe epilepsy, boosts memory, and increases intelligence. The pill, however, also eliminates religiosity and the predisposition to believe in God...Fragile in the SunA tale of an undersea diver who falls into dangerous and unexpected circumstances while seeking a time out from life in order to better come to terms with the death of his mentor, a prophetic luminary of marine science.Winged Men of the Lost PlanetA utopian tale featuring a heroic man who declares that he will change the world, only to learn something totally unexpected that may prevent him from attempting to do s