A 61-year-old widow named Mrs. H. T. Miller who wants to spend the remaining years of her life alone in her apartment near the East River after the death of her husband, H. T. Miller. She is very lonely, has no friends to speak of and does not keep in touch with any of her relatives.
A lonely boy becomes obsessed with a girl he has never talked to before. The boy goes into a psychological quest in order to understand his obsession. But, does he ever achieve what he desires?
Lee and a woman are in his apartment together. The phone rings and he reaches across her to answer it. It is Arthur, worried about his wife, Joanie, who disappeared from a party. Lee tells him to relax and assures him that she will turn up soon. Arthur is worried about his job too. He is a lawyer and has just lost a case. After he rings off Lee turns to the woman and she tells him he was wonderful and that she feels like a dog (she is apparently the missing wife). The phone rings again. It is Arthur to say that his wife has returned. Lee is speechless with amazement and ends this conversation very quickly.
The last of the series is about an American who stayed over in Vietnam. He is photographed by a journalist and his picture is posted in a magazine. The Vietnamese family that he now has is worried that he might have another family in The US.
That Durga Saptami, praying silently to the Goddess, I asked for the courage to be able to slay the Mahishasura of my life, if provoked.
the story concerns Sofya Petrovna, the young wife of a country notary, whose attempts to turn away a suitor only expose her own desire for him and drive her toward an affair.
The main character, Eloise, struggles to come to terms with the life she has created for herself with her husband Lew. Her true love is Walt, a member of the Glass family, for whom she pines in the wake of his death during his service in the army. The story's title refers to an event recalled by Eloise in which she and Walt were running to catch a bus, and she sprained her ankle. Walt then said, referring to her ankle in good humor, "Poor Uncle Wiggily..
Korolyov, a young doctor, visits the house of Lyalikov, a recently deceased factory owner, to attend to the heiress, twenty-year old Liza, who has heart problems. The factory looks threatening, Korolyov begins to construct a picture of it in his mind as of the Devil's abode. He can't help thinking of the unspeakable suffering that lurks behind these dark walls. The owners' house, surrounded by workshops and ran, apparently by the governess, looks for him equally unpleasant.
