SYNOPSIS: My compilation of fantastical short stories welcomes inquisitive middle-grade readers to picturesque worlds of allegorical fantasy. Twelve-year-old Atlas and his nine-year-old sister Sophia have a guardian angel known as The Mist. She transports them to far-off lands throughout history and beyond to learn from the lives and achievements of notable people and important events. Each story introduces principled concepts of excellence, curiosity, equality, compassion, or justice – concluding with a truth to ponder. Readers will be delighted to meet wise owls tutoring Bathsheba, Parmenides as a magician, Socrates encountering an alien spacecraft, Mother Teresa in a refugee camp adjacent to The Promised Land, Simone de Beauvoir interacting with talking porcelain figures, Harriet Tubman as an Angel of the Seven Winds, Edwin Hubble and Henrietta Leavitt as inquisitive walruses pondering the Cosmos, Sally Ride as a courageous astronaut, and Andre Agassi playing tennis with Rene Descartes, among others.

PROLOGUE: In the beginning, when the Dawn of Creation awakened from The Void and draped its celestial light upon the world, there was The Mist. She emerged as a guardian angel embodying the spirit of Nature. Mysterious, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, The Mist has been honored with many esteemed titles and always welcomes sharing Her wisdom with others. Now She plans to introduce herself to an inquisitive twelve-year-old boy named Atlas and his radiant nine-year-old sister Sophia. The Mist's Mission: to guide Atlas and Sophia on adventurous time travels where they will encounter intriguing people in fascinating places and learn about the wondrous ways of the world. The Mist's Hope: that Atlas and Sophia will observe, listen, and ask questions to help gain wisdom and navigate a sometimes puzzling life. Should The Mist come visit you one day welcome Her with open arms!