short stories tip-toes the waking and unconscious world. Take a peek into the upside-down world of Licking. Transcending reality, these stories integrate a diabolical twist to the mundane. In the title story, a couple's hopes for a baby turn sour; "The Baboon" is a story of self-deprecation gone wrong; in "Unafraid" a woman will do anything to overcome her fears; eavesdrop on a dysfunctional family in "Family: Dinner"; a crowd struggles to save a dying woman in "Almost"; and many more twisty stories that will have you questioning the everyday hustle and bustle.