A boy watches his father fighting a famous Canadian wrestler and years later hears how his parents escaped from Poland.
A man on holiday in Russia buys Chekhov’s samovar from an old antique dealer.
The death of a Chinese emperor leads to a search for his successor. A tired Pope goes on a secret holiday to a spa in Tuscany.
Elvis arrives in Heaven to be greeted by an angel. On a snowy train journey across Canada several passengers reflect upon their pasts.
An old, disgraced grandmaster visits a Portsmouth chess club. A young clerk in the post office takes a day off work with a twisted ankle.
Two old university friends plan a performance for the Edinburgh Fringe.
These stories are set in various countries.
Some are comic, others speculatively serious or semi-autobiographical.
The cover photograph is of Carraigh Fhada lighthouse on Islay.
