Challenge 207

Sights and Sounds

“The Unmarked Grave” concludes in this issue. Young adult fiction represents an innovation for us, and I’m sure everyone will agree that the experiment has been good for Bewildering Stories. Very little stands in the way of Cat Daniels’ appearing in bookstores; we wish Jeani Rector every success and hope to read the further adventures of Cat and her friends here in our own pages!
1. Is Cat Daniels is the only one in “The Unmarked Grave” who sees visions and ghosts? What about Tara?
2. Look at Cat Daniels from the viewpoint of a writer. Both Cat and Tara seem to accept Cat’s paranormal abilities quite easily. Perhaps just a little too easily to believe? Or are the two friends’ reactions just right?
3. Is the subplot with Angela and Brian necessary? Or is it an instructive interlude for young readers?
4. Cat accidentally drops the old ledger in the graveyard, and it’s just what Mr. Gantland has been looking for. Is that a little too much of a coincidence? Tara’s address book looks like the ledger, and Mr. Gantland invades Tara’s home on a dark and stormy night. Do you think Mr. Gantland has adequate motivation and a reasonable expectation that he might recover the ledger?
5. What becomes of Randy? What other “loose ends” does the author leave in the story that suggest possibilities for further adventures?
Carmen Ruggero’s “Last Tango on a Wintry Day” is accompanied by an auxiliary page with pictures illustrating the times and events referred to in the memoir. Why are they deliberately not included in the text itself? Hint: Why is a picture “worth a thousand words”? Answer: Because it takes a thousand words to explain what a picture means.
What do Anna Ruiz’ “Finished Yet?” and Sharon M. White’s “Birth of Man” have in common thematically?
Which stories or poems in this issue are particularly well suited for illustration in painting or photography? Which story is a one-scene play?

Responses welcome!