Challenge 640
Year of the Double Deal
In Bill Prindle’s “Mr. Beelzy’s Trick”:
- What is the function of Molly in the story?
- Why might the name “Albertus Beelzy” seem suspicious?
In Rick Jankowski’s “Switching Sides”:
- Is the story a true sports story? Would anything change substantially if the Cubs were replaced by some other organization?
- Why would the alternate-universe Cubs make such bad trades? Do they have a choice?
- Do “Nathan” and “Nate” switch universes?
In Robin White’s “Pine Martens and Jam,” might “Nori” have more plausibly come from almost any other Asian country than Japan? Must his adoptive parents be American? Could the story — or a variation on it — have taken place in any other country, such as Britain?
In Andrew Bowen’s “Chinese Zodiac”:
- What virtues are found in strength and weakness?
- Which animals seem to give meaning to death?
- How might a similar “zodiac” be constructed for another culture, such as one in the Western world?
In Charles G. Chettiar’s “Grandpa and the Elephant,” does the grandfather know what will happen when he goes home?
In Gary Clifton’s “Trash and Deathburgers,” is there a “straight man” or reasoner in the story, or is every character farcical?
What is a Bewildering Stories Challenge?
