This story was over 20 years in the making. It started as a series of abstract recol-lections in the back of my brain. I would revisit them at random moments and add more mental notes. After a number of years, it had taken on a life of its own. One afternoon, I was returning from dropping my friend off at the airport. It was a week before Christmas and raining heavily. I had the car radio tuned to Christmas carols and was a bit de-pressed when the story came to life with a vengeance and consumed my entire being. I turned down a deserted side street and pulled out a yellow legal pad and started writing furiously. The story just exploded from the confines of my memory and onto the printed page. Like a demon possessed, I continued to write frantically; It was no longer a search for words; It was free association. This went on for over four hours and ended up being fifty-two pages in length. Upon my return home that night, I was exhausted both mentally and physically. I put that yellow legal pad in the back drawer of my office desk and never looked at it again for at least five years. Only then, when my agent asked me if I had any more good stories, did I feel ready to dust it off and take a second look. At his urging, I undertook the arduous task of transcribing my barely legible handwriting to a properly typed-up book proposal. This is the result of my effort and, it will have been worth it if my story brings meaning and inspiration to an appreciative audience.
