Tales from the 'cerpt
[This first amuse bouche is from a short story called 'Peg,' by Sam Shaw. Nothing profound here; I just thought this was a nicely put together (and embarrassingly realistic) paragraph.]
George worked the night shift at Penny's video. Some of his most loyal customers were young women, about whom he indulged lavish filmic daydreams. Typically his fantasies involved acts of sacrifice or heroism: there were blazing fires, bar fights, donations of blood that left him pale and depleted. Occasionally he'd spy one of his lady patrons in town talking with another man, and he would want briefly to die.
[This next one is from an essay called 'The New Mecca,' by George Saunders.]
Then he tells me how you get a date if you're a teenage girl in Saudi Arabia:
go to the mall wearing your required abaya [burka, whatever]. When a group of young guys walks by, if you see one you like, quickly find a secluded corner of the mall, take out your cell phone, lift your veil, snap a picture of your face. Write your cell number on a piece of paper. When the boys walk by, drop the scrap at the feet of the one you like. When he calls, send him your photo. If he likes the photo, he will call again. Arrange a secret meeting.
The world must be peopled.
