Echoes of the Mind`s Eye

　　13 Speculative Fiction Short Stories

　　by Victor D. L髉ez

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　　Copyright 2021

　　No portion of this copyrighted book may be copied, posted, transmitted or otherwise used in any form without the express written consent of the author.

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　　In loving memory of loved ones gone never to be forgotten:

　　Lita and Felipe (mom and dad)

　　Remedios, Emilio, Mar韆 and Manuel (grandparents)

　　Mar韆 Luisa Seoane (Marisita)If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　Alberto Seoane

　　Mar韆 Luisa Zapata

　　Jos� and Manola Naveira

　　Francisco and Alicia Naveira

　　Emilio, Nieves, Susana, and Osvaldo Gordedo

　　Rub閚 Gorde

　　Mar韆 del Carmen & Torry Granja

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　　Author`s Note

　　The thirteen short stories in this collection span a lifetime, from my early undergraduate college days at Queens College in the late 1970s when two of the stories in this collection were originally written (Eternal Quest and Mergs, Or Why Godot Can`t Come) to the present. Ten of these are reprinted from my Book of Dreams and Mindscapes collections (The Day the Dolphins Vanished, To Sleep, Perchance to Dream, What Price to Live the Dream?, Mergs (Or Why Godot Can`t Come), Earth Mother, Justice, End of Days, The Riddle of the Sphinx: Solved, Mars: Genesis 2.0, and Eternal Quest). Three of the stories are new (Amor Vincit Omnia, Redemption and Modern Art and the Critics). All previously published stories in this collection have been re-edited and updated.

　　Most of my books and scholarly articles published to date are non-fiction, primarily in the area of law. But fiction and poetry have been an important part of my life as both a reader and writer since my pre-teens. My professional writing—textbooks and trade books—contain ideas and analysis based on many months or years of research and are much more widely read than my published fiction and poetry. The latter, however, contain tiny pieces of my soul, and I hope reflect the tension that exists in the duality of the human spirit that is forever tethered to the earth while looking longingly to the sky, yearning to fly.

　　I hope you will find this journey interesting and entertaining. I also hope most of the stories will allow you to view the world from a different perspective and leave you thinking. Most of all, thank you for accompanying me on my journey of exploration. I am very grateful to be in your company.

　　Victor D. L髉ez

　　New York, January 2021