As human beings, we are more alike than we realize. No matter the political issue or persuasion, racial difference, or religious beliefs, the truth remains the same - most, if not all, people have more in common than not.

The human condition is universal. Everyone reading this has experienced pain, joy, success, and failure. All parents want to see their children succeed and not harmed.

It can also be said; many people live a 'rough draft' of what their lives could be. I believe this to be true, not only because of the unlimited examples one has at their disposal, but because so few people know who they are, what they believe, and their life purpose.

More alarming and disappointing is the limited number of people seeking answers to those three introspective inquiries. The sad reality is that far too many souls spend an entire lifetime experiencing personal defeat after personal defeat because of their unwillingness to commit valuable time in the pursuit of honest self-reflection. By adequately or inadequately answering these three questions, we will create a considerable difference in the decisions we entertain and our lives' ultimate direction and destiny.

The best version of us is waiting for us to answer these three life-changing questions.

What if every night you went to bed, there were thousands of spiders at the foot of your bed, and there was nothing you could do about it? Or if you moved into a sentient house that had dementia? Maybe there's a special hospital that can remove your religion as an outpatient surgery, a Christmas tree in a darkened corner of the orphanage that no child wants to crawl under to get their present, or perhaps there's a scarecrow that bends the boundaries of reality to its will.

In his first horror anthology, Shawn Bailey blends short, horror stories with dark poetry to leave you asking, like the paralyzed victims of the Dancing Scarecrow, what can and cannot be within our fragile realities. The closer you get to the end, the darker it gets.

As human beings, we are more alike than we realize. No matter the political issue or persuasion, racial difference, or religious beliefs, the truth remains the same - most, if not all, people have more in common than not.

The human condition is universal. Everyone reading this has experienced pain, joy, success, and failure. All parents want to see their children succeed and not harmed.

It can also be said; many people live a 'rough draft' of what their lives could be. I believe this to be true, not only because of the unlimited examples one has at their disposal, but because so few people know who they are, what they believe, and their life purpose.

More alarming and disappointing is the limited number of people seeking answers to those three introspective inquiries. The sad reality is that far too many souls spend an entire lifetime experiencing personal defeat after personal defeat because of their unwillingness to commit valuable time in the pursuit of honest self-reflection. By adequately or inadequately answering these three questions, we will create a considerable difference in the decisions we entertain and our lives' ultimate direction and destiny.

The best version of us is waiting for us to answer these three lite -changing questions.

Winston James falls instantly in love with bartender Jacobi Griffin one night when he is in the French Quarter club entertaining some clients. To get to know Jacobi he asks Jacobi's boss to recommend a good bartender for Winston's upcoming party. Of course the man recommends Jacobi after giving Winston the four-one-one on him. Winston has never been one to beat around the bush. Not only does he ask Jacobi to work for his party but also tells him to bring an overnight bag because the two of them would be spending the night together.

Bartender Jacobi Griffin didn't fall for cheesy come-ons or sleep around. Although the city of New Orleans is teeming with tourists for the Mardi Gras season Winton and Jacobi find the time to spend together getting to know each other by blocking out everything around them and falling in love.

What if every night you went to sleep, there were thousands of spiders at the foot of your bed? Or, if you moved into a sentient house that had dementia? Maybe there's a special hospital that can remove your religion as an outpatient surgery, a Christmas tree in a darkened corner of the orphanage that no child wants to crawl under to get their present, or perhaps there's a scarecrow that bends the boundaries of reality to its will.

In his first horror anthology, Shawn Bailey blends short horror stories with dark poetry to leave you asking, like the paralyzed victims of the Dancing Scarecrow, what can and cannot be within our fragile realities. The closer you get to the end, the darker it gets.