Angel of Mercy and Other Stories

About the Book

Five stories -- Poe-like in atmosphere -- in which as much seems to be happening beneath the surface as upon it.  In “Angel of Mercy,” title story of the collection, young, upwardly-mobile, ambitious Marcus Ambrose marries Elena, intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, kind -- good nearly to a fault.  But Elena is possessed and flawed by her lonely childhood.

For Marcus, the joy of his marriage sours, and anger at Elena for her goodness replaces love.  Elena is, however, in every conventional way, the perfect wife and leaves Marcus no justification to consider divorce.

Marcus has a chance meeting, charged with sexual energy, with a young woman that permits him to do what, up to then, he hasn’t dared to do -- question Elena’s goodness and her claim upon him as a husband.

He resolves, justification or no, to leave Elena.  A freak accident prevents that, giving Elena the opportunity to become for Marcus an angel of mercy, cementing their union in an ironic, cruel way.

Vin, in “Tabula Rasa,” is asked by Jerry, his best friend -- who is unable to conceive a child -- to be a sperm donor and give him and his wife, Connie, a baby.  Jerry believes that Vin, a likable underachiever with marked potential but little interest in conventional success, will give him a tabula rasa, modeler’s clay, so to speak, that he can shape, a child he can make into his own image.  The request brings to Vin’s surface powerful feelings he didn’t know he had and, though Jerry regards what he’s asked Vin to do as simple and easy, almost a throw-away, Vin is reluctant.  It becomes a test of their friendship.  Under Jerry’s relentless persuasion, Vin complies.  Jerry’s hopes are fulfilled; he gets what he asked for, a tabula rasa, a beautiful blank slate – but with it – a searing personal tragedy.

“The Gift of Life”, the longest of these stories, tells of Sandor Ferentz, a cynical, rich man who, in early middle age, learns he is incurably ill.  In the aftermath of this revelation he hears of a woman who is reputed to be a saintly miracle worker, because she saved the life of and cares for a mortally wounded, suffering boy, given up by experts for dead.  Her reputation for saintliness is enhanced by the fact that she has no apparent connection to the boy to whom she has miraculously given the gift of life.  Ferentz resolves to find this woman and to wrench from her the same miracle for himself.  His search takes him from the residence of a Cardinal-Archbishop to a quiet hospice run by nuns on Staten Island, to a boy dying of leukemia, and to a hilariously delusional old man.  His quest and what comes of it reveals a shocking secret, questions the motives of God in His actions, and buoys Ferentz as the end of his life approaches.

In the fourth story a type of bandage called a butterfly is placed on a small accidental wound made on the shoulder of stunningly beautiful Star by her physician husband, Benedict.  It becomes the title of the story and a symbol for the beginning of an odyssey into a bizarre sexual relationship between the couple.  In the privacy of their bedroom Ben and Star become the opposites of their public personas; Star, concerned, activist citizen and helper of sick children; Benedict, gentle healer, influential physician.  In secret they turn their world inside out.  They find ecstasy, but what they do has a natural limit, and when it is reached, life turns to ashes.  The shocking end of the odyssey leaves the rea?? ????????? ??????? ??? ??? ???? ??? ????? ????????? ??? ??? ????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??? ??????????????? ???????? ?????†?????? ???????? ???? ? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????????? ????????? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ??? ?????

About the Author

The author recently retired as Professor of Radiology at New York University Medical Center in New York City where he, with his wife, continues to live. He’s written and published many research reports and four textbooks about the risks and benefits of exposure to ionizing radiations. In addition he teaches in the School of Journalism of New York University in a course concerning science and environmental reporting. Fiction writing has been a life-long passion and serious avocation. The title story of this volume, “Angel of Mercy,” won first prize in a contest conducted by the Internet magazine, “The Invention Factory,” and appeared for several weeks on their website. His other interests are classical music, reading (fiction, history and biography, principally), hiking, and enjoying his city and family.