In days gone by, groups of West Indian men, women , boys and girls would congregate on evenings and tell tales. When a story was finished, the narrator would say, "I stepped on the wire and the wire won't bend and that is how my story end".

Some of the short stories in this collection have been awarded prizes in international competitions. The majority are written in standard English. A few, though, are expressed in the beautiful Barbadian English that many listeners will find enjoyable. In these days of global warming and super storms, "9-22" is especially relevant. It recounts the experiences of a young boy as Hurricane Janet raged on September 22, 1955. "Knight-Mayers" pokes a bit of fun at the use of "double-barreled" names by married ladies. "Fo'day Morning" is one of the author's first successes as it won third prize in an international competition sponsored by the BBC in England. "Well, Well, Well" copped first prize in another competition sponsored by the Government of Venezuela in the 1980s. "The Bend" is one of the author's favorites. If you are not moved by his treatment of the subject of human trafficking, you will be touched by the beautiful song "Why Me" at the beginning. Please enjoy and share these stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arnold F. Ward is a graduate of York University in Toronto and is a Certified General Accountant. He resides in beautiful Barbados. He has written and published several novels and short stories. He is also an accomplished actor and is available for voice over and narration assignments. The author will be happy to receive your comments at wardarnoldf@gmail.com.