The Take-Away and Other Stories (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798218933395)

The Take-Away and Other Stories by Paul C. Cline, his third collection of stories, features ordinary people, often in small-town or rural settings, with the added touch of giving some semblance of honor to those who are otherwise left behind. For instance, Old Ted and the Ragin' Bull show that older folks have their ways of dealing with tense situations. Youngsters such as Nancy, Cappy, and Will can solve a mystery, such as "The Light in the Window," which may elude their elders. Some stories might be found to give some assurance of goodwill and care for others. This care might be found in relatives, such as in "The Green Box," among friends as in "Whatcha Doin'," or strangers, "The Day the War Stopped." And we all know cantankerous individuals such as Grits Grady.

While numerous stories involve everyday events it is interesting to delve into the unexplained. Who is "Old Ted" who haunts the mountains surrounding Olga from Volga, or the night visitor in "Eternitee"? What is "The Phantom Opera"? The events that occurred at the same time in 1918, World War I and the Flu Epidemic, are told from the perspective of Piedmont, West Virginia, and from the stories told by those families who lived through it, recounted in the play, "Nineteen-Eighteen: The End of the Age of Innocence."