Things I Could Get Out of My Mind

A collection of six short speculative fictions by William Mangieri, in which we learn some life lessons:It doesn't do to dwell in the past. To get back one life you need to give up another. Love can either blind you or light the darkness. Don't make deals with dishonest people. Don't insult the people who prepare your food. Don't turn the radio up when cruising the neighborhood. Includes the short stories:Passed LifeTalk about an identity crisis! Ed thought he had a good handle on who he was - but a family death, adoption, phone calls from the past, and time travel can really mess with your sense of self.
Sometimes it's better to leave the past alone.B. I. T. A man with a life-altering, gene-hacking virus must decide whether to accept his new existence, or try to regain his old identity. As often happens, we must wonder: what are we willing to give up to be cured?Through Her EyesJennie had a surprise planned for Pete, but Pete had one for her, too. Things aren't always what they seem. They say that we're blinded by love, but sometimes it's the only thing that can light the darkness.
Business is BusinessIn this fairytale taken from a different perspective, an honest craftsman enters into a business relationship, but soon finds himself ensnared in the machinations of a voluptuous gold-digger. Then she has a child and declares it's his. No, wait, it's not quite the way it sounds; this is Rumpelstiltskin we're talking about. A Dish Best ServedA self-aggrandizing faux-French intergalactic food critic runs afoul of a prideful chef, and gets an unexpected lesson in alien cuisine, living, and manners.
If you can't say something nice... Quiet!It's been 40 years since men last visited the moon. Since then it feels like we've abandoned manned space exploration. What if that's not all we abandoned?I've taken some liberties with the Apollo 17 transcripts, but this is fiction, right?(stories are available individually, and THIS collection is also part of "The First Three 'Things I Could Get OUT OF MY MIND'")