Coyote Stories by Charles de Lint

"You and me, everybody, we’re a set of stories..." 

This was a very smart story written in a very silly way. The narrator is telling a story about a homeless Native American man, who goes by many names, but refers to himself as Coyote. He left his home a long time ago and lost himself. Coyote likes to scam and drink, but mostly Coyote likes to tell stories...

This is a story about the importance of stories.

Stories help us avoid painful truths and bring us comfort when there's nothing else. Stories speak to our heritage and remind us who we are, where we come from, and why we're living. They remind us that no matter what other people think of you, you are your own story, and it can't be summed up in one sitting or one hurtful word, it will take a lifetime to tell. Stories have the capability of unifying us, and a person's story lives on in the minds of those who witnessed that first story, to be retold and incorporated into other stories.

Maybe what separates men from animals, isn't thumbs, but the ability to achieve immortality through a good story, if we're only brave enough to remember.

Short Story Sunday