Bed of Strings

Both the title and the cover art are a metaphor. The title is an idea that each story is a string, and the strings weave together to create a bed for the reader ... a bed of dreams. The cover art is an 1897 oil on canvas by Henri Rousseau, La Bohémienne endormie, "The sleeping gypsy". The gypsy was lulled to dreams by the strings of her mandolin. The lion appears ... as a menace? or is it a dream lion, an ethereal storyteller, whispering in her ear? So, as with dreams, are the stories gritty and real? ... or are they strings on a mandolin ...a bed of strings ... serving to lead the reader to dreams of their own? ... I leave it to you to decide.