Tall Tales In Short Stories

’Tall Tales In Short Stories’ is a collection of short stories written by author David Burns. ’Book Two’ contains an eclectic selection of seven stories for your enjoyment.The sanctuaryWhen the invaders came, they left only rubble and loss in their wake. But for Bruce, survival was just the beginning of his story. Now, in the safety of a quiet country estate, the battle-scarred Bruce shares his journey with an inquisitive new friend. In doing so, he teaches her about the true meaning of home, bravery, and the enduring power of family. Prisoner 182One minute, she’s a mother chasing a chaotic morning. The next, she’s Prisoner 182, a number in a sterile, AI-governed future. They claim her family was a simulation-a 'punishment' for her past rebellion. But for Judith, the memories are too real to erase. How do you fight for a life that the machines say never existed?The ApologyTwo champions. Two lies. One dying world. Chen and Mei were chosen to secure their tribes’ futures, but they have been sent on a mission of mutual destruction. As the truth of their leaders’ treachery comes to light, two enemies become the only two souls in existence who understand the reality of their extinction. In this brutal, thought-provoking tale, the greatest battle isn’t against the 'other'-it’s against the machinery of power that demands they die in the dark.Teacher’s PunishmentA continuation story from ’Book One / Voice Of A Damaged Mind’. Forced out of retirement and back into the decaying halls of Mid-Antrim Elementary, Arlene Dobson finds herself in the crosshairs of a vengeful nightmare. As the ghosts of children she once failed come back to haunt her, Arlene must unravel a deadly conspiracy before the school bells toll for her final time. In a place where no one is who they seem, survival isn’t guaranteed-it’s just the beginning of the punishment.LegacyIn a quiet recovery ward, a group of strangers shares a bond they don’t yet understand. Among them is Colin, a man with no memory of how or why he arrived. As he helps his fellow patients piece together their fragmented pasts, the chilling reality of his own existence begins to unravel. Memories Of Childhood InnocenceFour author biographical stories that explore the innocence of childhood growing up in Belfast during the ’Troubles’. War was the background music of David’s childhood. In 1970s Belfast, he finds adventure amidst bomb scares and checkpoints, unaware of the deeper truths hidden in his past. This powerful memoir chronicles a life lived on the front lines and the adult search for the identity he left behind.The Story Of SurvivalParadise is drowning. One family’s race against an unseen force that’s intent on destroying them. Can they escape the lethal deluge to find a new home before their world washes away?