"Mr. Merrill's Extraordinary Driving Cap" by Becky Haigler and "Phos Hilaron" by Neil Ellis Orts

I've covered Becky's "Gates of Eden" earlier. When she submitted that story, she also included this story about one Mr. Merrill, a dealer in used and collectable books. One day, as he's closing up shop, he comes across an abandoned leather driving cap. It is this cap that gives Merrill his extraordinary ability, a device that I liked when I read it because it was a variation on innate super-powers, a variation that is perhaps best known in the comic books with Green Lantern's ring (which, in turn, is a riff on Aladdin's magic lamp).

But the power in the cap is subtle and not at all as flashy as Green Lantern's ring. It, shall we say, improves Merrill's hearing. Or perhaps his perceptions. He hears what is not being said. And the story is about the things he learns when he wears this cap--things not only about his neighbors, but also about himself.

It was exactly the sort of story I was looking for in that the story isn't about the power so much as it is about the man. Mr. Merrill, older, a widower, finding himself alone more often than not . . . like stories in the Bible, the miracle isn't the point, but what happens afterward.

It's a poignant story, lightly told. I like that about it, too. The violins, if they'er played at all, are played lightly and maybe there's a light piano and flute accompaniment in the soundtrack. (Can you tell I'm listening to KUHF, Houston's classical station, as I write this?)

As with all my previews on this blog, I have to stop there lest I give too much away. It's a good story. You should read it.
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Just to mention briefly--I have a story in this collection, too. It's the gay story. It's the story with theological mumbo jumbo. It's the story that say's "look at me, look at me! I know at least 2 words of Greek!"

Synopsis: A gay couple, both ex-seminarians, one the founder and pastor of an independent church, argue about theology, integrity, and sex.

It's an okay story. I'm glad I wrote it. I just don't know how to talk about my own work. People who've read it seemed to like it. Maybe you will, too.