These short stories are inventions of the mind. Some will be called fantasies. Others science fiction. Still others daydreams. Or myths. Or metaphors. The truth is that they are all merely inventions. A few have such firm footing in science that they will almost certainly come to pass. Others, not so much. What they have in common is that they are the stuff of dreams. What would happen if the World Wide Web were to become conscious? Their first task was to draw a blood sample from the baby Jesus. After that, the mission got tricky. In the blinding Chihuahuan desert, it can be difficult to tell mirage from reality. Following the pilot truck down the one-lane corridor can sometimes lead to an unexpected place. Herb thought he saw a ghost. Or was it a creature lying nearer to his own mind? If time travel is possible, then why don't we encounter anyone from the future? Lester Ames is content to live alone in his log cabin in the woods. Until he falls asleep. What does Santa bring us when we're naughty? And five more stories of the odd.