How does Nelson, a 10-year-old California boy, cope when his father disappears and his mother lies dangerously ill? What happens when 20-something Allison seeks relief from a boring trip in rural Ireland with her husband and in-laws by taking a walk and getting lost? Why does Jack, a man in his 40s now living in New York, spend a rainy afternoon obsessing over his life 20 years earlier in San Francisco in the 1960s? In W.A. Polf's seven-story collection, Magical Ballyglass and Other Stories, these and other characters confront pivotal moments in their lives, and their responses change them. Nelson reaches a profound conclusion about his relationship to the world that shapes his psyche forever. The wandering of Allison in the title story causes her to take a big risk that will deeply transform her life. Jack's reminiscing triggers a sudden insight into why he never returned to San Francisco as he had planned. Life is about choices - and choices determine fate. The emotions and consequences triggered by the actions of the people in these stories may be fiction. But the anxiety, uncertainty and struggle for self-awareness of the book's characters as they face their circumstances are as wrenching as reality itself. W. A. Polf is a retired hospital executive, living in New York, N.Y., with his wife Robin. He is a native Californian who moved to New York many years ago. He graduated from San Francisco State University and Syracuse University, where he received a Ph.D. in American History.