A mother and her young daughter live on and off the street for years, only to be "rescued" by a man with means who slowly breaks the mother down before turning his eyes on the daughter.
Five year old Amanda is in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a liability to her father. He decides to solve his problem in a very entertaining way.
Tizzy is visiting her sister in the South where she works. Of course she is familiar with the color bar - it's not unknown in New York where she lives. But here she finds that racial prejudice has an even more sinister aspect. Caution: This story uses some pejorative terms relating to race which I do not condone in normal usage.
Thomas is stuck in a dead end job and in an unhappy engagement. He's subconsciously looking for a way out and a solution to his troubles appears in the form of a massive being which wants to give his life a new meaning.