Book excerpt: The short stories in 'Beyond The Crack In The Sidewalk' explore aspects of living, loving and dying: the main elements that define our human existence. Included is also a lighter story: a mystery written in the vein of "The Twilight Zone". The characters in these stories range in age from seventy-year-old Gloria, who is about to find love again, to five-year-old Bobby, who has no concept of why his daddy is no longer there. Then there's sixteen-year-old Hannah, a runaway who finds love only to lose it. On a philosophical level, these stories reflect the world in which we live, bringing to light social issues such as homelessness, the human cost of war, sexual abuse, and when do we go too far in medical treatment.