BELOW THE LINE is a collection of eleven tales of mystery, intrigue, and horror which pull you under that often murky line between innocence and deception.

Take your first step to straddle the line with the distraught sister of an MIA soldier in "Salome's Gift." Then follow friends as they bravely investigate the neighborhood monster in "Metaphor." Visit the pits at the Brickyard 400 for an inside look at behind the scenes competition that might lead to murder in "Boneyard Busted." What happens when a wealthy socialite wears a family antique necklace to the Indianapolis 500? Find out the unexpected consequences in "Photo Finish." In"Slightly Mummified," your venture below the line ends in a Halloween disaster.

The next stories are further below, but still in sight of the line: "And Through the Woods" is a darker tale about an intruder who terrorizes a peaceful, middle-of-nowhere, rural community. Keep it dark and get into the mind of a stalker in "The Art of the Game." "Evil Comes" to a research laboratory where a presumed prank turns out to be murder.

If you dare, plummet the depths even further to a point where you might not be able to imagine the line. You'll find physical and mental alterations most bizarre and unexpected in three creepy short stories. The near future sci-fi "Au Natural" predicts a chance for a healthy long life if you're a natural born human. "The Stuff of Dreams" looks at another scientific advance, this time into memory phenomena. Finally, travel "Deeper into the Darkness" of mythical Africa on a life or death mission.

These stories might contain the stuff of dreams...or, more likely, nightmares.