Select two (2) of the very short stories and write an OREO (opinion, reason, evidence [x2]) paragraph for each story selected about what the story means to you. Remember to use quote(s) from the story as evidence to support your opinion. When the Solid Gives WayThe dog trotted onto the frozen pond to fetch an errant stick. That is how I picture it, at least. The boy trudging along the snow packed shore. The arc of the stick against the crystalline sky. The dog tracking its path, eager paws scrambling. The bounce of the stick—once, twice—spinning and spinning. The dog’s oblivious disregard of depth and strength and gravity. I picture the boy’s measured steps forward, hands outstretched like the blind. Imagine the plunge into a needle-fingered cold. Heavy boots. Heavy coat. Later, the dog came back alone. Sodden and shivering, fracturing our lives like ice. The Audubon BarWhen it was too late, we realized all the punks here dressed like birds. Ravens in the corner, sipping Cape Cods. Hector, with his Kodachrome Mohawk, surely a parrot. The Italian band in pink leather, flamingos everyone. We, mere finches, near the Pac-Man machine making munching noises. We mourned Brad, Spider-Man in the superhero band, who yesterday had flown through his van windshield. Drunk, they claimed. But we knew. If he’d only picked Batman, we’d have seen him flapping under a low moon, his body rising above howling dogs, until we finches shuddered awake at 3.am., chirping for dawn. A Blanket DecisionAt the Twisted Stitchers meeting, I held up my first, nearly finished, crocheted baby blanket. They oohed and ahhed. "But look," I said, "There’s a mistake 40 rows back. Should I frog it?" The thought of ripping out thousands of stitches, weeks of work, irked me. They smiled, shrugged, and crocheted. Finally, someone said, "It’s about what you can live with." I hesitated. I had three ex-husbands, too many former jobs and careers to count, a slew of lost friendships, and closets full of bad purchases. I picked up the yarn and pulled. Finally, a mistake I could completely undo.