Short stories by Maxwell Conroe

A short story by Maxwell Conroe inspired by Tolstoy's Hadji Murad, highlighting the tragedy of soldiers in a steel plant and the inevitability of human suffering, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Maxwell shares a story where Tolstoy's war-memories of Hadji Murad are updated to highlight the tragedy of dying soldiers in the Hell of Mariupol's steel plant. War struggles never cease to create men tough as thistles. Tolstoy’s description of the thistle, which opens his story, is the tangible object of our suffering as men in life; ending with us sagging in quicksand or sticky mud that reclaims our ashes: ashes-to-ashes is what life is all about — nothing less, nothing more.

A short story by Maxwell Conroe reflecting on Mick Jagger's ability to gain attention and promote visibility for himself and his band, The Rolling Stones, narrated by Jane Speaks. Getting attention is half the trick, knew Mr. Mick Jagger all along ‒ he never passed an opportunity to promote visibility of both himself and The Stones, his legendary rock band. Behind the poker face of Mick’s stage persona hid a determined and dedicated professional performer, as was observed up-close by a young medical doctor in the 1970s when he took Mr. Jagger in a Volkswagen Beetle to an X-ray machine in the middle of the night ‒ negotiating the labyrinth of Amsterdam’s canals ‒ to finally examine the performer’s sprained ankle. 

A short story by Maxwell Conroe exploring the hidden secret within the seemingly innocent garden of a reclusive writer named Isaac, narrated by Jane Speaks. Living alone in his secluded homestead, surrounded by his garden, Isaac (a writer) cares little for socials and generally thrives living the secluded life he had chosen to live. The seemingly innocent garden he dreamily stares into from his writer's den – it actually harbors a dark secret long lost. 

A short story by Maxwell Conroe comparing the author's Mind Twisters to Kurt Vonnegut's graphic illustrations called Confetti, narrated by Jane Speaks. I call my stories Mind Twisters. That is perhaps a very pretentious label, as I realized when stumbling upon the works by Kurt Vonnegut ‒ his graphic illustrations are labeled with a lovely unpretentious name: Confetti. Let me explain first what Kurt wanted to convey to his readers in Confetti, then I’ll come back to what I am after with my Mind Twisters. 

Applying the method of ratiocination to corroborate with evidence the claims made by Sherlock Holmes in his court filing against Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, private detective Auguste Dupin ‒ who was trained in his craft and the method of ratiocination by no one less than Edgar Allan Poe ‒ uncovers some salient facts concerning Doyle's treatment of his most famous creation. A short story by Maxwell Conroe where detective Dupin supports Sherlock Holmes' claims against Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, revealing significant information about Doyle's treatment of his renowned character, narrated by Axel.