"If a fable is a legendary story of supernatural happenings," Mr. Swann says, "or a narration intended to enforce a useful truth, then these four are fables--which shouldn't be confused with fairy tales targeted only for children. These, then, are tales for kind and loving people of all ages."

"The Temple of Sanity" tells of an idea that became a reality and grew into an insitution, only to develop rules and leaders, cliques and critics . . .

"A Clay-Modeling Lesson" tells of the four identical boys separated at birth and raised Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and atheist, and how they met as representatives of their respective communities . . .

"The Fate and Destiny of a Traveling Clairvoyant" tells of a woman with a special talent, who found that people prefer seeing dimly to seeing clearly . . .

"Watcher of the Purple River" tells of an old woman and a young man, and how she taught him to watch the river of life . . .

These fables came to Ingo Swann as a gift from a part of himself: He awoke four mornings in a row and literally had to write them. They have in common a gentle wisdom, a kindness, an empathy, that will make them immediately precious--and then unforgettable--to the reader whose heart is open.