The people in these stories have two things in common: loneliness, and a passion to make magic of their humdrum worlds. The wonderlands they create often lead them astray, but rarely fail to lend their souls a glow that would otherwise be missing. Ironically, a few of these characters actually do live in authentic magic lands, but invariably long for the mundane existence forever denied them. The house across the street can look like Oz if you don't live there.