Giants Have Us in Their Books
by José Rivera

This collection includes six short plays: FLOWERS, TAPE, A TIGER IN CENTRAL PARK, GAS, THE CROOKED CROSS, and THE WINGED MAN.

The genesis of these fairy tales for adults was Mr. Rivera's daughter who asked where fairy tales came from and was told that people made them up and put them in books.

''Oh,'' she replied, ''then giants have us in their books.'' The plays that followed were written ''as if we were the subject of stories told by giants."

FLOWERS: Lulu's acne must have some cosmic meaning, perhaps punishment for her vanity, but when the acne morphs into hibiscus flowers, she believes she is cursed.

Her little brother, Beto, however, sees an "unearthly beauty" in the flowers.

TAPE: If we suspected everything we said was being recorded, would we act differently?

A TIGER IN CENTRAL PARK: A runaway tiger renders the island of Manhattan impotent.

GAS: A man goes to a gas station to fill up his tank.

The Gulf War has just started, and the man's brother is fighting in it.

The gas comes out red.

THE CROOKED CROSS: A high-school girl dons swastika earrings, given to her by her boyfriend, and finds that her life soon turns into a nightmare.

THE WINGED MAN: A young girl bears the child of a fabled flying man.