Jessamyn Smyth's linked "Dog and Cecily" stories are about the primacy of the relationship with the animal-familiar spirit, its terrible costs and devastating beauties, the absurd and funny awkwardness of the human species, the relentless deepening of love, the bearing witness to unbearable loss. These beautiful, unusual stories honor a figure from Japanese folklore, the inugami -- a dog god that acts as a protective guardian. Individuals bonded with this familiar spirit are called inugami mochi; they are thought to be lucky and successful, but as a result of their extraordinary bond with the dog god, they are isolated from ordinary people and the lives they lead. The follow-on volume "Gilgamesh Wilderness" is also available from Saddle Road Press.