This month's Number One Story: "A Matter of Need" by Watcher (llxzt@hotmail.com).

This one is a romantic tear-jerker. From an analytic viewpoint what makes a story like this work so well is the contrast between the sadness of the first wife's death and the joy of the new relationship. For reasons that I think I won't discuss right now, this story hit home close to me. Sven has already reviewed the story, and so I won't repeat that process. Let me just say it's realistic: things really do happen this way sometimes.

"A Matter of Need" by Watcher (llxzt@hotmail.com). Review by Sven the Elder, who may be contacted at Sven@brass-neck.demon.co.uk

This story is a simple one - it deals with the trauma of a devoted married couple, one of whom dies, and the subsequent trials and tribulations the surviving partner goes through as his friends attempt his rehabilitation.

Now consider that the above synopsis is like saying that either St Paul's Cathedral in London and the Capitol in Washington are just buildings. This story is a tear jerker - I don't mind admitting that at the end I cried - sentimental old fool that I am! Using colours to describe the changing mood and turmoil in the mind of the main character is a masterpiece of writing. It portrays what is almost an exorcism superbly. There are others who can probably vouch for the accuracy of the mood swings and feelings, better than I. Without actually having undergone the sort of agony portrayed, I can only imagine the situation - Watcher, for me has captured those feelings with total clarity of description.

I have been deliberately a little cagey in the depictions and synopsis; saying too much would detract from the story itself, that I most certainly do not wish to do.

Finally I feel that I just read *my* story of '98. It will be a remarkable one that comes along to displace this from *my* number one. It *should* be in the top ten for the year at the very least. If you read no other stories from this set of reviews, this has to be the one.

As to the ratings - this is the first story I have read that I genuinely feel is outside the rating structure, it is that good. However to comply:-