"Swansong" by Unknown Author. After spending considerable time compiling my Top 100 List for 1995, I was a little apprehensive about returning to "ordinary" stories. I figured I was in for a letdown. Not so. This first story of the new year may make the list of Top Stories of 1996. It's about a senior citizen who is getting tired of being looked upon as some kind of sexual relic and who suddenly has thrust upon himself some responsibility for helping raise the young teenage daughter of his stepson. A large number of people (including myself) are often offended or at least annoyed by "pedophile" and "incest" stories. I found this story about sexual activity between this man and his young charge to be not the least bit offensive. As a matter if fact, the person most likely to be upset by this story will be the reader who reads this story to see some hot sex between a prepubescent virgin and her grandpa. The sex is not at all vividly portrayed; but it's still a very realistic, sensitive, and sexy story.

The author approaches the relationship between the old man and young girl with sensitivity and in a context of moral ambiguity. This story reminded me of "Mother and Son" by Ann Douglas. I think it is normally a good guideline that parents and grandparents should refrain from having sex with prepubescent children; but both stories described situations in which it would be hard to say that the older people were exploiting the children with whom they were sexually intimate. I don't know who the author is. In fact, if the author reads this review, I'd like to hear from him/her. There were a few stylistic problems that could be cleared up, but otherwise this was a well-written, thought-provoking story. (Rating: 10)