Aquasynthesis is an anthology of short stories written by various authors tied together by a story written by Grace Bridges (I think).  The "tie" story is about a Gizile and her sour mentor, Tok.  Tok is teaching Gizile lessons through a frozen pool  that shows stories as she watches.

I won't go into each of the short stories.  Some were blatant in their moral point, others more subtle.  Some were pulled from larger stories, others stood alone.  All took Gizile deeper into an understanding of who she was created to be, who she was created by,  and what she needed to do in response.  Forgiveness was huge.

I will say that I liked these short stories better than the majority of literary short stories I've read over the years.  Even the subtle stories had purpose and theme.  It's a cute idea, aquasythesis, but I'd rather read a novel.

Still, it won't surprise me in the least if a few of these shorts come back into my mind, and I begin to wonder about the bigger life of these characters.