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The book is available worldwide through Amazon in paperback and ebook editions (stay tuned for more info on the audiobook release.)

If you’re planning to buy the book, it would really help for you to buy it today (Tuesday, January 23rd). Strong momentum on launch day will go a long way to help others find the book.

If you enjoy the book, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a positive review on Amazon. You don’t need to write a long essay or anything—a positive review with just a few sentences about what you enjoyed about it will go a long way (make sure to wait until you’ve received the book.)

Thank you in advance for supporting my work, and your help with spreading the word!

I began work on this book back in March of 2021. This endeavor took me through the process of drafting, editing (and re-editing), illustrating, and even narrating an audiobook. It’s been a hell of a journey. This book is without a doubt the biggest personal project I’ve ever undertaken.

I’m really proud of the result. And I’m confident you’ll enjoy these tales!

My deepest gratitude to so many of you for supporting me in making this book, and in all my writing thus far.

I can’t wait to hear how this book lands with you. (Send me your selfies with the book!)

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P.S. The book is available for purchase on Amazon storefronts globally, so if you’re outside of the U.S., just search for “wandering spirits salman ansari” in your region’s Amazon storefront (e.g. Amazon UK, Amazon CA, etc.).

The newt was preparing for a dangerous journey through the winter forest. It was a rite of passage for all young newts.

His elders tried to prepare him for the treachery of the forest, and the trickery of winter. But the newt wouldn’t listen. He had spent his youth immersed in books of all kinds. This filled him with confidence that he could face any challenge.

“Remember to—” the elders would begin.

“I know,” the newt would interrupt. “I’ve read more than all of you combined. I need no guidance.”

Eventually, the elders went silent.

The newt turned and left his elders behind. He began his long journey alone. Soon, the winter joined him.

When the foxes appeared, the newt knew to burrow and hide, but all he could do was freeze in place. He got bit on his leg, and escaped within an inch of his life.

When nightfall brought bitter cold winds, the newt knew he had to warm up, but his trembling hands couldn’t start a fire.

When his food ran low, the newt knew he needed to ration his supplies, but his belly yelled loudly. He couldn’t resist, and ate everything he had.

Soon, the newt had run out of food and warmth. Predators lurked nearby.

The newt knew his end was nigh. Or so he thought.

An elder newt appeared, embraced the young newt, fed him, and protected him.

The newt looked up at the elder. “I’m sorry. I thought I knew—”

“I know,” said the elder newt.

In the morning, the newt took the rations the elder gave him, and continued his journey.

“Will you be alright?” asked the elder.

“I will,” said the newt. “In the summer, I had knowledge. But the winter made me wise.”

He stepped forward a new newt.

If you liked this fable, you’ll love my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits!

This fable was written, illustrated and narrated by me, Salman Ansari. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I’d greatly appreciate if you shared it with a friend, parent, or child who might enjoy it too.

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His mother frowns at him. “We’re leaving, and that’s final. It's too dangerous. Did you already forget what happened yesterday, when you were caught by one of those invisible hooks? Or a week ago, when your sister was trapped in a monstrous black web? There’s danger everywhere. This is no place for little fish.”

“Hurry up,” his father calls out. “The current’s here! This is our chance.”

The sunfish’s family has been preparing for this day for a long time. Word among the schools had spread of a powerful current that can carry them to a better place, safe from the hazards of their current home.

His father swims ahead, then turns back to beckon his family. “This way. It’s just beyond those weeds.”

The young sunfish drags his fins. He slows down and stares at the dancing seaweed, mesmerized by its movements.

The distant shouts of his mother snap him out of his daze. The current has already captured his family. It is stronger and faster than they expected.

The sunfish sees the outstretched fins of his mother reaching out to him. He flaps his fins hard to reach her, but something holds him back. His rear fin is caught in a string of seaweed. He tries to break free, but his struggles only tightens its hold on him. He shouts to his family as he watches them fade away.

The sunfish calls for help, but no one can hear him. His screams are overshadowed by terrifying rumbling emanating from the ground. Suddenly, a cloud of dust erupts all around him. A giant gray wall rises from the floor. It rises higher and higher until it breaches above the water’s surface.

The sunfish finally breaks himself free from the weeds, but the wall now stands in his way, with this family on the other side. The wall seems to stretch infinitely in both directions. He swims himself to exhaustion trying to get around it.

The sunfish swims back to his home to get help. When he gets there, he finds that all the fish are gone. His shouts reach no one. Eventually, he ceases his swimming and screaming, and collapses into bed.

He wakes up a few hours later, and suddenly remembers what happened. He tries again to swim around the wall. He fails time after time, but still keeps trying. He spends his days swimming to exhaustion.

Some nights, his mother appears to him in his dreams. She calls out to him with her fins outstretched, “Stop waiting!” Each time, he tries to hurry and catch up to her, but he never makes it.

The sunfish wanders around his empty home. He curses the seaweed and glares at the reefs. He resents the home he once loved.

“I hate it here,” says the sunfish.

One day, as he is whipping his tail in frustration, he bumps into an old fish sitting in the sand. “Oh, I’m sorry,” says the sunfish. “I didn’t see you there. I didn’t know there will still fish around.”

“Not all of us fell for the current’s call,” says the old fish.

“My family went in,” says the sunfish. “They never came back.”

“Mine too,” the old fish replies.

“Really? Did you try to go after them?”

“No. I don’t trust it.”

“Trust it?”

“The story. Of the other side.”

“It’s not a story. There’s a better place on the other side. My mom said so.”

“That’s what they all say, but how do they know? No one has ever come back from it.”

“You mean the other side isn’t a good place?”

“Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t.” The old fish looks at him. “We all have to decide what to believe.”

The sunfish is quiet for a moment. “All this time I thought I’m the unlucky one. Maybe—”

“It’s not so bad here,” says the old fish.

The sunfish smiles and looks up at the old fish, who has already closed his eyes and dozed off for a nap. He swims back home. For the first time in a long time, he watches the seaweed dance along the way.

That night, in his dream, his mother tells him to stop waiting, as she always does. But on this night, she says it with a smile, and there’s more to her message: “Stop waiting for us.” The sunfish opens his eyes and sees his mother’s words in a new light.

The next morning, the sunfish acts on his mother’s message. He starts to build his life anew. As new fish migrate into the area, he welcomes them with open fins, and becomes their guide. He shows them its beauty, and guides them away from its traps. The sunfish helps his school thrive, and his efforts make his home a better place.

One day, a new current appears. A school of fish rushes into it. One of them turns to the sunfish and yells, “Don’t you want to see what lies on the other side?”

The sunfish shakes his head. “I like it here.”

If you liked this fable, you’ll love my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits!

This is the latest fable in my newly launched section, Modern Fables, which I announced in an earlier edition. It was inspired by an anecdote my mother shared with me from her own childhood. In a future edition, I plan to share more about the process behind writing it, as well as the iterations to develop the fish character design for the illustration.

P.S. If you’d like to opt out of these fables but continue receiving my regular newsletters, you can always do so by managing your subscription here.

They each lived on opposite ends of the beach, but shared a common gift in the art of the hunt. They could pluck unsuspecting critters with a single dip of their beaks.

The first piper lived with an impatient flock.

When her hunting skills showed promise, her flock demanded more, and more, and more. Her success was always rewarded with pressure, never with prize. Wave after wave was thrown her way, until she finally buckled under the weight, and drowned.

Since the piper was no longer around, no food could be found, and the flock fell to the ground.

The second piper’s flock flew in a different formation.

When they noticed her natural talents, they encouraged her with chirps and cheers. Once her own belly was full, the piper shared her winnings with her peers.

The piper was cherished, and the flock flourished, for all were well nourished.

If you liked this fable, you’ll love my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits!

This is the first fable I’ve published in a newly launched section, Modern Fables, which I announced in the last edition. It was loosely inspired by one of my favorite Pixar short films, Piper.

P.S. If you’d like to opt out of these fables but continue receiving my regular newsletters, you can always do so by managing your account here.

I just finished drafting the final fable in my upcoming book of fables! I wrote the first lines of it back on March 31st, and it’s been a huge sprint of writing to get to this point. I’m taking a moment to breathe, and celebrate this achievement.

Today, I’m excited to share a new flash fable I’ve written, The Boat of Stillness. This story was selected for a live reading at the Diablo Flash Night event! I had a ton of fun sharing this story with a live audience, and can’t wait for more opportunities like this.

You might enjoy pairing this tale with a tune from Robert Haigh:

Gather round, dear friends, a new fable begins…

A lone castaway strolls along the beach. He hears a voice call out to him, and turns to see a sailboat approaching the shore. His gaze searches the decks for its crew, but to his alarm, he sees no one on board.

The voice from the boat calls out once more, sending a shiver through his skin.

“I am a boat of stillness,” says the boat. “I am not a ship of war, waiting for my inevitable destruction. Nor am I a race vessel, chasing empty rewards. I seek only the solace that comes through stillness. Will you join me?”

The man ponders the boat’s cryptic offer. He has seen many battles, and carries many bruises. A life of stillness is a compelling proposition.

“I will,” says the man, as he hops on board.

On the first day, the boat moves gingerly, as if floating in a pond. The man sleeps soundly.

The next day, the boat reaches deeper waters. The waves jerk the boat up and down, left and right.

The man stares at the boat with expectant eyes, waiting for it to adjust and stabilize. But the boat does nothing, and the ride remains rough.

That night, a terrible storm overtakes them. Heavy winds rip at the mast. Lightning sets a sail on fire. Still, the boat does nothing. They spend the night thrashing to the whims of the winds and waters.

When the storm passes, the man confronts the boat. “You promised me stillness, yet delivered a journey of suffering!”

The boat replies, “If we had fought the waves, we’d be split in two. Through stillness, we survived the chaos.”

If you liked this fable, you’ll love my book of modern fables, Wandering Spirits!