Summary of Genesis And Catastrophe
The short story Genesis And Catastrophe is set in the late nineteenth century in Braunau, Germany. It revolves around an inn where a birth is going on; the main characters are Klara, Alois, Adolf, the midwife and the doctor; it is a 3rd person narrative in a historic drama theme.

Klara has just given birth to her son. Her previous three children had all died and she fears that the newborn will die as well. The doctor has a long conversation with Alois about how her other children died, and her strong fear of it happening again. Eventually, Alois, Klara's husband, is allowed to come in. He describes the baby as small and feeble, even compared to the others. The doctor and midwife try to assure her that the baby is healthy and they ask the father to be more compassionate toward his wife and to hope for his son's survival. At the end of the story, Klara prays, "He must live, Alois. He must, he must… Oh God, be merciful unto him now…" Her son is named Adolf, Adolf Hitler.

Summary of The Purse Is Mine
The short story The Purse Is Mine is set in the very early twenty-first century in an unknown city in South Africa. The main characters are Akufani and Vusi; it is a third person narrative and revolves around criminality.

The story begins with Akufani and Vusi catching a metro train. They talk about their profession: theft. Vusi says he's wanting to stop stealing and become an honest worker instead. Akufani tells him about the importance of 'fast bucks' in order to maintain materialistic girlfriends. They leave the metro train where we follow Akufani. He attempts to snatch a woman's purse. However, the woman notices and he gets beaten up where he flees. When he has successfully fled, he wonders where Vusi is. Akufani then sees an old man with a purse, and he successfully steals it. However, two policemen see the act and walk to Akufani to question him. Akufani claims it to be his, something that the policemen don't believe. Akufani and the policemen walk to the old man, and he denies ownership of the purse. The policemen bring Akufani to the police station, being that they're so uncertain about the crime. At the police station, it is revealed that the purse is full of cocaine and marijuana.