The Karma Files

A Note Before You Open *The Karma Files*

Welcome.

Before we begin, there is probably one thing you should know about *The Karma Files*:

These stories are not about superheroes. There are no capes. No ancient prophecies. No chosen ones standing dramatically on mountaintops while orchestral music explodes in the background.

Usually, it is something much more dangerous.

An ordinary human being making an incredibly stupid decision.

That is where these stories begin.

A parking space.

A checkout line.

A restaurant.

A workplace.

A sidewalk.

The small places where people reveal who they really are because they assume nobody important is watching.

Sometimes they are kind.

Sometimes they are generous.

Sometimes they quietly help someone who needs it and never expect anything in return.

And sometimes...

Well.

Sometimes somebody parks a giant SUV in a disabled space and tells an elderly man to walk faster.

At that point, even Karma has limits.

That is the idea behind *The Karma Files*.

Every episode starts with something ordinary. Something that could happen in almost any town, on almost any day, to almost anyone.

Then somebody makes a choice.

A good one.

A selfish one.

A cruel one.

Occasionally one so breathtakingly stupid that somewhere in the universe a filing cabinet opens by itself.

And then we wait.

Because Karma in these stories is not a magical creature hiding behind a tree with a baseball bat.

Usually, karma is much less dramatic.

It might be a stranger who notices.

A camera that happens to be recording.

A parking officer arriving at exactly the wrong-or right-moment.

A cashier remembering what happened.

A door opening.

A phone ringing.

Or simply another human being deciding:

**No. Not this time.**

That is what makes these stories fun to write.

The punishment is rarely huge.

It does not need to be.