title: The Soft Fail Machine: A Collection of Contemporary short stories
author:  J F Speed 
description: These contemporary short stories are meant to be experienced. Each has a life of its own and the strength to impact yours. Here is where the barriers come down. here you find poetry and prose in that one extended moment before everything changes.
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  # The Harder they Fall
  
  
  ### A Softley Softley Thriller
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Alex Smith
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2018 by Alex Smith
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
  mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
  written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in
  a book review.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [The Harder They Fall](part0003.html#2RHM0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0005.html#4OIQ0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0006.html#5N3C0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0007.html#6LJU0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0008.html#7K4G0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0009.html#8IL20-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0010.html#9H5K0-3ae8680b5ac54506a55fc943c8433094)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  