text:  Welcome back. This is Selected Shorts, where our greatest actors transport us through the magic of fiction, one short story at a time. I'm Meg Wolitzer. On this Selected Shorts, we're considering various forms of created worlds where ordinary life changes in disconcerting or disturbing ways. But no fear. If you join us at SelectedShorts.org, you'll find the perfect world for you. And we'd like you to help us make it more perfect.