Within His Reach by Steve Gerlach
Introduced by William F. Nolan
Artwork by Alan M Clark

Arnold Enright has been a prisoner for the past six years, confined to a cell not of his own making. Sentenced to viewing his world's reflection in a mirror and with little hope of escape, he is a man whose whole existence can be measured in feet and inches, his only companion the relentless wheeze of an iron lung.
In this hopeless life of scientific dead-ends, Arnold Enright is left to ponder, to regret, to constantly remember what was, and what might have been. Forever praying for an escape route and a way to end it all, Mr Enright is about to discover his prayers have been answered, but in a way he could never have imagined.

~~~

"Within His Reach is a gripping story, reminiscent of a top-drawer Twilight Zone episode. Steve Gerlach grabs you right at the start and holds you breathless until the very last line. I can imagine the spirits of Rod Serling and Charles Beaumont nodding their approval over this powerful novella--it's a terrific piece of work."
--Christopher Conlon, Bram Stoker Award finalist for Midnight on Mourn Street, Starkweather Dreams

~~~

"I've read and enjoyed everything Steve Gerlach has published but I never imagined he had the talent, the soul, and the insight to write a story like Within His Reach.  This is a wonderful tribute to Rod Serling --deeply moving, heartbreaking, even.  It's an emotional roller-coaster I'll be thinking about for a long time.  I can't recommend it highly enough."
 - John R. Little, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Miranda, The Memory Tree and The Gray Zone