10 Reasons to Cross the Moat

So why would you cross an alligator-infested, algae-ridden moat? To get to the princess? To get away from the princess? To steal a treasure? To go out and seek a treasure? Or perhaps the moat is a metaphor for a barrier one must cross or circumvent in order to achieve one's goals or dreams.
In keeping with the title of this anthology, we have selected ten fantasy and science fiction tales [actually eleven, but who's counting?]. You'll meet kings and princesses, waitresses and wizards, malcontents and chickens, and demons and nightmares and angels. You'll find castles and cliffs, highways and roads and, yes, moats. Come find out why folks cross them.