A long way up the Great Valley (but still not at the end) ...

 

Tales of Faralmark


by Julia Phillips


01 – Far from Happy

When I reached the kitchen, I noticed that daddy was seating at the head of the table. To his left was mommy and to his right was Lily. The main meat dish for tonight, has I had correctly guessed was indeed cornered beefs, served along side a big bowl of stewed cabbage and a few potatoes. It was a simple homespun meal. The bread though was oddly enough a whole loaf of garlic bread. Offering my family a smile, I took my seat and folded my hands in my lap.

An outsider who was a regular on Saturday night asked Pete, “May I try a glass of poteen?”

“Ask Pat, it’s his liquor,” replied Pete, “It’s not for sale.”

“Surely,” replied Pat. Put the price of a whiskey in the kid’s Christmas party collection box. Pour your man a glass, Pete.”

I awoke in a small dark space.
My knees pressed against my chest and my arms wrapped about my shins.
My sense of balance told me I was the right way up.

Touch alone was enough to tell me I was naked,
My skin felt soft and hairless.
In contrast, the hair on my head cascaded in heavy locks of over my shoulders and upper back.
The way my thighs pressed together and the way my muscles responded when I squeezed, told me something else.
Just as I was certain that I had ten fingers and ten toes, I was also certain that I was female now.

Having a Full ride scholarship to MIT meant that I was set for the next four years.
All I had to do was keep my grades up, and I’d have a roof over my head and food in my stomach.
At least, I would once I got to Boston.

But the getting there was the problem.
I ended having to Hitchhike into Fort Wayne to meet the Greyhound going east.
And there I was settling into my seat with a whole fifty bucks in my pocket after bus fare.

Nicki smiled and said, “I have been reluctant to tell you more, for reasons that are obvious. I am a pre-op trans-sexual woman. I always intended to have the surgery one day in order to form a permanent relationship, but if you think we could go the distance perhaps not for a while.”

By dint of juvenile stupidity, Erica's school location is compromised but the trail proves to be a double edged sword insofar as the gang operatives have to expose themselves in order to get at Erica who now proves to be very useful bait for the police.

Bad Christmases - A New Plan

When you have four generations showing up at one house for a Christmas gathering, you can get some very different views.

Here's hoping we all have a little Ralphie in us.

https://dawngs.blogspot.com/2019/12/merry-christmas-to-all.html

Click on the captions to enlarge them.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!! Snuck this one in for you guys, hope you enjoy and as always if you find yourself wanting to help Zoe and I supporting us and reading again go ahead and go on over to our patreon!

Robin Campbell, as part of a scheme to stop the bullying of a friend, had attended Abbey Girls High School, living as a girl, and he had become extremely successful and popular academically and on the hockey field. After leaving school and attending University he returned to Abbey High as English teacher, and part-time sports master.

Rio's Bargain

1. Another Conquest

by Lulu Martine

"Thank you, miss," said the beaky, dark-skinned fellow. 

I'd just handed him his large caramel French-roast, and I'd already seen his change go into the tip-jar, so I smiled and said, "Thank you, sir." If he thought I was a girl, it didn't do me any harm. I got that a lot working the counter at SvensKafe, and my co-workers teased me about it.

Erica chooses to attend school with Olivia and Angela but things go 'pear-shaped' right from the start.

Lori requested that both her mom and her had their lunch on the deck while Luke and her dad were at the bike park. The Brat Princess wanted the time with her mom to be somewhere just as special. The seldom used deck was the perfect venue. It was elevated and had an awning for protection from the weather. Being attached to the sunroom made the deck seem bigger than its actual size was to Lori. The deck’s elevation along with their home being on a hilltop gave a great view of the Mon Valley. This vantage point made Lori feel so important on sitting on the deck.

“I told you you were different. You have not asked me if my breasts are real, if I still have my penis or how I do sex. Most men have asked those questions hours ago. You haven’t even asked me how old I am. Do you not wish to know before I suggest going to bed?”

.
At the end, after the word usage notes, is the Poem ‘Taffy was a Welshman’ which is vaguely relevant to the story. I’d had the vague outline of the story in my mind for a few days. Some details were inspired by comments I read on BCTS suggesting Taffy can only be a woman’s name – I assume those comments originated in the US, in the UK it is different. Robin too like a number of other essentially female names in the US is essentially a man’s name here. The highly respected, polite and competent anchorman on the 12/12/19-13/12/19 overnight ‘Election 2019’ BBC program was Welshman Huw Edwards, and watching the election coverage gave me more pieces for the story. Then a friend came over to use my Bridgeport milling machine to remove a broken half inch stud from a casting and the detail was virtually finalised. Taffy is also a chewy toffee or candy in the UK, but that didn’t help me write the story at all.

An cryogenic experiment, A brave volunteer starts to dream about being the opposite sex. Is it malfunctioning equipment, intentional or something entirely different all together. Why is he dreaming about being a girl? Is it really happening?