"Just one more step, Joanna…” Sky’s encouragement was as much to keep her own spirits buoyed as to keep the teen focused on her rehabilitation.  In Joanna, Sky saw the reincarnation of her own daughter and hoped her patient’s fate would be different.

Buck’s Tavern was a small bar located deep within the woods that surrounded Benton. To get to Buck’s one needed to travel down an old dirt road that was rutted with deep holes that often held water. And the building that was Buck’s was nothing more than an old wooden cabin. The roof was covered with moss. The glass in the window pane had long since turned to a dusty yellow. Spider webs decorated the corners.
an

Time on My Hands
Chapter 62: 413-415 CE: The Nation of Barmaz

Raben set up a base to continually train and supply Raven Raiders in Senegal. Recruits form all over the Clan Corvo headed there to be trained and indoctrinated into the Raven Raider mystique. The Clan Corvo expansion continued in Mexico. In December 413, 6 Raven Raider divisions swept south easily overwhelming Cerro de las Mesas and the smaller city states stopping at the Coatzacoalcos River, 135 miles south of Veracruz for and for 60 miles inland from the coast. In 414 the arrival of an additional 3 Raven Raider divisions allowed them to move 34 miles north of Veracruz, bringing a total of 125,000 people into the Clan. Also in 414, the Raven Raiders from Cancun drove west from the Rio Candelaria 210 miles sweeping through the Mayan city/states of Palenque and Tortuguero linking with the Veracruz at the Coatzacoalcos River bringing in 60,000 natives.

Curtain Fall - Chapter 09

The next day after meeting with Adam, Jill called him again as she drove home from work.

“Good afternoon Adam! I hope I’m not calling you at a bad time?”

She heard him coughing up some beverage he was drinking through the phone and he gasped, “NO! Uh, no! I can talk. I can talk anytime you need to speak with me Lady Adrasteia!”

Dad kept looking in the rear-view mirror. He was nervous for some reason and I could see the beads of sweat on his forehead as he turned his head.

‘Daddy, what's wrong?’, asked Suzie who was sitting behind me on the back seat.

...

Curtain Fall - Chapter 08

The real estate agent was trying to up-sell the dismal flat as a room with a view. Miss Loving was having none of that! A crazy cat lady had probably died there, though she couldn't find that info, but Mia, Miss Loving if she didn't like you, and she definitely didn't like the pushy agent, could smell them, though someone had worked hard to remove the scent of far too many cats in a small space.

The Final Chapter of this book of more than 60,000 words.

....................................................................................................................................................................................

Chapter 27

Raben made several decisions concerning the future of the Clan Corvo. The massive continual influx of people into Senegal from neighboring areas was too great for a smooth assimilation. For the last 18 years an average of 120,000 neighboring people per year were joining the Clan Corvo from adjoining tribal areas due to the ever escalating tribal warfare in search of slaves. The Clan Corvo represented peace, stability, and plentiful food. The Raven Raiders fielded 25 divisions who patrolled the ever expanding Senegal borders. Any armed incursions were met with overwhelming force and the utter destruction of the antagonists with most going into the Clan’s 3 year slavery. As tribes joined, they brought their land with them into the Clan Corvo, thus expanding the Senegal borders. With security and plentiful food, by 400 CE the birthrate soared to 3% while the infrastructure struggled to keep pace. By 411, the population in the African colony had soared to 5,095,711 people meaning the 3% population growth equaled 139,403 people. Raben decided that for the next 5 years to relocate 140,000 people into Barmaz while Barmaz raised their emigration to 63,000 people.

Two middle aged ladies clattered with confidence into the lounge carrying shopping bags and handbags. “Hello dear!” the first one said, without a care. “We’ve come to see Charles, is he in? I hope you don’t mind, we saw the lights were on and there was someone in the lounge.”

Charlie rapidly realised that while his Aunty Lilly had not immediately recognised him, the other lady, his mother surely would.

‘Sink or swim’ thought Charlie. “He’s here, please sit down both of you.”

Sunday dawned cool and clear. An early frost covered the ground and brass bells of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church bellowed all through the town. Soon there voices were joined by All Saint’s Catholic church. Fr. Brown had insisted the service for that day be in the ‘High Church’ style. Cradle Episcopalians would know this style by the colorful nickname of ‘Smells and Bells’.

Chapter 26
Robert was out of bed before Adele stirred and he listened to the early morning chorus that was a rare opportunity for him growing up in the central district of Bristol. He was usually at work at 6am in any case and rarely left before 6 pm so days were long and hard for little reward.

The same accident that caused the loss of his leg at age six also stimulated the latent genetics that ran in his family to trigger a mutation. Although becoming one of the ‘exo-humans’ the government monitored would prove to be the least of David’s worries once he stumbled upon his family’s secret.

Sympathetic Magic

Mardi Gras isn’t my thing, but there I was, in New Orleans.

Because James asked.

Not too many people stuck with me when I came out as a trans man, stopped being Barbra and became Benjamin, but James did.

So when he asks for help, I come.

He’s hung out a shingle as a P.I., getting a rep as the guy for the forgotten people, the ones the police ignore.

Chapter 24

On arrival back at the hotel Adele suggested some tea and refreshments and they opted to take a quiet table on the veranda at the rear of the hotel that looked over the garden and was shaded in the afternoon.

the same accident that caused the loss of his leg at age six also stimulated the latent genetics that ran in his family to trigger a mutation. Although becoming one of the ‘exo-humans’ the government monitored would prove to be the least of his worries once he stumbled upon his family’s secret.

Robert was disciplined for hurting two girls...
To avoid suspension he agreed to be a female mascot...
Robert has effectively become Rose and Dorothy the sailor...