A short story...

Copyright © 2019 by AuP reviner

An arrogant boy needs to learn some lessons... And to regain a spirit that had died within him...

Perfectly Reasonable

I was just about to turn in when when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.

I slipped on my robe, and opened it to see my brother Arthur standing there in just a towel.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

“I need your help, Gwen” he said.

Yes, I’m Guinevere, or just Gwen. Our parents thought that would be cute.

Part Twelve

“Hi, Mom, Well I know you said to cool it but.” She pulls out a zip lock bag with what turns out to be a home pregnancy test. It shows positive.

Shocked I don't know what to say, “OH, my god. I'm going to be a grandma.” I smile ear to ear.

Composing myself. “Anymore these are pretty accurate” indicating the home test. I ask the normal questions, We figure the baby is due Aug 21st.

“Have you told Kelsey yet?”

“No, I am going to wait till Christmas.”

Smiling, “ She will be so excited. Let's see how the little one is doing.”

No one dressed in such a definitively girly way could possibly be a boy, could they?

Part Eleven

Blue Impact ran into the equipment chamber just as Energia finished cooling the thermite charges below the combustion point. There was some damage, but she thought that most of the equipment would be fit for study. The place was half full of smoke and completely full of odd odors, but an air current from somewhere was already moving all that out.

"Hopefully there's enough left to tell us how to reverse the effects on Stone's test subjects," said Energia.

"Did you see Stone?"

"The only person here ran down that way!"

First visit to beauty salon, buying a special dress, and a night on the town.

Once Joan and I finished our little talk, I kind of started to look for Ben. Once more I had to wade through the crowds of people, somewhere dancing and others where chatting, boys flirted with girls and girls flirted with boys. All in all, it was your average dance. Finally a few minutes of searching, I found Ben by the refreshment table. He offered me a small smile as he passed me the paper cup.

“Have a nice talk with Joan?” He asked as he raised his paper cup to his lips and closing his eyes he took a small sip of the punch.

The House

By Dawn Natelle

The penultimate chapter: Dawn

Chapter 37 – Preparations

Part Ten

Blue Impact was actually dozing at her private work carrel in the main room of the old bakery when she was woken by fulminous swearing. From Gadgetive.

"What's going on?" she said, shaking her head to try and clear it more quickly as she hurried to the lounge area.

"There's a seismic disturbance at the Adirondack Anomaly!" she yelled.

"What?!"

A Short, light Interlude

By the age of two Earl had painfully learned not to tell anyone he was a girl. They all insisted he was a boy like his dumb brothers. Even paying dolls with his girl cousins wrong. He simply didn’t understand why they could play with dolls and he couldn’t. But he did learn not to bring the subject up. He hated playing with his brothers and boy cousins but he was not given a choice. The really sad thing is with each chastisement, the happy, smiling and often laughing toddler steadily morphed into a repressed, quiet and solemn little boy.

Part Nine

Vic woke slowly, which was odd. With her level of regeneration, even a powerful narcotic should have worn off quickly once her body began eliminating it. To her alarm, she discovered that she had been stripped and dressed in a paper examination gown. Even her ear bud was gone. She wasn't certain, but from the condition of her hair suspected she'd actually been washed.

"Someone was being thorough," she muttered, her voice hoarse.

"We're facing religious fanatics," Raben explained as he addressed his massed forces upon his return. "They live by a strict caste system that binds their society like iron. They are utterly locked into their caste with no hope of escaping the limitations of their caste. It is so ingrained into their culture the idea of breaking the caste system is abhorrent. I spoke to slaves, offering them freedom, but every one refused. Several called out an alarm and I was chased. The leadership has even armed and are training the slaves to fight by their side. Their way of life is diametrically opposed to the culture of the Clan Corvo. We are in for one hell of a fight."

FPI -- Frilly Pantied Investigator / Chapter 3

Copyright 2019 by Heather Rose Brown

In this chapter, names are named, genders are reconsidered, and something ceramic tumbles to its doom.

One Saturday Night at Magee’s
by Ellie Dauber

I’m afraid that I screwed up in attaching the .pdf file that was the bulk of Magee’s story #2. I have fixed it. So if you couldn’t read it before please try again. And comment. I did get 8 comments on what was posted, but they were all “Where’s the .pdf?” Still eight comments are eight comments, so here’s the third story. I’d like some comments on this one, also. Just because I only wrote three doesn’t mean that a fourth one might show up, given sufficient feedback.

This is the last of three stories about Magee’s, a neighborhood bar with a most unusual owner. Out of work – and bitter -- Vic Cantrell lets his wife. Betty, drag him into Magee’s for a drink. Only to find an evening far different than they ever expected.

Part Eight

"You just know they're gonna ambush us," said Energia, as the four of them entered the flyer. "That note with the address was left there for us to find. These are all professionals; they're not likely to make such a mistake."

"Then let's turn it around and ambush them," said Blue Impact. "I think we'll also bring help."

* * *