A Second Chance

By Dawn Natelle

By the rivers of Babylon

Chapter 1

The Angel of Chicago

Part Seven: Contusions

by

Rodford Edmiston

The dark figure emerged silently from one of the deeper shadows and quickly stepped into the open space his informant's diagram had revealed. The following ambush was sudden and thorough, but not unexpected.

This is a repost of an old story that seems to have disappeared from the site.

This piece takes the form of an interview between Ellen Hammond (EH) and Rosemary Donaldson (RD).

[EH] My guest today is the former politician and civil rights campaigner Rosemary Donaldson. Welcome to the show Rosemary.

[RD] Thank you for inviting me Ellen.

[EH] You have had a very varied and incident packed life. How do you think you would survive on a Desert Island?

[RD] How big is this island?

[EH] As big as you would like it to be?

Time on My Hands
Chapter 5: 195 CE: Tending to Romans

A few minutes later the centurion led Raben into a two story stone home. The moans of his wife could be heard as soon as they entered. Without hesitating he ran up the stairs and into the room where the moaning woman lay on a bed. The midwife and the healer were ineffectively tending to the woman.

“Have you given her anything?” Raben asked as he moved to the woman’s side and began to gently palpitate her swollen tummy.

“Who are you?” The healer asked indignantly as he tried to maintain control.

“I’m an Ianuarian,” Raben declared. “Now answer my question! What have you given her?”

“Get out,” The healer demanded. “You’re too young to know what to do.”

“The baby is turned,” Raben declared as he glared at the healer. “It’s too late to try to properly realign it. That should have been done when labor began. It will never come out naturally.”

I've been a bit busy the past couple of days - including dealing with a plumber - so this is a bit short. I just hope it's readable.

The Angel of Chicago

Part Six: Collisions

by

Rodford Edmiston

Melody and Arielle didn't have much time to catch up.

"Unfortunately, Dad wants to see you as soon as you are unpacked."

"Give me five minutes," said Melody, even as she turned and hurried towards the bedroom.

"Five minutes?" said Arielle, laughing. "How unladylike!"

Callie enters her third and final year in College with reservations about continuing in the cyber-warfare activities.

Jerry Tanner has a a lot of experience with games, but can he survive being caught in a game played by the gods?

A Second Chance

By Dawn Natelle

Tears were involved in the writing of this chapter, so you might want to have tissues ready as you read it: Dawn.

SUNDAY, June 5, 2016

Doubts 3 - Follow Becky's intimate thoughts as she navigates her day.

Jerry Tanner has a a lot of experience with games, but can he survive being caught in a game played by the gods?

This story very briefly uses the characters Katie, Liam, Pat, Brendan, Niall and Jimmy from my story Some Gave All which I posted here last summer: https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/69181/some-gave-all

This story is related to that one, as it tells about things that happened at the orphanage after those six kids ran away in May of 2006.

Most of the story is told from one boy's viewpoint, i. e., memories of what happened to himself and some other boys there.

Jerry Tanner has a a lot of experience with games, but can he survive being caught in a game played by the gods?

The Answer To A Maiden's (?) Prayer Chapter Three

I suppose there are worse nicknames to be stuck with than “Miss Steak”, even if it is constantly in need of explanation ( No, not Mistake, Miss Steak) but I still hadn't entirely forgiven Rocky for landing me with it. That said, in over a month of volunteering at the homeless shelter I'd discovered there was a lot more to him than the brash youth who'd compared me to a steak dinner before being slapped down by James, aka Sir Galahad, aka Hopalong, aka Shaft, the man who'd founded and ran the shelter.

Ken smiled and nodded. “No problem mystery girl.”

I could feel the blood leave my face. Already Tina's dad had started snooping. And apparently he hit my firewall.

The Angel of Chicago

Part Two: Fact Finding

by

Rodford Edmiston

Melody Gundersen scowled as her boss, Carl Gadding, entered. She wasn't hung over, thanks to the marvels of modern medicine, but she was short on sleep and caffeine was contraindicated for the hangover cure she'd taken. She was actually out of it enough she needed a moment to realize he was carrying an old-fashioned print book; what they called a hardback, she remembered, after a moment more.

"Did you catch the awards show on the 3V last night?"

That evening Gunter, who had raced Raben, was in a surly mood. He didn’t like losing and certainly not to a scrawny boy. While Raben hadn’t taunted him several of his fellow hunter/warriors did. After several mugs of mead his manly pride demanded he prove Raben could never have taken out the slavers on his own.

“Boy, I’m going to prove you’re nothing but a wimp,” he growled as he stalked to the youth who was checking the wound of an injured girl off to one side of the village’s central fire.

Raben ignored him which pissed the big man off.

Reaching out Gunter grabbed the healer by an arm hauling him away from his patient. “I’m talking to you boy!”

You can find life even in the most frozen tundra (notes from an explorer).

Once, Betelgeuse VII was a paradise for transgender people and rare sexual minorities, but now, the planet is in chaos. Its economy is collapsing. The sun might go supernova at anytime if neon fusion doesn't start in its core. People are captive, there is no way out and the sun might explode soon.

At an all boys school, boys often have to play girl parts in the plays, and jockish 13 year old Trevor is left shocked and nervous when he is cast as the leading lady and love interest to his best friend, in the winter play. Once the rehearsals starts however, Trevor begins to realize that maybe playing a girl won't be that bad.