In the end it had been quick.

Any Carmichael grew up in a not particularly pleasant part of town, a run down estate on the outskirts of Nottingham where crime, or at least the presence of the perpetrators of crime, was part of everyday life. It was the sort of place where the police rarely visited, and when they did it was always in large groups to cope with the torrent of abuse that they would encounter. For those that lived there, crime was not a problem, it was a case of ‘don’t mess on your own doorstep’. However events led to the need ro give it all up and completely change his life,

Mantra tries to juggle two problems at the same time. What she finds out is gut-wrenching, but she has an important job to do and can't afford to get emotionally involved with the local problems of an alternate world. Unfortunately, things have a way of going wrong for Mantra.

To repeat myself, this is a completely true story. I left out details that could be used to hurt me or others in this account.

I had a long life and was thankfully disowned by my greedy unforgiving children. My mate of 38 years was now my X, and died also. My other relatives had all passed.

It was peaceful alone in a one-bedroom apartment on the 4th floor. Not having drank or smoked, I lived a modest life.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 59 Chineseium

“Well, Son, doubtless if you looked the words up in a fancy English ordbok it would tell you that they are the same, but there’s a difference in the way Bearthwaite folk use the words these days. Yance ower they were the same here too, but now a visitor is someone we welcome, even if they’ve never been here before, decent folk are visitors. Tourists are folk we don’t really like, folk we don’t approve of, but as long as they don’t get too far out of line we’ll happily tek their money off ’em. Okay, Son?”

“Yeah. I get that. Visitors good, tourists bad. Simple enough, Granddad. I’ll explain to my brothers. Thanks.”

As Ethan left Alan couldn’t help but smile at the Orwellian simplicity of life as seen by a child. Visitors good, tourists bad. ‘What,’ he wondered, ‘would I give to be eight again?’

Chapter 3

When we left the Chancellor’s office, we could hardly stop giggling. There we were, two students who were about to start a year with the University, and all we were asked for was our signatures on her collection of books!

We utilised the campus map we had been given and went around to look at the various buildings where we would have been studying, then found the canteen for a drink and talk.

“It looks as if the President has spoken to the Chancellor and sealed our fate.”

Chapter 2

When it comes to convenience, Mechelen really sits in the right place. Just over twenty kilometres from the campus in Antwerp, and a similar distance to the centre of Brussels and the EU headquarters. That was where some of Elaine’s family worked. Her uncle Jules was part of the security detail in the main building, while Juliette, his wife, was a secretary in the office of one of the Belgian Commissioners. There were three children, all who had left home and lived in Brussels.

It. Was. Divine. I had to have more! More! But, I didn’t take more. I took my hand away with my trick still active. I was in control, at least I was when I was not starving for the stuff. "That's it. Now, you just have to wait it out." I closed my eyes and opened them. The urge subsided a bit.

I walked back inside. "I'm done," I told the others. They went outside to see Douglas.

Chapter 1

I was the third child born into what was supposed to be a large family. The first three of us were named alphabetically, as per my father’s family. My brother was Adrian, my sister was Belinda, and I was called Clarence. Our father had been from a big family and was called Gordon Higgins. He had been born in 1988, while my mother, Annabel, had been born in 1990, and was an only child.

That didn’t cause me any panic. I was expecting a few deliveries and I was hoping this was the one I was really waiting for. When I opened the front door a delivery-man was standing there, brown uniform, a cardboard box in his arms and one of those sign-in document thingies for me to register that I had received the delivery.

A Family Reunion

Chapter One

Anne Marie Taylor sat on the train from London to Manchester, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her coat as the train rumbled along the tracks. The rhythmic clatter was almost soothing, a constant in a world that felt anything but steady. She glanced at her phone, scrolling through the texts from her mum, Diana. Each one was filled with warmth and excitement, a stark contrast to the chilly silence she’d faced from her family over the past four years.

Jack O' Lanterns, Moonlight, and Magic
By
Rebecca Anna Coleman
Chapter Four: The First Steps into Girlhood

Who do I want to be today? Should I be demure? Laid back? Casual, but fun? Pretty? Alluring? How should I do my hair? My makeup? How tall should I be?

In 2026, the United States embarked on a daring and audacious endeavor: testing a new weapon intended to replace atomic weapons. This singularity bomb, a marvel of cutting-edge technology, was engineered to unleash the destructive power of traditional nuclear weapons without any of the radioactive fallout. However, the test didn't unfold as planned.

Manikin? Man, I can!