The Stand In
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

For 35yrs the border between the Human Empire and Gorgonzola Empire as remained mostly peaceful. The citizens for the Human Empire of this border region are loyal to the last man, woman, and child to the Empire. It was on one of these worlds that gave birth to a legend. The world of Apollo 6 is one of the harshest worlds within the Empire. One so harsh that only it could claim to be the birth world of James J. Owens, the most feared of Death Dealers. A world that is even now poised to give birth to a new legendary warrior. One who shall be baptized in the blood of the Empire’s enemies. Robert Wolff youngest great grandchild of James Owens’ sister Cecilia Owens.

CHAPTER 31
Both youngsters sat open-mouthed for a few seconds, before Kim, naturally, turned to me.

“Is Marlene always like this? And tell me again why we are here?”

My overdressed friend burst out laughing.

“Well, I can see which one of these two delicate flowers has been with you the longest, Debbie! Now, what can Marlene do for you?”

Los Angeles International Airport:
Emily covers up a yawn as she stood on the arrival side, looking for her boyfriend. He was supposed to pick her up at the airport. She had caught an early flight from Houston, Texas back to California.

She had finished a three-day show in Houston. Her equipment was already at the airport and the moving team her mentor Sasha uses was picking it up and taking it back to the warehouse. Just as she was about to call her boyfriend, she spots his car coming towards her. She watches as he pulls up in front of her.

Mother Daughter Bonding
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

"I don't know about this," I said. “It’s like Stan and Kevin might have the wrong idea about us. Just because we like dressing up as women now and again does not mean we are gay, or anything like that. I'm straight, just like you Dad.”

"Sure," my dad replied, but did I sense a little uncertainty? "It’s just a fantasy thing. We have to explain that to them. It’s a release mechanism. I used to do it before I was married, and well, since your mother died, I just slipped back into old habits.”

CHAPTER 29
I handed the hammer back to Nell, setting the frame as square as I could. It was only the second we had placed by the stairs, but it was a good one. Pat had set her timer to capture all four of us at the top of Carnedd Llywelyn, sun brightly shining and our jackets covered in lumps of snow from our silliness with axes and polythene survival bag. Just down from that picture, three of us grinned on top of Y Garn. The sunlight in the photos could do nothing to illuminate the staircase, but the memories did exactly that. Nell chuckled.

“What’s funny, love?”

“Just thinking, yeah? Climbing pictures, next to stairs. Fits!”

I have often wondered what would happen if Ciel Phantomhive and his demon butler Sebastian Michaelis had female counterparts

CHAPTER 28
The tops were drifted with white, as far down as the Heather Terrace on Tryfan, the sunrise pinking everything and almost dazzling in reflection from the eastern faces. Kim had the smug look that all newcomers to a place exhibit when they find someone even newer to gloat over.

“What you think, Nell? Good, or what?"

Bloomer Girl
A Short Story suggested by Eric
By Maryanne Peters

The following story, the first seven paragraphs of which are shown here, comes from the Sporting News (then a baseball-only newspaper) of December 4, 1924:

Kat, Paul, and Tammy manage to make it where Britney’s parents were sitting and watching the fighting going on outside the building. They had several large screen monitors showing them everything going on around the village and where the rest of Kat’s team was located.

Vishal and Kartika watch as Kat, Paul and Tammy come walking towards them. Vishal looks over towards his wife “it seems our time has come. Are you ready my dear?”

CHAPTER 27
We didn’t stay out that late, as both Paul (which felt right) and I had work the next day. That was a worry, as Nell remained a little of an unknown quantity. I would be forced to take a risk, and that meant trusting Sparky with her. Kim would be at work as well, but at least she was someone I understood, who would be close by if needed.

Part 10 of 11

Chapter 15
When we got home late, the other girls took one look at us and asked why we both looked like we'd gotten laid but hadn't been in the bedroom yet. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get used to girls asking questions like that, I was brought up to think girls didn't do stuff like that.

Part 9 of 11

Chapter 14
It took us two days to read all the things I had been given. It looked like being a Court Reporter involved more that pushing buttons on a machine, you had to take stenography and legal vocabulary and quite a few other courses to qualify. For a seventeen year old high school dropout, it looked like a lot to do. I just had to tell myself I was a twenty-one year old A student - just like my transcript said.

CHAPTER 26
I felt a little stupid at first, but then reconsidered. What did the idiot think he was doing collaring me there and then? I could see half of the people we wanted to warm up starting to drift away.

“Kim, Nell? Look after the urn, can you? And you, copper, passenger seat now, if you don’t mind!”

Nancy learns more of the world and herself.

CHAPTER 25
Nell sat quietly for a few moments, staring at the photo of three of us gathered at the little wind shelter, the sweep of the Carneddau behind us, her eyes downcast. I noticed her hands trembling slightly. Her voice was so quiet I had to strain to hear her words.

“I’ve never had this, you know. I always wanted to see the hills, the big ones, but Mam and Dad, they never went any nearer than that holiday camp out past Harlech. The do weekend specials there, country and western ones. We would drive up, or Dad would, man’s job, and all I saw of the mountains was out of a car window. We… I…”