“Hi!” I say with an excited squeak as I open the door and am greeted by the grinning, dark-skinned face of my bandmate. “Virtual hugs and kisses!”

“Virtual hugs and kisses!” Adeola giggles as we both hold our hands up and wiggle our fingers at each other- our latest attempt at a covid-safe greeting. “Is Becca already here?”

“Not yet, I think she’s still getting used to there actually being traffic on the roads of London!” I chuckle, before grinning as Adeola’s fiancé enters our flat carrying an expensive-looking bottle of wine. “Hi Marco! Virtual hugs!”

The Twelve Days of Christmas By Tiffany B. Quinn “Hey Karl,” Jake says as he shakes my hand, “Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk.” He has been busy taking care of the dozen or so guests all evening. “This transition stuff really sucks. Maybe we should talk about this more at your party on Monday.” “Will do,” I tell him, “I really need to talk about all this with a guy for a change.” I walk out the door to what promises to be an interesting second half of the night.

Sunday Jan 1, Day 7

The Twelve Days of Christmas By Tiffany B. Quinn It looks as if my day with the boys is changing. I hope that they don’t mind. I better let them know that they can bring dates/wives with them.

Friday Dec 30, Day 5

Kim To Kimberly

Chapter 4: “Kimberly” Meets Scott

One evening early the next week, Kim was sitting on the living room couch when Karen walked in.

“Hey, little sister,” she called out, “are you ready for another fabulous, feminine adventure this weekend? I’ve got something special in the works.”

Part Five

At the Detroit Metro Airport the next day there was still one surprise for Michelle, though it was a minor one.

"'Victoria'?" said Michelle, looking over Vic's shoulder as her wife checked their luggage. "Oh, right; you changed it when we got married. I'm so used to everyone just calling you 'Vic' I forgot."

"Yielding as gracefully as I can to the inevitable," said Vic, a bit pompously.

The Twelve Days of Christmas By Tiffany B. Quinn I wonder again if my parents aren’t truly communicating with me from the grave. I go to bed with more questions than answers.

Tuesday Dec 27, Day 2

Part Four

The old bakery turned superhero lair was well-lit and well-ventilated these days. However, there were times when this pleasant environment did not suit the psychological atmosphere of the inhabitants. This was definitely the case when Blue Impact left her private corner, under the stairs, and came into the main part of the largest room of the structure. The other two members of Tricorne were sitting in the entertainment area, not watching TV.

The Twelve Days of Christmas By Tiffany B. Quinn Tradition has it that the magi took twelve days to find the Christ child after the new star first appeared at the time of the child’s birth. This is a magical time, which ends the day before Epiphany. Unlike the eighteenth-century English Christmas carol which details an increasing number of gifts with the twelve days of Christmas, Karl’s gifts do not increase in number daily. Instead, their cumulative effect has a profound impact on his life view.

Sunday Dec 25, Day 0

This one is pretty rough and ready. I only just finished it this morning and haven’t had a chance to proof-read it yet. Since I wrote most of it on my phone and have a constant battle against the stupid autocorrect, there may be some unusual sentences in there, but hopefully you’ll be able to make out what was intended. Please message me when (rather than if) you find any and I’ll correct as quickly as I can.

and my Amazon US author page is here

Orpheus Ascending
By Ellie Dauber
Copyright 2000

Author’s Note: Except for the TG element near the end, this is a straightforward retelling of the Greek myth.

* * * * *

Now would I tell the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, a sad tale of death and longing and of a fate most strange and yet most fitting.

“I’ve got Rob, and you, and Maggie. And Al and Javi, for a couple more weeks. And Fiona and Henry, Liz . . . . Marta’s got nobody. Nobody at all.”

Luke grunted as his phone’s alarm woke him from a deep sleep. His mouth was dry and his head throbbed, but what concerned him most was that he didn't recognise his surroundings, particularly the feel of his bed- the mattress was much stiffer than his usual one, the pillow and the sheets thinner than what he was accustomed to. As his eyes started to focus, he was able to take in his surroundings.

Pictures of Pictures
By Sabrina G. Langton

***

Author's Note: Hi, something a little different, something a little heartwarming for the holidays. Heartwarming? Yeah I don't even know what that means. Ha, Hope YOU like it.

***

I don't know what I was expecting. It was all new to me but I think that's what I liked most about it.

Fathers
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I found a canoe. I had taken a job for a few days cleaning out an old shed behind a house on the shore bought by somebody in the city. The realtor said that I could stay in the basement under the house for a few days and earn some cash for emptying the contents of the shed into a dumpster, sweeping the floors and wiping the place down.

Slowly, Tiberius is getting the hang of things.
One year ago he joined the adventurers Conway, Debtar, and Sinea as a freshly baked mage.
His new friends had been generous with their advice and friendship.
But when the topic of Shroom Dungeon is brought up, they are unusually mum about any details.
They agree on one thing quickly. It was time for Tiberius to delve into Shroom Dungeon.
A dungeon yet undefeated. A place to lose yourself.

An unexpected situation arises and turns into so much more.

Collateral
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I was on holiday on my own. I had broken up with my girlfriend holly and I decided to drive my car all the way down to Cabo – just time on the road to clear my head. I just wanted to go somewhere where the booze was cheap and forget everything. I just jumped in and drove and drove.

After a long discussion with General Ajani, Keir had been feeling quite happy with the day. It had been productive, a little terrifying at the thought of facing hundreds of thousands of demons, but there was reason to hope they'd survive and even push back the monsters in the coming year. And now his good mood was rapidly being ruined by stupidity, arrogance, and shortsightedness. 

Hi, Sofia here. Mary gave me permission to tell her story so here it is, picking up from when I asked her a question, but here’s a refresher of where we were when she told it to me.

I got a cab round to Mary’s so I could change back and sort out everything the male me needed for work next week. There were a couple of questions I needed to ask her so once the change had started I said, “Mary, there’s a couple of things you said and I wanted to ask you about it.” She told me I could ask her anything so I began….

Messenger 14

We spent the next two nights at a fairly anonymous hotel to the south of the city while decisions were made by the powers that be, about what to do with me.