Hope's Light

Chapter 7

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Seven - Coffee

The ride through the paved cavern tunnels was short but bumpy as the transport’s suspension had clearly died a squealing death at least ten to twenty firestorms ago. I’d been locked into position in the middle of a squad again, though this time opposite me wasn’t a cranky diminutive devil blowing smoke but rather a sullen swamp-green demon similarly shackled into place whose inner rage boiled and simmered.

As evident by the constant glares of resentment and brewing rebellion he kept shooting across the aisle whenever he thought I wasn’t paying attention. My sympathy meter didn’t move much in response, I was too busy being happy that they’d given me a bright orange prison jumpsuit.

Hey, it would never have won any fashion shows but it certainly beat being naked.

 
This was an idea suggested by Erin -- Ed
 

Chapter 9

The next few months went by in a rush of business, hospital visits, the odd Weed Run, and life in general. Al and I were regulars on the Weed Runs, with Cate coming along occasionally, with Angelique looking after Jenny.

Pablo and Antonio were good contacts, telling us a lot about life on the island. It was their sales of weed that allowed them to live above subsistence. We discovered that the cigars came from the Party Headquarters, with some going missing before the final delivery.

All Hello’s Night

Harold Benjimin Harrigan was a loner. He had been a loner all his life. At school, he had merged into the background but did well enough to apply for a few good jobs. He wasn’t a handyman but had one redeeming skill that set him apart. It was the inability to become bored with repetition.

He landed a job with the London City Council. It was probably because nobody else was interested in being in charge of the public toilet maintenance, mainly making sure that they were cleaned regularly and ordering the tons of toilet paper.

Rear Window is considered to be one of Hitchcock’s best and one of the greatest films of all time. This story borrows heavily from that screenplay but curves off into a new TRANSlation.

Chapter 8

It was dark again when I woke up. Cate had stripped me while I was out to the world and covered me up. I was having dreams about shooting people, only to wake to realise that my dreams were only a reenactment of real life. When I put a gown on and went to the toilet, Cate was there to help me stagger into the kitchen, where she plied me with a fry up.

Making her mission succeed requires Mantra to establish a truce between two warring factions. To do so, she has to negotiate with a woman who was one of the most admired heroines on her Earth. But what can she expect from the vengeful version of that person living in a world as mad as this one?

Chapter 7

Cate was brought home an hour later, after I had put Jenny to bed. I had changed out of my dress and into a nightie and gown. When she walked in, I made sure to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She went off to change and we sat with our wine, talking about anything but what had happened that evening.

Chapter One – The Transvestite, The Burglar and The Policeman

Lilly's house is burgled and incriminating items are taken. Being a closet crossdresser she is concerned that she might be outed. When the burglar confronts her in her own home Lilly is at first shocked but when she realises that the burglar's questionable intentions may be the key to her happiness she surrenders.

Hope's Light

Chapter 3

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Three - Sin

Languages are magic.

Think about it. By making weird sounds or scribbling strange markings against a surface, we transmit ideas, conjure images the recipient has never seen, and organize the very way we think. And it’s not limited to only verbal or written mediums; there is language in music, in mathematics, in dance and motion, and yes, in the act of making love. They are the tools by which we interact with each other and the universe at large, coordinating our very perceptions into meaning.

Mostly we use language to manipulate the thoughts and ideas of others, but some…well, some use it to manipulate the world directly. And what lies behind it.

I returned to my hotel with a lot to think about. Corey had shown me a picture of the ‘RV’ that he was going to travel around in. It wasn’t anything like the bog standard white ‘box on wheels’ that you see almost everywhere clogging up the roads.

Hope's Light

Chapter 2

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Two - Paintings

Ever since that moment of radical transformation (or resurrection, if one prefers) back at the start of all the madness - when my name went from Justin to Jordan and personal pronouns flipped on their heads - I’ve had occasion to journey to a scattering of spiritual places. Planes of existence, dreams, realms - call them what you will - they all had a certain commonality. They were formed around an inner core, a nugget of desire or purpose which stabilized the whole and resonated throughout. Some were tied to entire stories sung forth in glorious splendor, others built on specific concrete principles or even emotional states. The more coherent the core, the more cohesive the realm - and all the souls and spirits resonating in sync with that pattern locked-in the solidity even further. Their presence and observations made things more ‘real’ within that domain.

I’ve tasted, touched, ripped, reinforced, and even created such places anew. The planes of Hell were no exception in their properties, and while I’d only visited two of the many available, for various (and desperate!) reasons I’d needed to delve deep into the structures of both to fight against a Chaos-corrupted agent attempting to shred them into incoherent pieces.

“Can I sit down?” asked Casey.

“Please do. I’m finished here, and I have a team to brief. In case you have not noticed, the show opens in…?”
I looked at my watch.

Rose covers up a yawn as she drives back home. The banquet was boring and the entertainment Ciarán did later was mildly entertaining. The other high rollers that were there might have been impressed with his act, but she noticed Sasha wasn’t amused or entertained. At some point during his act, she thought she saw Sasha cover up a yawn.

A smile forms on Rose’s face as she enjoys the drive back to her place. Tonight, she wasn’t going to bother with going on patrol. Most of the gangs, weapon traffickers, and drug dealers knew to stay out of her area.

Title

The New Girl at Uskweirs Manor

a pastoral romance

by Miriam Robern

A Fateful House Party

Monmouthshire, May 1812

Miss Amelia Wright gained access to Uskweirs Manor by supplying a false name.  The attendant at the door dipped his head, murmured, “Of course, sir,” and gestured her within.

Mantra is cornered into a meeting with the last person she wants to meet in this violent ruin of a planet. But that same person is the one whom Mantra loves most in the world.

Jack, Nick, and Cheshire along with their pets have made their way to the temple. All of them were exhausted and had numerous cuts, bruises, and small wounds covering their bodies. Even Sher Khan and Chaos had blood coming from wounds covering their bodies.

Chaos was favoring his right paw. A hunter set a trap and he stepped right into the trap. Jack tended to his injured paw, but it still bothered him.
Samson was resting on Nick’s arm as they stood inside the temple. They spotted a gem hovering over a pit in midair. The pit was to big to jump across.

Glamour Photoshoot Transformation

Rose mingles with the people at the banquet. She keeps Sasha in sight, so she can talk to her. As for Ciarán, something about him was rubbing her the wrong way. It was a good thing she came prepared. She walks close to Ciarán and gently drops a small GPS tracker into his side pocket. She also scans his cell phone with hers.

While she is close to Ciarán, she listens in on what he is saying to some guy. They were talking about investments and the newest CEO of some company. Nothing that matters to her. She wasn’t into acquiring or having lots of money like her family.

The Girl in the Mirror

By Julie D Cole