Part Six

They grilled him for over an hour more, getting some additional details, though frustratingly few of them. All of this information was served with a large helping of self-aggrandizement and matter-of-fact bragging. Fosworth clearly found the entire process boring and not worth his time, but was determined to make the most of it by making the most of his contribution in stopping the monster. He made clear through his attitude that he was cooperating for the good of the c\o\m\p\a\n\y\ team.

“And even if his story is untrue, it’s not necessarily a sign of mental illness in children his age to make up strange stories. So I’ll refer you to a child psychiatrist, but I suggest you keep an open mind and check that mural in Davey’s bedroom from time to time to see if it exhibits any... strange behavior.”

Part Three

"I'm starting to hate that doorbell," said Vic, as she walked quickly to their new apartment's door in response to said bell.

This time the caller was a clean but scrawny man perhaps in his mid-thirties.

"Hey. You changed your WiFi password," he said, with no preamble.

"No, it's the same one we've always used with this router."

"Then why can't I get on?"

"Well, you shouldn't be able to. Our WiFi has always been private, even before we moved in here last week."

“But why would Davey back up her story? Or why would she back up his, if it’s not true? I’m having a hard time believing it, but I’m having an even harder time figuring out why they would both tell such a far-fetched lie.”

She jumped out of the bath, hastily threw on a robe, and rushed to the room where the portal-cabinet was stored, carrying a towel. She was overjoyed to see the portal still open as she entered the room.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00033010
TURNER OTDAY
Otday was on his own now in the adult world that, despite his parent’s exhortations for years, he hadn’t even begun to prepare himself for.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00033020
COUNCIL MEETING
Will said, even more abruptly than was his wont, “Gale wills Gage to be her successor, Yew, and started training him half a tenner since without saying aught of the matter to him. I am in agreement. How bethink you of it?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00034010
PATRICK, GERALD AND THE FIREKEEPERS
“Oier, if Gerald does not do his share, I wish you to make him. Will and I do not mind if you hit him. If you hit him so hard he dies it doesn’t matter. Do you understand, Oier?”

Zindla liked having a little girl around, even if she was older than she looked, and used to be a boy. Seeing her cousins and other children who lived in the neighborhood, she’d sometimes regretted being an only child, and now she felt like she almost knew what it was like to have a little sister. Devi was so enthusiastic and curious about everything; having her around was like seeing everything for the first time.

“Do you want me to show you how to sew?” Pasyala asked. “Or has your mother already shown you?”

 

“No,” Devi said at first. “Girls do sewing and knitting and stuff.” But then he reflected: People go into other worlds to learn valuable lessons and have adventures and stuff. The portal made me a girl, so maybe it wants me to learn about girl stuff before it will let me go home and be a boy again? “I guess I’m a girl now, so I can learn how to sew and stuff.”

Paula the Elder
There's a saying that old age and treachery will triumph over youth and exuberance every time. It may even be true if my arthritis isn't acting up, but somehow I managed to talk the the detective into letting me come along when we watched the Sasquatch do his thing.

In the stories, kids who go through portals to other worlds need to learn something from it. Maybe there’s something I’m supposed to learn from being a little girl. And there’s definitely got to be something I’m supposed to do here, but I don’t know what yet.”

Titia
"So, we didn't scare you off last week?" asked Chloe.

"Not when there's a chance the guy with the hands might be back."

"Hey! You gotta give the rest of us a fair chance this week," complained Raina.

"Besides, you told him you were flying to California or some such." Shelly smirked. "Don't think he'd buy that you're suddenly in love with him and flew back."

Paula the Elder
"You ready to face the world again, Titus?"

"Reality sucks, partner. I don't want to be Titus, dammit. It was worth getting clobbered to be Titia for so long and to meet your family. Even if my family doesn't understand me, I do miss them."

"People can change, Titus. There's always a chance."

[Sorry for posting the wrong text - here's the right chapter]

Paula the Elder
"I can't do this! whined my houseguest.

"Then sit home and tend to your knitting. Your arm looks a lot better tonight."

"I'm not going to be playing basketball any time soon, but I did feed myself at lunch."

"That's progress. Just don't try to tango tonight."

"I'm not sure I want to try to dance at all."

The moonlight from the window was falling directly on the gateway in the mural. But he couldn’t see the road and horse and buggy and the distant hills. Instead, he saw — a chair. A high-backed wooden chair, with red velvet cushions on the back and seat and arms, and to the left of that, part of what looked like a sofa or armchair.

 
Paula
It's funny how white objects seem to fluoresce under the LED streetlamps they use around the warehouses. Standing there sweating in the warm summer night while listening to the other intruder moaning in the background, I could see the bright white bra around my partner Titus' chest like it was Day-Glo from my misspent youth. No black-light was needed, but there certainly was a surreal quality of the scene like that which had dominated so many parties when I was young and stupid.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00012020
JO’S (18) BABE SALLOW
For the three midwifes Knott’s presence had turned what could have been a difficult birthing into a normal first one.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00013010
JADE (17) AND PHTHALEN (20)
Both Jade and Phthalen were nervous to begin with, but to his surprise she asked him, “Do you like me enough to marry me, so they won’t take my little boy away?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00013020
SPEARMINT (10) AND ALWYDD (8)
“If we are caught doing those sorts of things what will happen, Spearmint? I’m not unwilling, but my life for the first time is good here, and I don’t wish to mess it up right at the beginning.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00014020
NOT SAFE WITH CHILDREN
Gilla went to measure out the small dose that contained a merciful release for Gove, and a safer life for the young.

The person who used to own the house until she died was an artist. She’d painted murals in every room. Davey could hardly believe that Dad was planning to paint over the battle scene in the living room and the mural in his and Mom’s bedroom, which he hadn’t let any of the kids see. Davey’s big brother Carson had snuck in to see it, and he wouldn’t tell Davey or Amy what it was; he just snickered when they asked him about it.

Hunter Miller pulled his big Mercedes up to the front door of his 3-story mansion on Mulholland Drive. He left the engine running as he reflected on his 60 years. He was born in Texas to a couple of modest means. His dad was a mechanic and mom was a homemaker. They managed to take a vacation to Los Angeles, where Hunter saw Mulholland Drive for the first time. Hunter remembered whispering to himself, “I’m gonna live here someday.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006360
MID-AFTERNOON THE RETURN OF THE HORSES
“My gratitude, Leech. Yes, a good trip. My regards to Gale.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006380
LATE AFTERNOON HONESTY AND BELLA
“The herbs are working, she’s nursing, Peter.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006390
LATE AFTERNOON TILL EVE THE HERMIT AND HIS FAMILY
Torrent expressed gratitude to Peace and winked at Anvil who shrugged and said, “Girls learn it at the breast I’m sure.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006400
PRODUCTS OF OUR TIMES
“Aaron never was easy to understand,” said Yew, and then he added, “May hap none of us are.”
Many of the Council looked at Yew quizzically at that and Thomas asked, “You thinking of becoming a hermit, Yew?” At that the entire Council laught. Other than Will, a less appropriate candidate than Yew to take Aaron’s place was difficult to envisage.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006040
MID-FORENOON KATHLEEN (45) AND RAYMOND (52)
“He’s just what I wanted, Mum, a dad, not an older brother trying to be a dad.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006050
MID-FORENOON THE SPEEDING OF HAZEL
The Folk had no religion. They had The Way, which was a social philosophy not a religion.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006080
MIDDAY BEATRIX (43 nc), JACKDAW (35) AND THE BOYS
Beatrix put her arms berount him and said, “I know, Fergal. I understand. My life wasn’t good before I came here. I wanted children, but I couldn’t have any. Social Services said I was too old to adopt. But now I have all of you to take care of, all of you have us and a family, and the social workers can go and fu— Well, never you mind what they can go and do to themselves.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00006140
EARLY AFTERNOON AARON AND THE PREGNANT WOMEN
The women considered Aaron’s offer, and finally Zoë asked, “Why would you and your family do this for us?”
“Because that’s the Way of it, and none wishes you and your unbirtht to die,” replied Aaron.

"You said something about Belinda having cousins in the IRA, and Sasha told me to drop it when I asked about it.”

“Well seeing as there’re just us here and no outsiders I’ll tell you what I meant.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00005010
VERY EARLY FORENOON REBECCA (66) AND THE QUARTET
“I stand correctet, we are a quartet. We are not two couples we are a marital coöperative.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00005020
EARLY FORENOON GIMLET AND LEECH
Leech twisted the knife to split the remaining skull bone, and the arrow was free.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00005030
EARLY FORENOON NOT ONE IN TEN EXTRA POLECATS
The stallion screamed with rage, reared, turned and taekt the fence on the other side of the paddock flying.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00005060
FORENOON SNIP
Brock put the kitten on the floor in front of Gift, who immediately lay on the floor on her stomach eye to eye with her and said, “Snip. Gift’s Snip. My Snip.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004510
LATE AFTERNOON 2ND QDAY HONESTY (32) AND PETER (41), BELLA (1l)
Both had expressed their hope Honesty was pregnant. “But to make sure,” Honesty telt Peter with mock anxiety, “it may be a good idea to try regularly.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004520
EARLY EVE TO BEDTIME JUDITH AND STORM, MATILDA (65) EVAN (68)
“You don’t have to be in love to make love, but if you are it is infinitely better.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004530
EVE JASMINE, LILAC, ASH AND BEECH SING - MINT
“We are just folk, Kevin, and your parents now."

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004540
GLORIA 28 AND PEREGRINE (28)
Gloria wished to enjoy a man thiseve and Peregrine was available. If, as she expected, Peregrine asked her to marry him she would accept.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004230
2ND QDAY HEATHER (30) JON (30) ANISE (14) HOLLY (9) GIFT (4) DIRK (7)
“Me Girl. Girl four. No mum. No dad. Girl steal food. Want mum. Want dad. Not know we thing. End.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004240
AFTERNOON SECOND QUARTERDAY LILAC (15)
“I have thisday killt a man to protect myself. I don’t will to have to do it again, but no man is going to take me gainst my will.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004250
AFTERNOON SECOND QUARTERDAY IVY (74) AND DAVID (73)
“What bethink you, David? A widow woman of parts is not a bad placement?”