New score updates!

Apologies are rendered!

Cash is tendered!

Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy, thanks,

DD

This story is based on one of my favorite songs by Suzanne Vega called Luka. Although the story is about an abused child, I've done my best to only suggest what has happened without getting into anything graphic. Just the same, it wasn't an easy story to write.

My Name is Luka

Copyright 2007 by Heather Rose Brown

Jake thought that he was the lucky one after Dave and Roger had to bail out of their long-planned trip to Vegas.

The Devil turned Phil into a girl when he wished for a Halloween date. Now -- who's that at the door?

Chapter II - "Reflections"

The

Big

Six

O

by shalimar

        As they entered the grocery, Christina suddenly realized that she and Andrei were still holding hands. She tried to let go of her older cousin's hand without it being too obvious, and said, "Thanks."

        Christina woke just as the first rays of sun hit the mountain. Rolling over, she pulled the blankets over her eyes to block the light. She savored the warm, comfortable feeling of being cocooned in her luxurious bed, remembering that her bed at home wasn't remotely this comfortable. Eventually she pulled the blanket off of her head and looked around, realizing that everything that happened yesterday was real. She didn't want to get up, not only because the bed was so inviting, but also she knew that if she looked in the mirror, she would see a girl looking back.

In this chapter, Bobby is invited to Cori's sleepover and semi-officially acquires some new pronouns. We also learn a bit more about Bobby's father and get a little more insight into how he and his child feel about each other.

Turning the Tables
By Itinerant
Edited by Amelia R.

Author's Note: Written for Erin's Strangefellow's Day Kontest^WContest. Pulled from an idea that arose during a brief, demented series of messages with John in Wauwatosa.

**********
Monday, October 1, 2001

"Well? Have you found a candidate? All Hallows Eve is less than four weeks away, and I want to have the ritual on the full moon."

The kids from England end up going on a field trip to Luray Caverns. Em notices that Gaby seems to be moving very femininely and she is happy for a change. What is up with that? Did Gaby become a girl? It's interesting, I never noticed before, but Gaby smiles just the same way Maddy does? Gaby hardly ever smiles, so I never noticed this before. It's nice to see Gaby in a good mood for a change. Maddy seems to be a bit glum though, Why did she ever come wearing a blouse, skirt, hose and open toed, low heeled sandles to a cavern tour field trip, who is she trying to impress? That sure was dumb on her part.

Just a quick add on to the previous 3 chapters. More to come later.

DD

Easter is a day to celebrate rebirth and the start of new life - in more ways than one.

        As Chris rolled over and opened his eyes he could tell by the light on the ceiling that it was morning, but something was different. He felt as though he was floating on a cloud. This wasn't his bed. His bed was only marginally better than sleeping on the floor, and that was only because he rarely swept. Even the soft feather pillows molded perfectly to the curvature of his head. He couldn't remember feeling so relaxed in his life. Most mornings, his first action was to untwist his underwear, but today, his pajamas flowed marvelously from his body. He sighed, reveling in the sensation of being absolutely pampered.

In which the diligent reader can find a new ballgown, divers conversations, both of hope and of despair, together with a meeting by a fountain. Oh... and did I mention the note under the door? Nobody could ask for more. Could they?

The House of the Rising Sun

by shalimar

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising sun
It’s been the ruin of many a poor girl
And me, O G_d, for one.

A young woman finds a way to escape from the mother who made her so.

BERMUDA TANGLE

        Christopher Chase stared at the tiny clock in the computer's taskbar. 8:45 PM. "I'm the last one again," he said aloud, the sound of his voice echoing through the old factory building. Chris regularly worked late; it was just part of the job. At the age of nineteen, with only a high school education, he felt lucky to have the job at all. Still, being a full time support technician, aside from his role as an unofficial and underpaid junior programmer, gave new meaning to the phrase "low man on the totem pole." He was more like the guy who waited on the park bench across the street from the totem pole, praying for the day they decided to make it just one face taller. That would only help him if the three guys on the bench with him would quit or drop dead before that day ever came.

An incident on a hiking trail through a swamp leads a solitary man to new companionship, a new point of view and a new appreciation for justice at work.

Hacker slice-of-life: an introspective moment with someone who got a lot more than she expected from his old equipment.