Chapter 13

When we arrived at Gatwick, there was a sign with an arrow that just had ‘Turbulence’ on it. It led us to a reserved floor in the North Terminal car park, where attendants were there to show us to a parking area and open the doors for us. Our driver would be back at seven, to wait for our return. Jeff and I certainly looked like we should be there as we followed more signs that took us into the main concourse, through a very quick passport check, finally arriving in a VIP lounge where some had already started mingling.

Umberto didn’t respond to my note. I guess I wasn’t too surprised. Elissa never interacted with the notes I left in Tommy’s game; it was Tommy doing so, though he thought my responses were coming from Elissa at first.

A Successful Family

The possession of a small number of cows, pigs, sheep and goats in addition to ducks, hens and geese was to the older family members the currency by which they measured true wealth. That the hundreds of doves that lived in the centuries old dovecote and the fish in the lake were a readily available food source was a wonder to them. When they added a couple of hives of bees and a dozen rabbits to keep in a barn they couldn’t imagine a better life.

Defense was a bore. Quirrell gave us a practice test which I finished in just a few minutes. I was contemplating pulling out another book, but I didn't want to get too involved in anything else and have to be interrupted. My nails were still impeccable, and I was enjoying the sparkly black color. I glanced around the room and everyone was still working on their test, except Hermione. She was staring off into the distance, mumbling silently. I'm not sure when I developed the skill, but I've come to the realization that if I focus I can read lips with a high degree of accuracy.

"Hitchhiking? No. Me, hitchhiking? Where? Like, out here, in the desert?"

"Yeah, maybe a dozen miles west of here."

I tried to put it together, but the pieces didn't fit. "Hitchhiking... dressed like this?
Barefoot? With an umbrella? What-- did I drop out of the sky?
Like Mary Poppins, with the umbrella?"

Cherry blossom journey to womanhood

the rouge tasted like cherries, a forbidden sweetness on alan's four-
year-old tongue. His mother's vanity table, a glittering land of
forgotten treasures, had captivated him. He'd slipped on her silky robe,
the feel a stark contrast to his usual rough-and-tumble clothes. The
lipstick, a bright, unapologetic red, felt foreign on his lips, yet
oddly comforting. His mother's gasp shattered the moment. Tears streamed
down his face, not from her anger, but from a dawning realization - he
was different.

“I’m done!” I said to my wife when I arrived home from work.

Dot and Sam 40

Space Alien Transformation

The year was 2075. Steve Austin, once a wide-eyed boy gazing at the
stars, was now a seasoned astronaut, encased in a cryogenic pod aboard
the Icarus I. His destination: Proxima b, a distant speck yearning for
human contact. Steve was humanity's pioneer, hurtling through the abyss
in suspended animation, his only companion the ever-vigilant AI, Anya.

John, now full-time as Jayne was kept busy organising the design and supervision of the works at Amanda’s, and spending most of what little spare time she had with the Morrisettes, she never really had much chance to consider how she was now living and just got on with things.

Allison spent her first night as a woman tossing and turning in her sleep, her pain obvious to Angie who was looking after her. Allison did manage to make the best of her Sunday — after updating her doctor on her issues — mainly by spending time with her new ‘friend’ Robert.

With her first night being one of tumultuous rest — due to the faster than expected effects of the medication Dr. Grace prescribed — what will Allison discover upon waking on day three? And what will she not notice, or refuse to accept, that it takes Angie to point out?

My Faraday City stories have been exploring an increasingly expansive world of superheroes, adventure, whimsy and danger. So, to keep all the worldbuilding straight, I documented it! Character dossiers, location writeups, it’s all here. Also, some fun new pics, and even some sneak peeks of upcoming stories!