Sukhana is anxious to try out her new saddle and takes a ride around Blackstone with Garia. On their way back Garia discovers that Senidet has hidden talents and makes her a proposition. Later, the steam engine is demonstrated and Master Yarling makes a confession.

But if they had a contest between the three women at the table as to who was the most insecure, it might have been a dead heat. The girl felt so badly about herself that she had given into hopelessness. The woman who loved her felt overshadowed by a woman whose only fault was that her husband had built her up into a hero of mythical proportion, even in death. And the woman sitting across from them witnessed the love between the two, feeling entirely unworthy and inauthentic; as if being herself was some mere phase of life rather than the huge struggle she had endured with much success.

A stereotypical nerd and big Star Trek fan is having major problems fitting in, let alone getting treated as a real person. Then, at an SF convention, he discovers an alien box, and it transforms his life, and the lives of many of his acquaintences.

(NOTE: I know that the preferred term is Trekker. I am one. This title sounded better to me, okay?

Another note: This started as a short little piece about one character. But sometimes, stories have minds of their own. It just mushroomed, and refused to be so confined. And it was much more fun to write this way.)

This was posted years ago at another website. I figured it was time to take a short BB break (while I'm in writer's block) and share some of the oldies. I hope you enjoy it.

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Tarja 11

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while between chapters. This tale takes place during the American Civil War at a time when things have begun to go badly for the South, which started drafting boys as young as 13 to fight in the war effort. ~Torey.

Love and Old Books…Finale

It changed everything that weekend and I mean it changed everything…

I will remember that night forever but the next day too. I woke up and it was chilly even with it being summer but the smell of the water coming in off the beach was still heavy in the air and there’s nothing like it really the smell of salt water that close. It mixed with the sounds of the waves hitting the beach and the smell of us, of Valerie sleeping there beside me.

I rubbed some more thankful, so thankful wetness from my eyes with my thumb and then I rolled over and spooned her wrapping an arm around her and the blankets and just holding her.

Smelling her skin, her hair.

There are some perfect moments in this world.

At the Prom
Ellie Dauber

Jerry Nicholas wants to prank his high school's prom despite his best friend, Fred Paxton's, request that he behave. Jerry gave his friend his word -- sort of -- but where there's a will AND a Fairy Godmother, there's a way