“You okay?” Lucy asked her American friend, who paused to take several deep breaths before replying.

“Yeah,” Phoebe replied, momentarily lowering her mask to take a deep breath, but making sure to raise it back before exhaling. “I dunno if it’s the mask or not, but this is kinda harder than I remember!”

“Okay,” Kacey- the leader of the class- said as she observed the two students taking time getting their breath back. “I think that’s as good a time as any to take a break. Lucy, can I have a word please?”

The newly crowned king of San Peligro, King Herold, has been searching for a wife since before he took the throne. But now, as king, the need for a wife has grown even more important. After all, he has a duty to continue his lineage. His father, the highly popular and eccentric ex-king, has been telling him that he can just use magic to reproduce if he really needs to. But, of course, the ex-king hasn’t been much help, having stepped down from the throne to pursuit his love of theater.

Owen and his two friends are orphans and thieves, living off what they can find. When the king announces a quest to find a mythical phoenix feather with a reward for a thousand gold pieces, the three choose to find it before anyone else.

Their quest would alter their lives forever and put them face-to-face with an encroaching evil the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Author’s note: Bring tissues…

After a long, but quiet, Friday night shift, with time to dwell on his thoughts, Paul pushes himself to take Alicia up on the promise she made. Something is bothering him, and mentioning it in the hospital, without support, could affect his career. Paul even knows exactly the bar he wants to go to for the 9am drink; Light Avenue.

Not Strong Enough to Run is a Solo short story set in the Toni With An i/Light Avenue universe, featuring the sort of, maybe, but not quite, but really ‘Yes’ LGBTQ+ bar. Set roughly ten years before Toni With An i it features both Steph and Trevor earlier in their careers. No knowledge of Toni With An i is needed for this story. Not Strong Enough to Run is, however, a tale that will enhance the experience of any fans of Steph, Trevor, or Light Avenue itself.

As the Shadow Stalker cruised through the vast expanse of space, Mir'tan and I found solace in each other's embrace. The faint hum of the ship's engines provided a comforting backdrop to our intimate moment. Mir'tan's gentle touch against my fur sent a shiver down my spine, soothing the tension that had built up during our recent raid.

Forget About It
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

We have all heard the word “amnesia” and we think that we know what it means. It seems to be a go-to device in every television drama – somebody stumbles with no memory of their past. Well, it is very rare in this form, and usually accompanied by some other mental impairment from a serious injury. The idea of the otherwise untouched victim is a myth.

Pregnant with Six Daughters

Life is a Bitch but sometimes it takes a long time for it to die.

Chapter 6

As I drove south, I was very mindful of the speed limits, something that I now took very seriously, not wanting to have my licence being checked while I was in a skirt. Being a nice day, I had opted for something casual but well made and we had bought a couple of good skirts, suited to a businesswoman.

I had a good collection of blouses that we had bought to go with the skirt suits that were in the garment bags hanging in the back of the car, alongside the new dress that had cost almost as much as a month’s salary.

This is the revised version of 'Vanishing Point' written to expand on some of the detail. Writing to the competition word limit imposed some discipline on me, but it meant much less detail for the ending. This is simply a wider look at the story.

By the time Jasmine arrived back at the farm, the men were gone. She got a text message from Clare warning her. So, far the facial recognition program hasn’t found anything on them.

She parks her motorcycle back in its standard location and heads into the house through one of the secret tunnels leading from the barn. She goes upstairs to her bedroom and changes out of her work clothes. Once she takes her body suit off, she gets dressed. She fixes her hair and heads downstairs to the kitchen.