Pinkmail
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

He barely heard the knock on the door, but he rose to open it. The dark shape slipped past him into his motel room, moving swiftly and as quiet as that knock. Wesley closed the door.

The black hooded cloak was curiously old-fashioned, like something out of a period costume drama, but its purpose was clear. He had demanded that Oliver Ramsay meet in the out of the way establishment, and that could only be done in darkness and fully shrouded. Oliver was too well known for it to be any other way.

Kai needs desperately a break from his normal life.
As his old friend Björn offers a place to stay, Kai jumps on the opportunity.
But not long after arriving, tales of folklore make the rounds.
Are they real or is Björn up to his old shenanigans and pulling a prank on him?

The city of Limani was dying around Keir.

Smoke and gunfire filled the air, women and children screamed in terror, while men pleaded for their live. The undead marched through the streets looking for any signs of resistance, while soldiers roamed the city looking for treasure, drink and pleasure.

The worst-looking car in the company lot was Jerry’s. It made no sense to Ron. Jerry was, pardon the expression, a hell of an engineer, and a beloved mentor to his younger colleagues. His skills were rare. Knowing so, he did all he could to pass them on, for his responsibility was an arcane but critically essential part of the company’s flagship product. Tens of billions of dollars worth sold; not Apple, but you’d know the name.

The day has finally come, and it is off to school I go. I don't know how I feel about this. My mind is jumping between worry and anticipation. I am worried because I don't know what to expect when I get there. I am also anticipating that there I will cause trouble for James. I have been told that James has been bullied by many of the other students at school because his magic doesn't manifest in the same way that theirs does.

“Holy macaroni, you’ve got lady parts?”

“Okay,” Carmen conceded, “if multiple bodies is a core part of your identity, it’s probably fine to take them all to the protest. But venning into multiple bodies for the protest just to inflate the numbers —”

This is a drabble (100 word story) about someone who's reflecting in more ways than one.

Reflection
Copyright 2022 by Heather Rose Brown

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“Which way now?” asked Sylvie when she drove us away from the Post Office.

I thought for a moment before replying,
“I’m trying to put myself in the shoes of those two idiots and their father. They will have seen the North Carolina plates on this, and will more than likely be thinking that we’ll be heading back there as fast as we can.”

From the experience of the trans people he’d been talking to, at the support group and online, he didn’t think the dysphoria would get much better. Most of the improvement had come in the first few days after he got over the shock of the sudden new body, or in the first few days after he started wearing men’s clothes again.

The following Wednesday was the party at Alan's house. Zoe, Miles, and Avery all carpooled to Alan's house together. When they got there, they were greeted by Alan at the front door. "Hello, friends," said Alan. "We're gonna be in the backyard for the party."

"Okay," said Miles. "This should be fun."

Zoe didn't see or talk to Miles until Monday morning at school. She was just coming into the entry hall when she ran into Miles. "Hey," she said. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good," said Miles. "I didn't tell Mr. Al about...you know. And I told Avery not to tell him, either."

"Good," said Zoe. "Just as long as there weren't any curses placed on Skylar's property-"

"Well, I didn't wake up with boobs and a vagina on Saturday," said Miles. "So I think we're fine."

Alan came up to them. "Miles! Zoe!" he said. "Where were you on Friday?"

"Uh..."