I had trouble at first holding the pages of the trade paperback open with my little hands, but after a few minutes of trial and error, I managed to get the hang of it, and started reading.

“Would this be a good time to talk about it?” I asked Sheena as I set up in the bed. She was already sitting at her desk; the room was dark save for the green lamp-glow from her desk that illuminated her face. I watched her look up from her papers, black hair glowing softly in the lamplight as she shot me a look that was nothing short of a silent lecture.

“You ought be sleeping,” She told me. “You’ve got another hour before you need to ready yourself.”

“I’m not tired,” I shrugged, and then I thought better of it and laid back down, pulling the covers up to my neck.

Barrettes
Copyright 2022 by Heather Rose Brown

This is a drabble (100 word story) about a boy who decides to trust some new friends, and experiments with something he'd never had the nerve to try at home. It's a continuation of my Pigtails drabble, but told from Lenny's point of view.

“We’ll be rid of that chair,” Sheena said as I limped out of the shower. “You seemed to have an awful time with it.”

“It was…hard…to push,” I sighed. “I’m kind of weak I guess.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” She smiled and patted me on the head. “your mind is where the worth is to be found.”

I limped across the floor and sat down on one of the benches, letting a small moan of relief escape my lips as the pressure was alleviated from my ankle. Off in the distance, I heard the broken showerhead sputter again.

“Where are you going to go, Jessica?” Kelly watches as Jessica packs her suitcase with what meager belongings she owns.

“I don’t know, Kelly.” Jessica looks over towards Kelly. She has been like a little sister since she came to the ranch.

“Why can’t you stay? I don’t want you to leave.” Kelly walks over and hugs Jessica tightly.

“I don’t want to go, Kelly. But Mrs. White said the state wouldn’t allow me to stay here.

awyers can usually find trouble to get into. COVID’s a disaster, and disasters breed lawsuits like prize bitch spaniels breed puppies. I doubt I’ll see the inside of a courtroom anytime soon though. So, I decided.”

She said, “Decided what?”

I opened my hands and showed her the bottle.

Necromantra sees that the war at Ulik is moving toward disaster. On top of it, the state of her power level is low and she needs to kill again to increase her magical capacity. Further, the witch needs help, but finding a reliable ally is difficult amid the chaotic situation at the siege lines. She decides that her best option is to recruit the female warrior whom has so far impressed her.

At first it was believed that the Mah'Kur were simply an advanced civilization that had been overlooked, but as time went on, there were a few who believed evidence pointed toward an otherworldly origin. A small fringe group, however, indicated that they could be visitors from another reality. This theory, however, never held water as it is easy to convince people of life on other planets but not other realities.

-On the Mah'Kur Page 181 Paragraph 18

“So, what have we learned?” Jen asked me.

Changing Roles
By Julie Dawn Cole
Chapter 18

Liz whispered something to Felicia, then said aloud, “Felicia is the one who will do your nails. She has the biggest nail polish collection out of all of us, which is why I figured that it was best for her to do it. She knows the colors I picked out, so you can go with her to her room to get started.” Miles did as told and walked with Felicia to her room.

[With thanks to Courtney for another great caption!]

Life really takes some strange turns and moving to New Mexico did it for me. I hated my new life. At my old home in Idaho, I had a couple of friends, and we played games and hung out, but not in the new place. It sucked.